Pagan Christianity; The Sermon

Here are a few random thoughts about THE SERMON from my reading of the book, "Pagan Christianity".

The Sermon:

• So central is the sermon that it is the very reason that many Christians go to church. In fact, the entire service is often judged by the sermon.
• Sad part: remove the sermon from the weekly service and you will have removed the most important source for spiritual nourishment from a countless number of believers.
• Yet the stunning reality is that today's' sermon has no root in Scripture. Rather, it is borrowed from Pagan culture and nursed and adopted into the Christian Faith.
• The sermon actually detracts from the very purpose for which God designed the church gathering.
• The Lord Jesus did not preach a regular sermon to the same audience.
• The sermon is one of today's biggest road blocks to a functioning priesthood. Unfortunately, however, many of God's people are just as addicted to hearing sermons as many preachers are addicted to preaching them.
• The contemporary, polished sermon can warm the heart, inspire the will, and stimulate the mind. But it rarely if ever show the team how to lead the huddle.
• Let's be honest. There are scores of Christians who have been sermonized for decades, but they are still babes in Christ!
• Nevertheless, despite the fact that the contemporary sermon does not have a shred of Biblical merit to support its existence, it continues to be uncritically admired in the eyes of most present day Christians.

Key clarifying statement from the author:

We strongly believe in teaching, preaching, prophesying, exhorting, and all forms of sharing the Word of God. We are simply saying that the modern sermon, which we define as the same person (usually a clergyman) giving an oration to the same group of people week after week, month after month and year after year is not only unbiblical, it is counterproductive.

I (Noah) was touching on and wading into some of this when I wrote THIS BLOG POST a while back.

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Note: If you are bothered by, disagree with or interested in what you read-- BUY THE BOOK! In all fairness to the author, he does a fantastic job of providing extensive footnotes with Biblical and historical support for what he says. Before you conclude that he is crazy (or me, for that matter)-- read the book. I guarantee that you do not know more than the author on this topic!