Dennis Cocks

commented on Apr 6, 2013

Very wise and true words! Preaching the Word of God is the main calling of pastors! What a difference from the previous article on Sermon Central by Thom Schultz titled "Your Not Called To Preach!

Steve Shepherd

commented on Apr 6, 2013

Amen! Very good! The Lord be praised! Preachers/Pastors must study, read and be into God's Word!

Bryan Herrington

commented on Apr 6, 2013

The problem I have with Brueggemann is that it is questionable that he even believes in the Scriptures as the final authority...ie...his views and how he arrives at them on social issues. His words here are practical and helpful but I view him with a very wary eye.

Jeffrey Powell

commented on Apr 6, 2013

When I saw his name my first thought was "you've got to be joking." I wrote critical essays on his books in college and afterward threw them away. He treated Scripture as though it were "man's idea of God" rather than "God's inspired plan of redemption to man." Though, I agree wholeheartedly with his comments here, I am quite surprised by them.

Tshililo Liphadzi

commented on Apr 6, 2013

What a wise advice to young pastors. Indeed today we go to pulpit in fatigue because of many other things that are now a priority, not the study of the Word.

Karl Frank

commented on Apr 6, 2013

Believe one has to first examine what is the "real" purpose of a Sunday or another day worship service ? A pastor is ONLY one person, but congregations expect the pastor to be the Bible teacher, the evangelist, the sermon deliver, visit the sick and on and on. But if being in PRAYER, following the Lord's direction a pastor is able to motivate the congregation to evangelize everywhere they go, not just the pastor doing that. then the work of the Lord will thru the Holy Spirit will flourish !

Sarah Chapman

commented on Apr 6, 2013

Forgive me for taking the conversation in a different direction but why do these videos that are promoted always seem to be (forgive me for being inflammatory) "the old white dude." Where are the women, where are the voices of color? I would like to see more diversity reflected in what gets pushed and promoted to my email

Rodney Shanner

commented on Apr 6, 2013

What a privilege to hear from Walter Bruggemann. Powerful thoughts. Glad he heard from the Rabbi.

Jack Lawrence

commented on Apr 6, 2013

Thank you for posting this wise advice. I do find myself to often building sermons when I am tired from the other "busyness" of the office. Very disappointed and aggravated with the 7th response: This political correctness and lack of colorblindness and pushing the feminist agenda.

Alexander Shaw

commented on Apr 6, 2013

This is a greatly needed word - reminding me of our New Testament Professor at Edinburgh University, James S. Stewart - do get hold of his superb book on 'Preaching' and study it!

Mh Constantine

commented on Apr 6, 2013

To the brother or sister who asked about people of color and women: there is at least one of these videos that comes from a "person of color" as you call them. He is Otis Moss, and I believe that he would say he is black.

Hugo Fries

commented on Apr 6, 2013

A good word regarding the importance of preaching and study and prayer. #9 comment about a feminist agenda is so 80's! Wake up and see Gen 3. Right there with the list of 'fall outs' from the fall -- 'he will rule over you'. It is part of the fall! It's not about feminist agenda, it's God's redemptive agenda! Shake your tradition whatever it is, read the Bible, grab some courage and let the woman preach.

Lawrence E. Bobo

commented on Apr 6, 2013

This is wonderful. He is certainly correct when he says that we should hear from God, and that this take the time that too many pastors devote to other things. Amen!

Rev. Russell Mcleod

commented on Apr 7, 2013

I think it is profound that he points out that if the preacher has to bring a word from elsewhere he must be more or less be living elsewhere as he referenced prayer and study etc. If we preachers loose the sense of the "elsewhere" we will be reduced to the status of motivational speakers. Russell McLeod.

Dennis Cocks

commented on Apr 7, 2013

Hugo, once again!!! I suggest YOU read your Bible correctly! 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, Ephesians 5:22-24, 1 Timothy 2:12-14, 3:1-5, Titus 1:5-7. Not to mention that Jesus chose 12 MEN as His disciples! It is exactly because of the fall that women would try to usurp authority over the man. God gave the man the leadership BEFORE the fall! 1 Timothy 2:13 "For Adam was FIRST formed, then Eve." Check it out, plain as day! Grab some courage and let God decide what is right and not our modern day feminist!

Dennis Cocks

commented on Apr 7, 2013

@ #7, read # 15!

Christian Cheong

commented on Apr 7, 2013

Amen! Well said. Acts 6:4 [we] "will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

Kim Moeller

commented on Apr 8, 2013

Mr. Cocks, sir...it sounds as if you are saying that God privileges the first in line (for Adam was FIRST formed). I believe Jesus says something quite different.

Kim Moeller

commented on Apr 8, 2013

Mr. Cocks, sir...it sounds as if you are saying that God privileges the first in line (for Adam was FIRST formed). I believe Jesus says something quite different.

