Expert: Andrew Foley - 5/19/2009

Question
Hello Brother Andrew.

I asked this question and am surprised to see it still available after two years.  By the same token I am also surprised that the question generated no comments?

I was a Catholic into the 1960's.  Preaching within the Catholic Church just was not done.  Announcements or scripture reading was about it.  

In your response to Preaching you said "I wasn't even aware that this was an issue".  I read a response by you about the Bible and Sola Scriptura quite awhile ago.  You did a very good job explaining your position.  The Bible has caused many problems.

When people preach within the church, they preach from what they believe to be true according to the Bible. Sadly far too many preach many different truths.  This has caused denominations.

The last article I read stated that there are over 30,000 denominations worldwide.  The only way so many divisions/denominations can occur is through Preaching within the church setting.  This was never the intention for preaching.  

I did some research and found 138 references to Preaching, Teaching and Instructing in the New Testament.  In every instance except for 2, Preaching was to the unsaved be they Jew or Gentile and outside a church setting.  

Preaching within the church did not begin until over 100 years after the Protestant Reformation.  But it has caught on and today they are in 99% of churches spreading whatever they so desire and prove it using the Bible as their proof text.  

So I just wanted to share this with you for I also believe the Bible can be used to do great harm but this harm is spread through Preaching.

Thanks
Murel  

Answer
I'm sorry, but this sounds incredibly off-base. First of all, it's illogical. What possible difference could it make if people expound their theological opinions_in_a church setting rather than somewhere else? It appears to me that just as much Scripture-twisting and heresy and denominational multiplication could be produced in the public square, in a book or over the internet as from a pulpit. The problem is not that pastors have the opportunity to preach in a church setting, it's that the very basis of Protestantism is subjectivity, i.e. each man's individual interpreation/opinion of Scripture. The problem is that Protestants have no divine authority. They claim it is the Bible, but when each man has the right to decide what it means, then each man is his own ultimate authority. And that can be done from the comfort of one's easy chair and not necessarily in a church setting.

Secondly, it's just false to say that preaching in church did not begin until after the Reformation. That's just completely untrue. We have records of church preaching from the earliest times. In addition, when Paul wrote a letter to the various churches, he intended them to be read to the congregation. What is that but preaching? The earliest record of church preaching is in the Bible itself! However, if that doesn't satisfy you, you can easily read about a few later examples here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homiletics

Despite my googling, I can't find any group that formally opposes preaching in church. What religious group do you belong to exactly? What does your worship consist of? Can you send me a link to a website that deals with this issue?