Should have known better
It was inevitable, really.
Having read some of the negative comments posted around the blogosphere on Mark Driscoll, "the swearing preacher", I have no right to be surprised by people who were offended at one throwaway line in my sermon on Sunday night. Still, it never ceases to amaze me that people can focus so much on one word and so little on the rest of a message.
There have been complaints from members of the congregation and the pastoral team have got a fire to put out. I've apologised to the leadership - only fair, given that they're the ones who are copping it for my actions - and I accept that it was bad judgement on my part. My church is a mainstream church and I haven't played by the rules. Many Christians are easily offended and I undermined my message by offending them. Next time, I'll hold my tongue.
Still, it's made me worry a bit about my future ministry in the church. I've spent so long waiting for something like this to happen and it's only a matter of time before the next incident. I'm just not a good fit with the place.
Categories: Gospel
Tags: swearing-preachers; offending-people
posted by Dave @ 1:19 PM
6 Comments:
ass.... far out ass is in the Bible!!! Numbers 22:27
or perhaps you should have started with a reading from Ezekiel 23:1-20 now that might have made some people "uncomfortable" ;)
keep shocking dave it is sometimes the only way to move beyond mediocrity!
better to be the person that tells it like it is and shocks people into actually thinking, than to be the person who plays by the rules and slides gradually into a culture of mediocrity. maybe there'll never be a place, because you'll always want to make things more real, wake people up, keep their attention, tell it like it is. or maybe you'll end up like (Christchurch) Mark! on that note, feel better: he used the f word in a sermon once. (to a bunch of teenagers, no less.) imagine the fires that had to be put out over that one...
I think any kind of reference you may have made to your last sermon would have attracted attention. I too am a little surprised it was negative - I wonder if it came from people not there last time?
Personnaly I'm not critical of either sermon, even though I did comment on "the word" on Sunday. ( BTW [pedant warning] I assume it was arse, not ass, or at least it sounded like it).
Sometimes the audience will take it, other times they won't. But that shouldn't detract from where you think God want's you to go. I think the point is to pick the audience - remember, out in 'the world' (the mission field) what you said - or the f word - is nothing and that's who we should be trying to communicate with.
In the hallowed halls of this church, I guess take the lesson and move on.
Ian
I have said it before ill say it again FU#K YEA ! Did Jesus not talk the language of the day ? Was Hes teaching not for the people at there leval? perhaps these people would like you to delvier ther sermon in Latan or in greek... anyway I have heard someone say bitch from the pulput .... I should email you the clip of the guy preaching when he messes up the words "pitched there tents " with "pinched their tits" its most funny
take care boys
sarah
xo
And Here it is for your enjoyment
hope you like it
http://media.putfile.com/dirtypreacher/320
I think the hardest thing about this is that this is what people remember - rightly or wrongly. I wonder what else that guy shared when he stuffed up?
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