When people are not taught the basics

When Jay Leno was host of the Tonight Show he often did a man-on-the-street interview. He would ask random people various questions about current topics or issues to get their responses. He would ask questions about how our government is structured and other questions pertaining to our way of life. He would ask historical questions or ask people to identify certain current leaders. The answers were often amusing because they were so wrong. It's not amusing now because these people are now holding political offices and their ignorance does not bode well for the future of our nation. People running for political office are finding a lot of support from people with this same lack of understanding of political and economic realities, and they are getting this support.

It wasn't too long ago that no socialist could hope to hold political office in the US. Today, they do, and more are running for office. Socialism is popular today because young people were not taught the history of socialism and its failure every where it has been tried. Civics stopped being taught in schools years ago, and today young people do not know how our government is structured or how it is supposed to work. Many of them can't understand why it would be tragic for our nation if the Electoral College was removed because they don't know why it was put in the Constitution in the first place. They don't know the three branches of government and how each branch works, and these people are now assuming leadership positions within these branches. It's bad enough that such people are seeking office; it's even worse that unaware people vote them into office.

Unfortunately, it's not much better in the church world either. We have many people sitting in pews week after week who do not understand basic Christian doctrine. If asked, they would struggle to explain what they believe and why they believe it. Their lives and worldviews are not much different than that lived by the unchurched because they have not been taught how to think and live as Christians.They are like the people the apostle Paul referred to when he wrote that they should now be given meat but instead they must still be fed milk because they are not mature enough to handle the meat of the gospel. What's the cause for this? They have not been taught the Word of God.

In another age sermons sought to make men God-centered in their thinking and how they lived. Today, many messages are man-centered. They address how one can find peace and happiness in life. We hear much about the love of God but little of His wrath. Messages often focus on how God can provide the help we need to face our circumstances but often ignore addressing our duties towards God such as worship and service.

Writing this I am not suggesting that our sermons should beat up our listeners. I've sat through some of those and you probably have as well. I am suggesting there must be a balance in our preaching. Yes, we should encourage people to turn to God for the solutions to life's challenges. The Bible encourages that, and so should we. But, we also must not ignore the warnings we find in Scripture and the demands Christ made on those who would follow Him. These too must be proclaimed.

For me, preaching through large sections of the Bible ensures the balance I seek in my messages. There will be the comforting passages that most ministers prefer to address, and there will be the challenging ones that many of us would prefer to ignore. But, we ignore them to our congregation's peril. When we commit to preaching through these larger sections, even complete books of the Bible, we cannot ignore these difficult passages.

When it comes to elections, let's vote for the candidates who are able and willing to honor our Constitution and work within its confines. In order to do that we must ensure that we are informed as to their values and beliefs and vote accordingly. When it comes to our religious life, let's make sure that we are preaching the whole counsel of God. For the person in the pew, make sure you are receiving everything the Bible teaches and seek to understand how to apply it to your life.