Preaching and Preachers

The Congregationexamining things carefully and rationally and scientificallyand puttingup the different possible points of view. Indeed I read in a magazinebelonging to an evangelical students' organisation recently a plea tothe effect that what the pulpit should be doing now is to read outportions of Scripture, particularly the newer translations, make a fewcomments, and then invite questions and have a discussion. So youwould have an 'intelligent service' instead of one man standing up andlaying down the law' as it were, and telling other people 'all about it'.Participation by the people in the pew is essential. So the man in thepulpit is really just there to read the Scriptures in an intelligent slowmanner, according to these different translations, and then the discussiontakes place. Exchange of views, confrontation, dialogue, are theorder of the day!Then on the practical level with regard to the training of ministers,this new attitude comes out like this. There are those who say that aman is not really fit to preach to an industrial community unless hehas had a certain amount of factory experience himself. There hasbeen a serious proposal that all preachers, having finished theiracademic training, should then go and work in a factory, sa~ for sixmonths, in order that they may get to understand the outlook and thementality of the factory worker. They must get to understand hislanguage and how he expresses himself; for it is well-nigh impossiblefor him to preach to them unless he has had this experience.There I have stated the position in general and as it most commonlyexpresses itself. What are we to say to this? To what extent is the pewto control the pulpit? I maintain that this new kind of thinking aboutthese matters is entirely wrong, and for the following reasons. Let medivide my answers into general and more particular categories. It iswrong in general, first of all, because it is wrong in fact, and it is wrongin experience. It is wrong in its whole psychological understanding ofthe situation.Let me elaborate that. I shall never forget-and I recount it here125