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When I was at Bible Conference at Bob Jones University, one of the speakers said something to the effect that Bible Conference was a great chance for pastors to get ideas for outlines of what they could share with their congregation. My pastor, who just started at my church last year, said that he has a whole library of previous sermons that he could use, but that he gives us fresh from the Word of God.
This is not the trend. Pastors of a church are the new celebrities– a leftover from the bygone days of revival. In revival days, the preacher’s name was big, but not as big as his message. People went from town to town holding tent meetings and preaching the Gospel. Through the advent of television, “big preachers” no longer need to go to churches– they can grow mega churches. They do not have to have the salt of the Word of God, they can use sweet honey to gather a big enough membership so that they can get the word out.
The bigger you want your church, the more you have to offer. Cannot come up with a sermon with general appeal, go to Pastors.com or find a popular pastor that has a sermon for you to share. Golden-calf Christianity is into marketing the Gospel instead of preaching it. They tailor it to be something that has general appeal and does not condemn so that more people show up. And then they propagate it in the name of Christ.
The cross of Christ is a dividing agent– Jesus Himself said that it would divide families, divide friends, and set people at odds with one another. Jesus said that choosing to follow Him would cost us, that persecution would follow. The new gospel is filled with the idea that God is an add on, that He’s there for your best blessing right now, instead of persecution now and a blessing to come.
George Whitefield sold his first sermon rather than deliver it himself if I recall correctly. However, you make some good points about celebrity pastors. Our culture idolizes celebrity, and this is just another way we follow the world in the Church.
Thanks for writing this.