50% of Pastors are Afraid to Speak out on Social Issues

Justified112 · Apr 27, 2019

According to a new comprehensive report released by the Barna Group, focused on religious freedom, 50 percent of pastors feel worried about speaking out on certain issues because they’re worried about offending people.

The report labelled Faith Leadership in a Divided Culture, is the culmination of four years of research examining clergy members’ views on matters of religious liberty.

https://www.ugchristiannews.com/50-...t-on-social-issues-will-offend-people-report/

trophy33 · Apr 27, 2019

Does it mean that 50% of American pastors should not be pastors at all, if they are fearful and cannot stand to the true belief?

FireDragon76 · Apr 27, 2019

That doesn't surprise me. Many Protestant churches in the US are congregationally-based and the pastor ultimately is appointed or called by the congregation. So he or she has to be genuinely pastoral and sensitive to what people themselves in the congregation believe. That's why usually mainline churches tend to be dominated by consesual decision-making.

Handmaid for Jesus · Apr 27, 2019

I have observed that most pastors in America are money centered rather than Christ centered.

FireDragon76 · Apr 27, 2019

Handmaid for Jesus said:
I have observed that most pastors in America are money centered rather than Christ centered.

I think that's not a very fair perspective on the matter. Pastors have to eat too, and congregations have a right to have a pastor that doesn't dwell in an ivory tower.

Dave-W · Apr 27, 2019

myst33 said:
Does it mean that 50% of American pastors should not be pastors at all, if they are fearful and cannot stand to the true belief?

Christians, and especially pastors, are called to “speak the truth in love.” I would guess that of the 50% who speak the truth, only half of them are doing so in love. The rest are speaking the truth in judgement and condemnation.

Perhaps they should not be pastors either.

DeepWater · Apr 27, 2019

Justified112 said:
According to a new comprehensive report released by the Barna Group, focused on religious freedom, 50 percent of pastors feel worried about speaking out on certain issues because they’re worried about offending people.

The report labelled Faith Leadership in a Divided Culture, is the culmination of four years of research examining clergy members’ views on matters of religious liberty.

https://www.ugchristiannews.com/50-...t-on-social-issues-will-offend-people-report/

Pastors are not called to worry about, or speak about "civil rights".
They are called to lead people to the Cross, and they are called to teach their people how to serve God.

The idea that the Ministry of the Gospel, is supposed to have as a main concern, "civil rights", is not related to the New Testament, or anything that Paul preached or taught.
The idea the Ministry of the Gospel, is supposed to be a cheerleading event for "social justice", is the type of idea that CNN or MSNBC would like for the Church to substitute for its real work.

Kenny'sID · Apr 27, 2019

FireDragon76 said:
I think that's not a very fair perspective on the matter. Pastors have to eat too, and congregations have a right to have a pastor that doesn't dwell in an ivory tower.

Though you may have a point, I don't think the comment is unfair either. The more the congregation, the happier the congregation, the more stability as far as money goes, and though stability is a good thing, when it comes down to eat/eat well, or preach the truth, we all know what should be done, and it may not be getting done. How much not getting done? who knows?

We'd really have to have details on the inner workings on any given church to know what is really going on, but knowing men, I can imagine what might play out as most important, especially these days.

FireDragon76 · Apr 27, 2019

Dave-W said:
Christians, and especially pastors, are called to “speak the truth in love.” I would guess that of the 50% who speak the truth, only half of them are doing so in love. The rest are speaking the truth in judgement and condemnation.

Perhaps they should not be pastors either.

If pastors spoke their mind without consideration of the consequences, they'ld lose many people and would have no influence over them as pastors. We don't live in the 17th-18th centuries when church attendance was enforced by law. The kind of authoritarian paternalism that was normative in the past for pastors is counterproductive in the modern world.

My pastor sees his job as primarily about facilitating a personal encounter with God, not as being a unique moral authority. In fact he resents that he often encounters situations where that is expected of him, like when he goes to his son's baseball game and he's asked to settle a dispute, with the implication that he is supposed to judge or shame someone for their behavior and decide winners and losers. It's sort of like what Jesus told the crowds that were pestering him to rule in their favor, "Who made me the judge between you?" (Luke 12:14).

NothingIsImpossible · Apr 27, 2019

Makes sense to me. More will turn to ear ticklers in the end, including leaders. I think many pastors worry about a shrinking congregation if they don't get "worldly". Less congregation means not being able to afford the bills of a church or anything.

FireDragon76 · Apr 27, 2019

DeepWater said:
Pastors are not called to worry about, or speak about "civil rights".
They are called to lead people to the Cross, and they are called to teach their people how to serve God.

The idea that the Ministry of the Gospel, is supposed to have as a main concern, "civil rights", is not related to the New Testament, or anything that Paul preached or taught.
The idea the Ministry of the Gospel, is supposed to be a cheerleading event for "social justice", is the type of idea that CNN or MSNBC would like for the Church to substitute for its real work.

Social justice has always been part of Anglo-American evangelicalism. That didn't really change until Fundamentalism parted ways with liberal Protestantism in the 1920's.

paul1149 · Apr 27, 2019

myst33 said:
Does it mean that 50% of American pastors should not be pastors at all, if they are fearful and cannot stand to the true belief?

That's most probably a part of the picture. But another part, and probably the larger part, is that the pastors don't want to stumble anyone. Believers come in all stripes, and are proceeding spiritually at their own pace. I know my political views started changing only after about a year after I came to Christ.

