Perceptions in Preaching

A stunning lake surrounded by gorgeous trees

I was walking through IU’s campus the other day when I came across one of the notorious preachers that often frequents college campuses. After feeling the usual groan of regret for not having taken a different path, I noticed that some students were responding to what the preacher was saying. This happens every so often, of course, but usually I just see the preacher speaking loudly while students turn up their music and put on sunglasses. 

And then I heard a student say, “You want us to go to Hell.”

The whole crowd assented with this statement and the man was pushed into a corner. His attempts to deny and say, “I don’t want any of you to go there” were drowned out by the student’s examples of how he preached hate. And nothing could convince the students that this preacher did not want them to go to Hell.

Other than the man’s claims, I don’t know if he truly wants certain people to go to Hell. I like to imagine that he is being honest. But there is a reason the saying, “Actions speak louder than words” is considered a wise old adage. Anyone can speak about anything. Words themselves have little to no meaning. It’s their application and the context in which they are present that provide the meaning. I can talk about electrical currents all day, but it doesn’t mean I know anything about them (and I really don’t). Many of you probably don’t know that I know quite a bit about the role of gesture in learning, but my normal speech doesn’t usually reflect that (you’re welcome). 

People jovially say “Go to Hell,” and theoretically, people could untruthfully claim, “I don’t want you to suffer.” And what I am semi-unsuccessfully trying to say is that it is so important for us to step into other people’s shoes and hear what we are saying through their ears. 

I think a pretty unpopular thought is the idea that we are to love everyone- friend or foe. This doesn’t end with “forgiving” the guy who cut you off on your way to work. It barely begins there. If we want to truly live and love the way Christ did, it means realizing that He doesn’t want those sinful non-Christians to go to Hell. He doesn’t want Donald Trump to go to Hell. He doesn’t want ISIS to go to Hell. He doesn’t want Westboro Baptist Church leaders to go to Hell. 

I’m not defending actions done by any of these people. I am saying that God loves them, despite their actions. Just as nothing we do can earn His love, nothing we do can take it away. We are all equally undeserving because of our lives and equally deserving because He has deemed it so. And if He has decided we are all worthy of His unfailing love, then surely our neighbors are deserving of the small love we have to offer. 

On the flip side, those of us who consider ourselves member of the Church (not a Sunday morning church- I mean Christ’s body The Church. All encompassing.), need to realize that this hateful judgment is the image many have of religious people- especially Christians. And we have the ability to change this perception. 

Right now, many of us are hesitant to be open about our faith because Christianity has such a bad rep. Many of us have attempted to separate ourselves from the labels of “Christian” and “religious.” But how many of us have stories where people were surprised that we were not “one of those crazy Christians?” I have heard of several stories like this. And I think that us “not crazy Christians” can work together to change the world’s perception of our faith. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could switch the exception with the rule?

It breaks my heart to think that when the Gospel is shared, many people only hear judgment, hate, and Hell. This tells me that we all need to do a better job of living out the true message of the Gospel. The Gospel story is one of redemption, love, and sacrifice; it’s about reconciling what is good with He who is Good. Jesus doesn’t want people to be Christians to avoid Hell; He wants people to love Him because He loves them.