What do you think about fire and brimstone preaching?

[JesusLovesOurLady]

WARNING: As the name implies, this thread talks about sin and damnation, and possibly one of the most scariest and unpopular doctrines of the Catholic Church!

Below is the video that got me to revert to the Catholic Faith, I highly recommend that everyone watch it!

That part about Wisdom 11:21 is really what got me to revert!

So, yeah fire and brimstone really worked for me! However, it's not that simple, I actually fell away from the faith due to an unhealthy fear of hell, I had a messed up childhood and when I thought about hell, I fell into the sin of despair and thought for sure I was going there, and that eventually led to me falling away. So it was an unhealthy fear of hell that led me away from the faith, but a healthy fear of hell that brought me back!

So what do you think? Does fire and brimstone preaching work? How did it work for you and your faith? And what of think of the Catholic doctrine about hell, sin and damnation (particularly what the Fathers and Doctors of the Church say about Wisdom 11:21? does your denomination hold a similar doctrine?) present in the video above?

 

[jimmyjimmy]

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[Your Brother In Christ]

Where can you find that kind of preaching today?

me

 

[Your Brother In Christ]

I love it, it is powerful, but it is missing from our Churches today. Why?
The answer to this is deeper than expected and rooted in the enemy's plans. If the enemy can make us forget about him then he has a tactical advantage. If we refuse to acknowledge that we have an enemy that completely hates us and desires our down fall, then he can ambush us. We MUST keep our eyes open and see the movement of the enemy.

 

[section9+1]

I think it would be excellent for evangelistic purposes. In a church full of the faithful, not so much. Fear will bring you in, but it won't keep you on for too long. God's love is what keeps us and that's what Christians need to hear.

 

[Dave-W]

I love it, it is powerful, but it is missing from our Churches today. Why?

There was a time, a generation or two back, when people responded really well to that approach. But that is not where the society mindset is at any more, so it gets ignored.

It just plain does not work now. Why keep using it?

 

[Dave-W]

I think it would be excellent for evangelistic purposes.

Maybe 50 years ago. Not today so much.

In a church full of the faithful, not so much.

Why would anyone waste their time preaching a salvation message to those already saved?

They need training and instruction in the Word of Life - solid meat to the mature and milk to the younger.

 

[Your Brother In Christ]

There was a time, a generation or two back, when people responded really well to that approach. But that is not where the society mindset is at any more, so it gets ignored.

It just plain does not work now. Why keep using it?

Oh so hell no longer exists and we have no need to talk about it, after all that was a generation or two back. Hell is gone and we do not need to talk about it, even though it is stated about 54 times in the Bible. I am sure because you said it we know it must be true. We only want the nice parts of the bible, pass the scissors, please.

 

[Dave-W]

Oh so hell no longer exists and we have no need to talk about it, after all that was a generation or two back. Hell is gone and we do not need to talk about it, even though it is stated about 54 times in the Bible.

Really? Did I say that? NO. I understand that hell and the lake of fire are VERY real.

I said preaching about it will not yield the same result today as it did 50 years ago. Most people will just dismiss it as another scary fairy tale.

So if we are to reach them, we need a different approach. The Presbyterians at PRMI have developed something called "listening evangelism" that involves hearing from the Spirit of God for each individual and speaking to them from that.

 

[Your Brother In Christ]

Really? Did I say that? NO. I understand that hell and the lake of fire are VERY real.

I said preaching about it will not yield the same result today as it did 50 years ago. Most people will just dismiss it as another scary fairy tale.

So if we are to reach them, we need a different approach. The Presbyterians at PRMI have developed something called "listening evangelism" that involves hearing from the Spirit of God for each individual and speaking to them from that.

So you are saying, that it is pointless to preach about Hell, because it's not nice enough.

 

[Aldebaran]

So you are saying, that it is pointless to preach about Hell, because it's not nice enough.

People often need to be told about what they can run to rather than what to run from. These days, there are plenty of sources in the world who try to get people to do things out of fear. Saying, "Believe in Jeysus or you'll go to hayle!" isn't always as effective as "Jesus loves you and died for you so you can have life and fellowship with him forever".

