Thus says the Lord: "Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.
But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'" --Jeremiah 6:16

 

14 March, 2006   comments: (0) Today's Pragmatism   Is Your Pastor a Comedian? Someone who is near and dear to me recently announced that he had switched churches. I was surprised by this since his children were plugged-in and really flourishing at his old church. When I asked him for the reason for his switch, he gave me one simple answer: At his new church, "the pastor is much more funny". He said that the pastor at his old church simply didn't keep his attention. I was taken back by the shallowness, as he began to reenact for me how his new pastor would clown around on stage, to imitate biblical characters such as Samson. Although I never went so far as to change churches in a quest for a more humorous pastor, I used to value the same thing. Years ago, when I attended a seeker-driven church, I used to tell the pastor "you know, if you weren't a preacher - you'd be a great stand-up comedian". He'd often start his sermons with a Jay Leno'esque mini-monolog. I remember jokes like "You know, sometimes I wake up grumpy; but other times I just let her sleep" (referring to his wife). Now when I look back on my time there, I think to myself - what an insult that was for me to admit that my pastor's greatest quality was that "he's funny". What does that tell you, about me, and about him? A pastor's sense of humor in the pulpit is becoming as necessary today, as theological training used to be in centuries past. Rick Warren's pastors.com website gives advice to pastors on planning out jokes in advance of their sermons. I was listening to one of Joel Osteen's short church services the other day, and his switch to "joke time" was abrupt and pre-calculated. One minute he was talking about how valuable you are to God, and then a minute later he announced that it was time for the morning joke. For an explanation of why comedy is perceived as being pragmatically important in today's churches, let's turn to a ministry that's based on using comedy as an evangelism tool. It's called "Outreach Comedy", their website gives us a glimpse into the same mindset that seeker-driven pastors often have today: Comedy provides the perfect opportunity for churches, schools, radio stations, ministries, and para-church organizations to build each other up in Christ and attract non-Christians. Laughter is a unique and effective tool for outreach, team building, and entertainment. Comedy is a Great Tool to Reach Your Community! Comedy has universal appeal - Unlike more subjective mediums (music, drama, etc.) everyone enjoys comedy. Comedy crosses boundaries - Generational, cultural, gender, and especially secular barriers. Comedy lowers guards - When people laugh together they are more receptive to new ideas. Comedy is unifying - Laughter opens the door to influential relationships, building a shared bond and positive memories. And of course, Outreach Comedy says that "all of their performers profess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, have an effective testimony or message that can be incorporated into their act". Their website provides positive feedback like this: I appreciated his knowledge of Scripture, and the depth of his commitment to Christ. He did a tremendous job of connecting with the congregation. He was hilarious! At the end of the service, he was very effective at turning people's attention to the Lord. We gave an altar call and 4 people gave their hearts to Christ! Praise God!!! Thanks for all of your help. 30+ kids responded and gave their lives to Christ. Everything was great... He opened the door for us to reach into our community and speak life to a people who would not otherwise listen. I had asked a friend who did not know the Lord to accompany me that night. I believe her opinion of "church-going people" was changed that night. She realized that Christians can be fun-loving and God-loving at the same time. Since that night my friend has accepted Jesus Christ into her heart. We host a comedy Improv night where we challenge our congregation to invite their unconvinced friends. The result? Each time we have had at least 50% of our audience filled with individuals outside the church. The audio clip to the right, is from an "about us" video that plays on one seeker-church's website, when you click on their "teaching" menu. It's interesting that they want this to represent their church's teaching. It's as if to admit, that sound biblical instruction is of little or no value now days. They understand what attracts the 'consumer'; it's weekly talks filled with entertainment. Even back in the 19th century, Charles Spurgeon spoke about the inherent problems with this approach, in his writing: Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats?. What does the bible have to say about this behavior? Titus 2:7-8 says to pastors: "Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us". The Greek word for "DIGNITY" (G4587) means decency, dignity, seriousness. In the NIV and NCV it is translated "seriousness" for this verse, and the NASB has it as dignified. Hendriksen's New Testament commentary on this Titus passage says: "[A Pastor's] attitude and the manner in which he presents his teaching must be that of dignity or seriousness. Not only must his more formal teaching be characterized by purity of contents and gravity of method, but his entire speech (his word whenever and wherever it is spoken), whether it is uttered in the form of a sermon, a lesson, a message of consolation, or even an ordinary daily conversation, must be sound and incensurable, that is, not open to just-rebuke". The point of view that I'm presenting here, is unpopular and is often mocked, as being the opinion of fun-spoiling crabby Christians who don't understand what the bible says about the benefits of laughter. But there is no getting around Titus' biblical imperative for sober-minded pastoral conduct. I love a good laugh as much as anyone else; in fact, keeping a serious tone about the serious issues that I write about on my blog, is a constant discipline for me. My friends would tell you that my sense of humor is a big part of my personality. The things that we are talking about however, are the life-giving topics of the Gospel, and of a Most High God who is surrounded by living creatures that forever declare "holy holy holy". Alan Redpath had some interesting things to say on this topic: "God is trying to tell us that our current popular version of Christianity - comfortable, humorous, superficial, entertaining, worldly-wise - is exposed for the irreverent presentation of the Gospel of Christ that it really is. A preacher is commissioned to give people - not what they want - but what they need. No man has any business walking into the pulpit to entertain. He is there to present Calvary in all it's fullness of hope and glory." Martyn Lloyd-Jones was perhaps the greatest English preacher of the 20th century. His thoughts on this are also interesting: "Light entertainment, easy familiarity and jocularity (joking) are not compatible with a realization of the seriousness of the condition of the souls of all men by nature, the fact that they are lost and in danger of eternal perdition, and their consequent need of salvation. Not only that, such methods cannot bring out the Truth; and our business is to preach the Truth. These methods may affect people psychologically and in other respects, and they may lead to 'decisions'; but our object is not merely to get decisions, it is to bring people to a knowledge of the Truth." This comedy characteristic is really a facet of our contemporary western brand of evangelicalism, and is clearly not something that "would work" in today's persecuted regions of Christianity. John Piper's biographical sketch of John Bunyan and the Puritans - demonstrates how today's "chipper Christianity" is at odds with the affliction that we all must face at some point: "John Bunyan's suffering left its mark on all his written work. George Whitefield said of The Pilgrim's Progress, "It smells of the prison. It was written when the author was confined in Bedford jail. And ministers never write or preach so well as when under the cross: the Spirit of Christ and of Glory then rests upon them." The fragrance of affliction was on most of what he wrote. In fact, I suspect that one of the reasons the Puritans are still being read today with so much [benefit] is that their entire experience, unlike ours, was one of persecution and suffering. To our "chipper" age (at least in the prosperous West) this may seem somber at times, but the day you hear that you have cancer or that your child is blind or that a mob is coming, you turn away from the chipper books to the weighty ones that were written on the precipice of eternity where the fragrance of heaven and the stench of hell are both in the air." It's sad that many of today's pastors preach in a way that makes a closing prayer sound out of place; more on par would be - ending with applause, a bow, and "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much, I'll be here all week". Related Information and Resources: Pulpits for comedy: Visit this page and click on Altered States video Download John Piper's MP3 audio presentation of John Bunyan Things to keep in mind when we hear of comedy-driven conversions Read about Joel Osteen's world-pleasing message Posted by: Jim B.   Link: http://www.oldtruth.com/blog.cfm/id.2.pid.224   Be the first to post a comment about this article        Home  |   About  |  Videos   |  Calvinism