Bill Williams

commented on Apr 8, 2013

@Kim, good observation: "The first will be last, and the last will be first." When dealing with humans, "First" does not seem to impress Jesus as much as it impresses us! Interestingly, this idea seems to go back as far as Genesis itself. Consider how often the "firstborn" was passed over for the younger (Abel and Seth over Cain, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Joseph over Reuben, Ephraim over Manasseh). Christian leadership is not about who is first, but about who is willing to be a slave of all. Christian leadership is not about who gets to wear a title (Rabbi, Father, Teacher, Matthew 23), but rather the acknowledgement that we have One Rabbi, One Father, One Teacher. Christian leadership is about recognizing that every time the words "Head" and "Church" appear together in the NT, the head is ALWAYS Christ. No exception. Christian leadership is based on the fact that ALL authority in heaven and earth has been given to Christ (Matthew 28); and that he exercises that authority by giving to EACH member of the Body of Christ "the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good;" and that he does so "to EACH one individually as he wills" (1 Corinthians 12). Christian leadership is obedient to the command of Paul to submit to ONE ANOTHER "out of reverence for Christ" (Ephesians 4). In the end, Christian leadership is so completely different from the hierarchical, top-down paradigm of leadership that much of the Church has adopted from the secular world of politics and business, but which has no basis on the actual content of Scripture; that most churches are not organized in a way that would allow authentic Christian leadership to flourish!

Kim Moeller

commented on Apr 8, 2013

Mr. Cocks, sir...it sounds as if you are saying that God privileges the first in line (for Adam was FIRST formed). I believe Jesus says something quite different.

Dennis Cocks

commented on Apr 8, 2013

@Bill says "Christian leadership is about recognizing that every time the words "Head" and "Church" appear together in the NT, the head is ALWAYS Christ. No exception." Ephesians 5:23 "For the husband is the HEAD of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church..." I guess that must be the one exception you overlooked!

Dennis Cocks

commented on Apr 8, 2013

@Kim, so your saying that Jesus didn't write 1 Timothy 2:11-14?

Bill Williams

commented on Apr 8, 2013

@Dennis, not at all. Read the verse again; it says exactly what I said. I wrote: "every time the words 'Head' and 'Church' appear together in the NT, the head is ALWAYS Christ. No exception." Ephesians 5:23 reads, "Christ is the head of the Church." See? You proved my point! Thank you! :) The NT knows nothing of a hierarchical, top-down leadership structure. And it certainly does not restrict such a structure as the exclusive prerogative of the male sex. We got that from the Roman Catholic Church, which I seem to recall you do not look too favorably on that branch of Christianity. But like Paul says, Christ--not the male sex--is the head of the church. Blessings to you!

Dennis Cocks

commented on Apr 8, 2013

@Bill, I don't know what NT your reading! Mine says the HUSBAND is the HEAD of the wife, not the wife is the head of the husband! While we are to be mutually submissive to God, the wife is to be in submission to the husband. God said the woman is not to usurp authority over the man, which means the male is the one who has the authority over the woman! And in 1 Timothy he is speaking in the context of the church!

Bill Williams

commented on Apr 9, 2013

@Dennis, I'm reading the same NT that you're reading. We both quoted the exact same verse, word for word, so I'm not sure why you're confused. But what I don't know is what comment of mine YOU'RE reading. Because, AGAIN, this is what I wrote: "every time the words 'Head' and 'Church' appear together in the NT, the head is ALWAYS Christ. No exception." My comment did not mention anything about the words "Head" and "WIFE" appearing together. My comment was specifically about the words "Head" and "CHURCH" appearing together. And Ephesians 5:23 is NOT an exception to my claim; it is an example of it. Here we see "Head" and "Church" together, and the head is CHRIST. Now, in the same verse we do also see the words "Head" and "Wife" appear together; and in this situation, the head is the husband. Yes, I acknowledge a headship role of the husband in a marriage; although I imagine what that headship roles actually means is different than from what many believe it means. But that wasn't my point, so you still have not proven me wrong. Furthermore, the mutual submission Paul talks about here is not just to God. Look at vs. 21 again: Paul instructs them to submit to ONE ANOTHER. So, yes, wives are to submit to their husbands. But IN CONTEXT, husbands are ALSO to submit to their wives, and this does not negate the headship role of the husband. This is illustrated beautifully by Christ's example of giving himself up for the church, to which Paul responds to husbands, "Love your wives that way!" Headship and submission are not mutually exclusive in the kingdom of God, as Christ proved. They are mutually exclusive, however, in the secular world; which is, unfortunately, the paradigm by which many Christians interpret the NT's teachings on leadership. Christ himself warned his disciples against using the secular understanding of leadership as their model: "You know that those who are CONSIDERED RULERS OF THE GENTILES lord it over them, and their great ones EXERCISE AUTHORITY OVER them. But IT SHALL NOT BE SO AMONG YOU..." (Mark 10:42-43, emphasis mine). It is significant that Paul uses this same phrase in 1 Timothy 2: Paul does not permit a woman to "EXERCISE AUTHORITY OVER a man" (v. 12, emphasis mine). Now, you conclude that that must mean that the man is the one who has the authority over the woman! But that conclusion does not follow from Jesus' own instructions to his disciples in Mark 10. We must allow Scripture to interpret Scripture. Historically, it is possible (and from the overall context of Scripture, this appears to be a more likely conclusion) that Paul was addressing a situation where the Christian women were exercising the kind of secular authority that was common in Ephesian culture, known for the Temple of Artemis and its class of female priests; and thus Paul's instructions were meant to remind them that none of the Christians, regardless of whether they were men or women, were to exercise authority in the manner of the Gentiles.