Justified112 · Apr 27, 2019

DeepWater said:
Pastors are not called to worry about, or speak about "civil rights".
They are called to lead people to the Cross, and they are called to teach their people how to serve God.

LGBT, gay marriage, homosexuality, and sexual immorality are not civil rights issues.

The idea that the Ministry of the Gospel, is supposed to have as a main concern, "civil rights", is not related to the New Testament, or anything that Paul preached or taught.

But the Bible does speak against homosexuality and sexual immorality by extension the modern manifestations of those sins.

The idea the Ministry of the Gospel, is supposed to be a cheerleading event for "social justice", is the type of idea that CNN or MSNBC would like for the Church to substitute for its real work.

Part of the ministry of the Gospel is preaching against sin and given that the Church is embracing homosexuality, New Age perversions, LGBT views, and lessening its stance against sexual immorality, it only highlights why we need the Gospel preached and why this includes speaking out on the moral depravity in our society and culture today.

Justified112 · Apr 27, 2019

FireDragon76 said:
Social justice has always been part of Anglo-American evangelicalism. That didn't really change until Fundamentalism parted ways with liberal Protestantism in the 1920's.

Social Justice isn't part of the Gospel; it is the antithesis of the Gospel.

2PhiloVoid · Apr 27, 2019

Justified112 said:
According to a new comprehensive report released by the Barna Group, focused on religious freedom, 50 percent of pastors feel worried about speaking out on certain issues because they’re worried about offending people.

The report labelled Faith Leadership in a Divided Culture, is the culmination of four years of research examining clergy members’ views on matters of religious liberty.

https://www.ugchristiannews.com/50-...t-on-social-issues-will-offend-people-report/

...and from the kind of "preaching" I've heard of late from more fundamentalist pastors, even Baptist ones, they should be worried about speaking out, especially for the fact that when they do so, they do so simplistically and 2-dimensionally, as if the matters/issues listed in the Barna Group report were just matters of a binary nature: right/wrong.

No, its time for Christian pastors and other leaders to be wiser, more intelligent and to become more educated about the social issues of our day ... before opening their mouths about what they 'think' the Lord is telling them to say. And as the Enemy makes more inroads through our culture, Christian leaders will need to be willing to preach for 'free' or get by with little means, along with giving attention to those bottom three issues in the report list ...

Why? Because Social Justice IS a part of the Gospel message.

Justified112 · Apr 27, 2019

FireDragon76 said:
If pastors spoke their mind without consideration of the consequences, they'ld lose many people and would have no influence over them as pastors. We don't live in the 17th-18th centuries when church attendance was enforced by law. The kind of authoritarian paternalism that was normative in the past for pastors is counterproductive in the modern world.

My pastor sees his job as primarily about facilitating a personal encounter with God, not as being a unique moral authority. In fact he resents that he often encounters situations where that is expected of him, like when he goes to his son's baseball game and he's asked to settle a dispute, with the implication that he is supposed to judge or shame someone for their behavior and decide winners and losers. It's sort of like what Jesus told the crowds that were pestering him to rule in their favor, "Who made me the judge between you?" (Luke 12:14).

Yes, pastors who leave people comfortable in their sin do have large congregations and make a lot more money.

Kenny'sID · Apr 27, 2019

FireDragon76 said:
My pastor sees his job as primarily about facilitating a personal encounter with God, not as being a unique moral authority.

Problem with that is, morals are a part of a personal encounter with God, and we simply aren't going to have a personal encounter unless we straighten out out act, at least to the degree of serious effort.

Continuing in sin/immorality only drives us away from God, and many of us can testify to that by how we felt when we weren't acting right.

Justified112 · Apr 27, 2019

2PhiloVoid said:
...and from the kind of "preaching" I've heard of late from more fundamentalist pastors, even Baptist ones, they should be worried about speaking out, especially for the fact that when they do so, they do so simplistically and 2-dimensionally, as if the matters/issues listed in the Barna Group report were just matters of a binary nature: right/wrong.

No, its time for Christian pastors and other leaders to be wiser, more intelligent and to become more educated about the social issues of our day ... before opening their mouths about what they 'think' the Lord is telling them to say. And as the Enemy makes more inroads through our culture, Christian leaders will need to be willing to preach for 'free' or get by with little means, along with giving attention to those bottom three issues in the report list ...

Why? Because Social Justice IS a part of the Gospel message.

No, social justice is not part of the Gospel, at all. Social Justice has actually led people away from faith in the Bible.

FireDragon76 · Apr 27, 2019

Kenny'sID said:
Problem with that is, morals are a part of a personal encounter with God, and we simply aren't going to have a personal encounter unless we straighten out out act, at least to the degree of serious effort.

Continuing in sin/immorality only drives us away from God, and many of us can testify to that by how we felt when we weren't acting right.

We see that approach as confusing Law and Gospel. Jesus met with people as sinners, he did not insist that they clean up their lives first before he would love them.

2PhiloVoid · Apr 27, 2019

Justified112 said:
No, social justice is not part of the Gospel, at all. Social Justice has actually led people away from faith in the Bible.

Again, your response shows that you think in binary terms, as if there isn't a form of Social Justice that God holds dear APART from the form of it that the world and the devil hold dear. I think it's time for you to read the Word again, my friend, because I'm getting a sense that you don't know what 'social justice' from a Christian perspective actually means. It means to care for the Immigrant, the Widow, the Orphan, the Homeless person ... and to actively affect Justice on behalf of the Oppressed. These aspects of the Gospel, of being Christian, are not optional.

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