 

[Dave-W]

People often need to be told about what they can run to rather than what to run from. These days, there are plenty of sources in the world who try to get people to do things out of fear. Saying, "Believe in Jeysus or you'll go to hayle!" isn't always as effective as "Jesus loves you and died for you so you can have life and fellowship with him forever".

OR - speaking to them (someone you have never met before) about their failing marriage, or their sick grandmother, or that secret they have been carrying for years. And that The Lord has the answer for all of that.

 

[jimmyjimmy]

OR - speaking to them (someone you have never met before) about their failing marriage, or their sick grandmother, or that secret they have been carrying for years. And that The Lord has the answer for all of that.

I understand that people have no idea of sin in this relativistic society, Dave, but we must proclaim the gospel as was prescribed by our Lord, and I say gospel i.e., good news, not Hell fire and brimstone. This idea of individualistic gospel proclamation is not a good one.

Hell is real, yes, but look at the sermons in the book of Acts for examples of evangelists sermons.

 

[Dave-W]

I understand that people have no idea of sin in this relativistic society, Dave, but we must proclaim the gospel as was prescribed by our Lord, and I say gospel i.e., good news, not Hell fire and brimstone. This idea of individualistic gospel proclamation is not a good one.

Hell is real, yes, but look at the sermons in the book of Acts for examples of evangelists sermons.

Listening evangelism is not for mass audience sermons - it is for one-on-one sharing of the gospel.

 

[jimmyjimmy]

Listening evangelism is not for mass audience sermons - it is for one-on-one sharing of the gospel.

While it is always a good idea to be a good listener, "listening evangelism" is a made up term from last Tuesday. The Church is over 2,000 years old, and has done pretty well without it.

 

[gordonhooker]

I don't give it a second thought and would not seek out a church where it is preached.

 

[Aldebaran]

While it is always a good idea to be a good listener, "listening evangelism" is a made up term from last Tuesday. The Church is over 2,000 years old, and has done pretty well without it.

If what he's referring to is dealing with people on a personal level, I can see a place for that. One example is when Jesus was talking to the samaritan woman by the well. He talked to her on a more personal level that she could relate to. Same with the rich young ruler and Nicodemus. Preaching in front of a group of a hundred people has to be done in a more general way.

 

[Your Brother In Christ]

OR - speaking to them (someone you have never met before) about their failing marriage, or their sick grandmother, or that secret they have been carrying for years. And that The Lord has the answer for all of that.

Without talking about the truth and reality of Hell, the message of Christianity falls apart. Without Hell the sacrifice of Christ is meaningless, why did he shed his blood to save us if there is no hell?
The fact is that Hell is not nice, but it is our just punishment and the only way to salvation is by the cross.

 

[tonnerkiller]

I think it would be excellent for evangelistic purposes. In a church full of the faithful, not so much. Fear will bring you in, but it won't keep you on for too long. God's love is what keeps us and that's what Christians need to hear.

I think quite the contrary: It will not help in evangelistic purposes. I think there it will even be harmful, because it will hide the love God has for His children, even the lost ones.
On the other hand I think, once you are "in", know you are saved, you can easily get to think you are special in some way or the other, "better" than the (yet) unsaved etc. So I think some fire and brimstone could remind you that we all are indeed sinners, and as a saved person you have nothing in advancement towards the unsaved.
Not to make you fear you might lose grace. You cannot fall out of grace. But to stop you and make you think before you consider yourself more than you are.
If you are not saved already there is no chance you consider yourself more because of your faith, because you have none, so no point in preaching ire and brimstone then.

God bless

 

[section9+1]

Whatever mainstream churches are doing today in the way of evangelism, it don't appear to be working so well. They should think about doing something else.
Their numbers are against them and half of their church goers scarcely know or care what God wants. And if I doubt that I'm any better than I was before I became a Christian, I have to wonder to what end am I doing any of this at all.