sugar-coated sermon

[johnnywong]

Yes I have noticed this as well! I’m always talking about this with my mother. Nobody wants to hear the truth so pastors sugarcoat it so they can please the members of the church and won’t leave. Because they want to feel comfortable the way they live and that’s why a lot of churches teach the once saved always saved idea , which is not true. If you sin you must ask for forgiveness. Glad I’m not alone in noticing this!

That's true .
We should voice out about this .
Nice to talk to you , or we should be guided by Holy Spirit to defend the truth together.

The problem with the current structure of church .

The Pastor has a 2-3 year contract and has to care about the feelings of the elders and members of the church.

The preacher in the radio need not to fear about this.

 

[RestoreTheJoy]

Yes I have noticed this as well! I’m always talking about this with my mother. Nobody wants to hear the truth so pastors sugarcoat it so they can please the members of the church and won’t leave. Because they want to feel comfortable the way they live and that’s why a lot of churches teach the once saved always saved idea , which is not true. If you sin you must ask for forgiveness. Glad I’m not alone in noticing this!

They are called hirelings. They are fattening up the sheep for their own benefit (in tithes).

 

[Paidiske]

I notice that this sort of accusation gets made a lot, by people who have no idea what it's actually like to be a pastor, or to have to sustain relationship enough that a congregation will trust you when you do say the hard things.

I may, on occasion, have met an older member of the clergy who was just kind of marking time until retirement. I have never met a clergyperson who was just trying to please people in order to make more money. Frankly, if we wanted to make money, we'd choose a different profession!

 

[OldWiseGuy]

The clergy is well advised to include themselves when preaching about the sinfulness of man. This sense of inclusion will be comforting to the flock.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I noticed a difference in sermons heard in churches and the one broadcasted in radio.


The sermons inside the church are very much sugar-coated with few mentioning sins , repentance and holy living .While the one broadcasted have more on repentances and holy living.


Is it possible that the reason behind this is the pastor dare not to confront the audience to scare them away from the church but not making the crowd happy ?

I guess it depends on the church.

The Lutheran essential dialectic is the dichotomy of Law and Gospel, it is baked into every aspect of how we do theology, in our preaching, in how we talk about our religion.

Our homilies aren't going to be "here's how you can be happy in five simple steps", neither are they going to be fire and brimstone sermons. Instead there is going to be distinct preaching of Law (what God commands, and because of our sin our failure to abide in what God commands) and preaching of the Gospel (God's gracious promises to sinners which are freely for us and the whole world in Christ). Our homilies are also going to be based on the Scripture readings, which are set by the lectionary (specifically the three-year cycle that is standard in the Western liturgical tradition). With the emphasis on the Scripture reading, and a clear distinction between Law and Gospel, there is going to be a cohesive message that points to we ought to live (the Law), our struggle (sin), and in all things looking to, hoping in, and trusting in Jesus Christ in whom we have God's good promises (the Gospel). Obviously the Law is preached here, but that's not the point of why we gather, the point of why we gather is the Gospel, so the Gospel is always going to be center stage. So the ultimate message is never going to be moralistic exercise, but instead trust in Jesus and our hope of forgiveness in Him. Jesus is always going to be the centerpiece of good Lutheran homiletics. Anything else simply won't do.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Natsumi Lam]

I noticed a difference in sermons heard in churches and the one broadcasted in radio.


The sermons inside the church are very much sugar-coated with few mentioning sins , repentance and holy living .While the one broadcasted have more on repentances and holy living.


Is it possible that the reason behind this is the pastor dare not to confront the audience to scare them away from the church but not making the crowd happy ?

I believe that you are correct that a pastor dare not confront the audience because the crowd does not want to be convicted.

For example, The Discussion of Spiritual Warfare is rarely touched upon out of fear.

I think it is a combination of fear and not wanting to lose their profit.

 

[topher694]

I believe that you are correct that a pastor dare not confront the audience because the crowd does not want to be convicted.

For example, The Discussion of Spiritual Warfare is rarely touched upon out of fear.

I think it is a combination of fear and not wanting to lose their profit.

Some may do this, but there are plenty who do not.