Preaching

A serene riverbank at sunrise, with smooth, round river stones of varying sizes scattered across the shore. one larger stone, worn and pitted, rests on a small pedestal of river rock. a single beam of golden light from the rising sun illuminates the stone on the pedestal. the other stones lie in shadow.

The Danger of a Therapeutic Gospel: When ‘Slowing Down’ Replaces the Cross

The sermon is a thematically-driven, topical message centered on the therapeutic benefit of 'slowing down' to experience God's presence. While well-intentioned, it falls into the category of Pretextual preaching, using biblical narratives like the Transfiguration not for their theological substance but as illustrations for a pre-determined, anthropocentric theme. The message fails to expound on the Christological glory revealed in the text, focusing instead on the disciples' flawed reaction. This results in a sermon that offers a form of spiritual self-help rather than a robust, text-driven proclamation of the Gospel, reflecting a Laodicean tendency toward spiritual comfort over theological depth.

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A single, weathered stone sits in a field of freshly tilled soil. the stone is cracked and chipped, but a delicate seedling sprouts from its crevice. the sun casts a golden shaft of light upon the small green sprout.

The Gospel of ‘Worth It’: A Review of Steven Furtick’s ‘Is it worth the Dirt’

This is a quintessential example of a pretextual sermon, using Scripture as a launchpad for a therapeutic message on personal validation. The parables of the Kingdom in Matthew 13 are reinterpreted anthropocentrically, shifting the focus from Christ and His Kingdom to the listener's inherent worth and personal journey. This hermeneutical failure is compounded by a weak, decisionist soteriology in the altar call and a concerning 'God told me' claim that blurs the line of biblical authority. The extremely low ratio of Scripture read to words spoken leaves the congregation with self-help principles rather than the substance of the Word.

Read MoreThe Gospel of ‘Worth It’: A Review of Steven Furtick’s ‘Is it worth the Dirt’
The roaring crash of the waves and the glowing light of dawn intermingle, creating a visual metaphor for how the eternal light's word and the eternal light's voice unite to bring peace in life's storms.

More Than a Feeling: Grounding God’s Voice in God’s Word

While the service's liturgical elements were sound, the sermon itself was homiletically weak. It operated pretextually, using a personal travelogue as its primary structure rather than the biblical text. The repeated emphasis on a 'still-speaking God,' without explicitly grounding this voice in the closed canon of Scripture, creates a significant theological vulnerability. Furthermore, the New Testament passage read (Matthew 3) was left entirely un-preached, missing a critical opportunity to connect the Old Testament text to Christ.

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A small plant reaches up to grasp a shimmering star, arms outstretched, face illuminated by the celestial glow.

Is Worship a Transaction? A Review of ‘Come to Worship Him’

This is a topical sermon that uses Matthew 2 as a pretext to deliver a four-point message on the benefits of lifting hands in worship. The homiletic is structurally weak, detaching application from exegesis. Theologically, it operates within a therapeutic and transactional framework, presenting worship as a mechanism for human benefit (receiving blessings, winning battles) rather than a doxological response to God's glory. This anthropocentric focus is further evidenced by a decisionistic soteriology and an ungoverned approach to the Lord's Supper.

Read MoreIs Worship a Transaction? A Review of ‘Come to Worship Him’