Pastor, author Alistair Begg In a recent message at the annual Sing! Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, he lamented the decline of Scripture in church life.
“Traditionally, the pulpit has been central and visually prominent – not as an expression of the preacher's authority but as a reminder of the authority of the Bible,” Begg said in the message, recalling the awe he felt as a child when the church “preacher” carried the Bible up to the pulpit before the start of the service.
But he points out that centrality has been lost in most churches today. Christian Post I will report.
“Plexiglass, bar stools, why? Well, you have to please the consumer,” Begg said of the seeker-focused style of modern worship spaces. “It's a noble vision, but it also has unfortunate symbolism.”
According to Begg, the decline of the raised pulpit reflects a wider problem – the diminishing role of the Bible in congregational life. He argued that modern church members often come to church more out of a sense of ease than a desire to hear God's word.
“Instead of coming to worship with a clear understanding that all of this begins with the glory of God, people come to worship with a cup of coffee in their hand saying, 'Let's see if God has something good in store for us today,'” he said.
“Expository sermons are being replaced by inspirational talks, and inspirational talks are being replaced by therapeutic endeavors,” he continued. “I'm not sure America understands how serious a problem biblical ignorance is. You can't go through life's journey without the Bible, not as a talisman, not as something to worship in a corner, but as a source of daily knowledge and encounter with God.”
He also called for a return to “serious engagement with Scripture” with more expository preaching and fewer inspirational talks.
“There is a correlation between the breakdown in our understanding of God and how it is expressed in the pulpit,” he stressed. “You know, the ministry of a pastor who speaks about the Bible is not just to provide information about what the Bible says and give a few take-home hints or fill-in-the-blanks. That is not the primary purpose in unfolding the Bible. The desire, the longing of the pastor, the preacher and the congregation is to have a holy encounter with the living God through His Word, to meet Him and hear from Him. … We don't need to hear what Alistair knows; we need to hear from God.”
“Congregational worship is not just about gathering together. It begins with God, not with my own neediness,” the pastor continued.
“Why is it so hard to get people to sing in a lot of cases? These poor souls have to come here an hour early to get themselves hyped up so we can get hyped up too. And if we don't get hyped up right away, we sing it again and keep singing until you get hyped up. And then we do the chorus 14 times and finally you get hyped up. What is the problem? The problem is spiritual death,” he lamented.
The annual Sing! ConferenceThe “Song of the Bible” conference, hosted by Christian musicians Keith and Kristin Getty, took place last week (September 4-6) and this year’s theme was “Song of the Bible.” The conference featured keynote speakers, worship leaders, theologians, and artists from around the world.
Photo credit: ©Facebook/Truth for Life by Alistair Begg
