How many times have you bumped into the expression, “Preach the Gospel, if necessary, use words.” I detest that expression. I think I understand why some people like it, they want to emphasize the need to not only be hearers, but doers of the Word. OK, I get that, but the vast majority of those who use the phrase do so to denigrate doctrine, to advocate the whole “deeds not creeds” mentality. Well, I overheard on Justin Taylor‘s blog this wonderful retort, which I will use each time I hear this expression, going forward:
Saying “Preach the gospel; if necessary use words” is like saying “Tell me your phone number; if necessary use digits.”
January 11th, 2010 | 3:59 pm | #1
It takes words to tell me not to use words.
January 11th, 2010 | 4:06 pm | #2
Ah, but you are obviously forgetting the benefits of a Vulcan mind-meld.
January 11th, 2010 | 4:27 pm | #3
Preach the Gospel; sometimes use words or Vulcan mind-melds.
January 11th, 2010 | 4:56 pm | #4
I always thought that was a quote from St. Francis but it turns out it is not: http://www.americancatholic.org/messenger/Oct2001/Wiseman.asp
“In Chapter XVII of his Rule of 1221, Francis told the friars not to preach unless they had received the proper permission to do so. Then he added, ‘Let all the brothers, however, preach by their deeds.’ “
January 11th, 2010 | 5:22 pm | #5
Using words are necessary or people do not even know there is a Gospel. I think Jesus’ example serves us best here.
“Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15
January 11th, 2010 | 5:38 pm | #6
Francis was a preaching maniac. Too bad he gets blamed for such silliness.
January 11th, 2010 | 8:45 pm | #7
I once had an elder in a church I used to attend, tell me that the gospel was “Love the Lod your God with all….”
Surely that quote from St. Francis would lead directly to that kind of thinking.
January 12th, 2010 | 10:09 am | #8
i wouldn’t have too much of a problem with people saying that if they actually acted like francis of assisi. whenever i hear somebody say that, i ask them where their hair shirt is and when was the last time they rebuilt a church with their bare hands.
January 12th, 2010 | 9:30 pm | #9
I’m a literature prof, so hey! I like words. But I think there’s a lot to this idea of preaching without words, if it’s taken seriously and not bumper-sticker-ized.
People learn a great deal by example; I certainly have learned most of what it means to be a Christian by observing and emulating my Christian friends. Sure, someone could tell me “Pray, worship, love God, love your neighbor,” but what does that mean in practice? It’s hearing my friends pray in different contexts (and seeing that they DO pray), seeing them participate in worship, observing how the people in my church demonstrate their love for each other in actions… these are the things that give meaning to the words “pray, worship, serve, love.”
“…if necessary, use words.” It doesn’t mean “don’t use words,” but it puts them in a secondary place. Clearly the Gospel needs to be presented in words, but I’d say that we tend to rely too much on words. Wordswordswordswords are what we get in the media all the time… so easily they become noise. When there’s a grounding of preaching-in-action, living out the Gospel, then the Word has a foundation, or perhaps a frame, that sets it apart from all the little-w words we’re immersed in.
January 12th, 2010 | 9:50 pm | #10
Yes, actions will show people (a little) of what it means to be a Christian.
They say less than nothing about how to become one.
And isn’t that last bit…the Gospel?
January 13th, 2010 | 3:41 pm | #11
Yes, actions will show people (a little) of what it means to be a Christian.
They say less than nothing about how to become one.
And isn’t that last bit…the Gospel?
———-
Less than nothing? Even allowing for hyperbole, it seems you’re saying that action is worthless in showing how to become a Christian.
I would disagree. I think our culture is so addicted to information and talk that we assume that telling is better than showing, but most teaching comes through emulation.
Jesus said, “Follow Me,” which is an action.
Recognizing Christ as Lord and Savior is an action of the heart, which we can’t see in another directly. However, the actions we do, and the actions we observe others doing, can shape our attitudes and make us more (or less) willing to accept Him as Savior.
If someone emulate another who follows Christ, obeys Him, and worships Him as God, I think that they will learn a lot about how to become a Christian, laying the groundwork for their own confession of faith.
More practically, don’t discount the importance of pre-evangelism… for me at any rate, Christian witness through action & good character was essential. It made me want to hear what was behind this witness – it made me willing to (eventually) hear the Word.
One of the things that put me off for many years about Christianity was being told things that I ought to believe, or do, but not seeing those truths lived out. On the other hand, hearing the Word was necessary, when I was finally ready to hear it.
It’s so easy to get into an either/or mindset, but that’s not helpful. Sharing the Word is essential, but so is living it.
January 15th, 2010 | 8:43 am | #12
“If any obey not the word, they may also without the word be won by your manner of life.”
1 Peter 3:1-2.
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