If a preacher must scream so everyone present can hear them, this is not what is being rebuked here.

We are also not talking about a preacher being passionate nor disregarding the fact that some people are naturally higher volume than others in their normal speaking.  Someone can have a lot of passion about their message, a lot of energy, and a strong voice while still exercising self-control in speaking and not using inappropriate volume which causes unnecessary drama and puts abusive psychological pressure on people.  Preachers who are likely to scream during their messages, even when they could be heard well by everyone while speaking at normal volume, do cause unnecessary drama and put abusive psychological pressure on their hearers.

Mixing human innovation with Biblical truth is not in line with Biblical wisdom (that’s not even taking into account that the preacher’s message itself may be false).  If the pure Word of God being testified to a person’s heart and mind does not persuade them to heed the Word and do what it requires, then it’s useless and even potentially destructive to try to achieve that through fleshly innovation (which includes regular screaming and screaming which isn’t warranted).

Some say that it is not Christian to critique and criticize others for how they preach.  When it comes to individual characteristics and things that one cannot necessarily do better in, then this is true.  Yet when a preacher is frequently screaming like an angry drill sergeant or acting like a know-it-all professor, such things indeed ought to be criticized.

What if someone were to scream at the preacher who was constantly screaming regarding why they shouldn’t constantly scream while preaching?  Why would you scream at someone and think they’ll heed you when you would resist another screaming at you over something that they could have spoken to you without screaming?  Making screaming a regular method of communication doesn’t serve an effective purpose.  

There are times when it’s appropriate to match or overwhelm the intensity of an opponent during a contention or in dealing with a known contention to the truth that you’re standing for.  There are times when it’s appropriate to scream to emphasize something (yet this could never be effective if one is screaming regularly).  There are times when listeners obviously don’t care where it might be appropriate to raise one’s voice to awaken them out of their slumber (yet afterwards they will either care or tune you out more- continuing to shout does no good at that point).  

When the Apostle Paul preached he testified, he persuaded, he challenged opposition, he warned- yet he didn’t try to intimidate people by the strength of his personality nor try to impress them by his intellect nor by oratory eloquence.  We see in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 that he actually feared people coming to believe in Jesus on the basis of such things.  He knew that such a faith would not be based on the belief of God’s testimony from the heart- and therefore would not be living and authentic.  Living, authentic faith in Christ worships Him from the heart and endures suffering in line with His Word.  Faith in Christ is just dead otherwise.

Aaron’s email is: [email protected]

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