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Say the words ‘Baptist Preacher’ and you will get different responses from different people. For some, the words will raise the names of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Gardner Taylor, and W. A. Criswell, great men who took the Bible seriously and blessed many with its message. For others, however, the name evokes a more negative connotation. Bellicose and opinionated, the stereotypical Baptist hardly fits the pluralism of the times.
The very idea that preaching could be Baptist seems a dubious distinction to many who haven’t yet given up on preaching. To them Baptist loyalty would seem quaintly amusing if it were not so expensive. Those of us struggling to retain our voice in these preacher-phobic times might feel we can’t afford to wear any kind of label, must less one so heavily freighted.
If it is worth distinguishing our preaching as Baptist it must be because Baptist distinctives add value to our efforts. If by acting as Baptists we can offer something that is particularly helpful in our pluralistic context, then our Baptist-ness could be worth retaining. What then, is distinctively helpful about Baptist preaching in these times?
Helpful Distinctive #1: People of the Book
It is common among preachers today to move away from a biblical foundation for the sermon in the attempt to seem relevant. Thematic preaching is seen as a way of capturing the interest of disinclined people. Yet when preaching disconnects from its biblical roots, it seems little different than a motivational speech or newspaper editorial.
A pure thematic approach to preaching will always be welcome in these pluralistic times as opinion remains the one accepted form of public discourse. Few are threatened by opinions as they tend to lack authority. Yet, while they may be less threatening they are also less helpful in the end. Preachers actually want to be of assistance to people, which is what should drive them to the Bible.
Baptists have always been known as people of the book. In a Baptist church, one expects to hear the Bible, and rightly so. Many will take offense, yet others will take heart. The historic Baptist concern for biblical fidelity requires as much courage as it always has. But as was the case in ages past, this insistence on biblical authority allows the Baptist preacher to avoid charges of arrogance and insensitivity. People might have a problem with what we say, but their problem will be with the Bible more than with the preacher who gives it voice.
Distinctive #2: Soul Liberty
While some preachers have sought to cozy up to the culture with listener-friendly sermons, many Baptists have taken a different tack. Instead of making friends with the world, these preachers have chosen to make war with the world, challenging the culture with strong language and strong ideas. Clearly, the world can use the criticism. Yet, somewhere along the way, Baptist preachers became known for their dogmatism and heavy-handedness, an unwelcome image in a pluralistic context.
No doubt some of this is in the Baptist DNA. Baptist doctrine grew out of conflict and dissent. When John Smyth established the first Baptist church in England (1607) it was an act of defiance against the Church of England and the surrounding culture. Yet, the following year, when that church composed its first statement of faith, at the center was the idea of ‘soul liberty’ or the sense that every individual must do his or her own business with Creator God.
If Baptists were serious about reaching their culture(s) they might take another look at this historic piece of doctrine. There is no more powerful idea operating among humans than that we might be free. The gospel is given openly and without control. Baptist preachers are not compelled to control their listeners or to demand response. We do not need to threaten people because we are confident that the gospel can stand on its own. The message can stand the scrutiny.
This is a matter of tone as well as doctrine. We preach with conviction and we preach for decision but we let people make their decisions for themselves. If we can cultivate this kind of open environment, we will create places and sermons that people without Jesus might find welcome.
Distinctive #3: Preaching is A Calling, Not a Trade
The contemporary Baptist preacher, John Piper, recently published a book called Brothers, We are Not Professionals. Roger Williams himself could not have said it better. Williams, the first North American Baptist, stood directly opposed to the so-called ‘hireling ministry’prevalent during his day. In his view, wages paid by means of a forced tithe and collected by the civil government was directly responsible for the weakness of the church and the lack of power in the preaching of the day.
Today, it is common practice for Baptist churches to pay the preacher an honest wage, and such is as it should be. Yet, as Piper contends, an unhealthy sense of professionalism has snuck into Baptist life, creating pastors who see themselves as the privileged leaders of the congregation, operating at a certain distance from the people they seek to serve. Sermons then are ‘handed down’ to the people like a press release from head office. Such sermons can feel like directives or memorandums from the boss.
The point of preaching, from a Baptist perspective, is that we are all listeners, equal before God and before the Word. The preacher has simply been given the privilege of a head start. In truth, God is the preacher. We all come together to listen to what he says. Perhaps this is a kind of egalitarianism that we can all embrace and which the world around could warm to.
Preaching isn’t going to go away, nor should it. The church of the future might not put a lot of stock into the Baptist label, but it would do well to retain the value of these Baptist principles.