Preaching the Controversial Sermon
Edward Dobson
My goal is to take away the emotional flash point by affirming truth, not by castigating falsehood and wrongdoing. Truth delivered in the right spirit will eventually win the day.
—Edward Dobson
A few years ago I preached about alcohol. I raised an issue that had never been addressed in the history of the church. It had been ignored perhaps because there are two views on drinking in our congregation.
Some people in our church want the Bible to say, "Don't drink." Others, the larger element, have no problem with light social drinking.
After the sermon, as you can well imagine, one group was angry because it felt I had opened wide the door to drinking. These people thought all the young people were going to go out and get drunk.
Another large group of people said, ironically, "Boy! You've sure made us feel uncomfortable about using any alcohol."
That's the nature of preaching on controversial topics—it can create even more controversy! Church controversy is inevitable, and sometimes it's the preacher who generates it.
Why Preach about Controversial Subjects?
I don't particularly like preaching on controversial topics. I've learned that most of the time when I do, there's a price to pay—I'm bound to make somebody angry. Sometimes I feel that in raising issues, I'm threatening the very existence of my ministry or the church's ministry.
So why do I do it?
• To fulfill an obligation to the truth. I have an obligation to respond honestly to issues that impact the church. To ignore them is to ignore the reality of the world in which people live.
For example, not long ago, our church rethought its views on marriage, divorce, and remarriage, essentially changing what our church had practiced for 60 years. We had to face these issues in light ...
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