Denounced from the Pulpit

I’ve been denounced from the pulpit twice in my life.

It was difficult both times.

However, it wasn’t personal to me.

It was a blanket denunciation by two very different clergymen on two different coasts about two different subjects.

But it stung both times and I had to decide how to respond.

Denounced from the pulpit in a big church

The big church denunciation happened more than 20 years ago.

One weekend we visited a former church home and heard an appeal to pray for the national church.

They were having a large meeting in the upcoming weeks and had set up a 24-hour a day prayer vigil on behalf of the challenging issues being discussed.

I wanted to sign up–but we were only there for the weekend before moving along.

But I prayed when I remembered.

To my surprise, two weeks later, I attended church with friends in the same denomination.

I enjoyed singing the hymns, participating in the liturgical worship and settled down happily for the sermon.

The visiting pastor explained he had come to the United States to participate in the same large meeting.

It soon became clear thoughts of a prayer vigil were far from his mind.

In fact, he announced from the pulpit that anyone who came from a “traditionalist” background and thought the Bible was important, should leave the denomination to the progressives.

They/we were not welcome.

Did I hear that right?

That hardly sounded like a welcoming message to be thundering from the pulpit.

I wondered, “Have I just been denounced from the pulpit?”

I asked my teenager.

He nodded. “It sounded like it to me.”

Fury coursed through me. How dare he?

But what should I do?

I considered standing up and exiting the pew into the big central aisle with a swirl of my skirt. I’d then stomp out of the church and slam the door.

Except, I had four children with me–would they follow?

And what about my friends? Would I cause trouble for them?

“What should I do, Lord?” I whispered.

Stay put.

I didn’t have to say or do anything.

At the end of the service, the big pipe organ high in the back blasted the proper response.

“The Church’s One Foundation,” we all sang with gusto, “is Jesus Christ her Lord.

I practically shouted the verses as I stomped out of the church at the end of the service!

Thank you, Samuel John Stone, for proving my point!

Denounced from the pulpit in my own church

Years later, I taught in a specialized Bible study in my own church–a different denomination than the above.

In this particular Bible study, the pastor read a sermon about the text from the pulpit to a group of women.

We then decamped into smaller groups with individual teachers–class size 10-12.

As the “facilitator,” I oversaw the discussion of questions we worked on during the week.

I wasn’t exactly the teacher, but I was in charge.

That particular day, the sermon read from the pulpit discussed creation.

The well-meaning pastor followed the script into a comment that denounced “long-day creation.”

The implication was, those who believed such Biblical doctrine did not belong in the church.

Denounced for creationism this time.

Before we joined this denomination, my husband examined the website to make sure our beliefs in long-day creationism wouldn’t be a problem.

The website specifically stated that denomination allowed people leeway in terms of creationism.

So we joined.

Now I, as a teacher, was being told I could not hold such a belief.

Once we were dismissed to our classes, I marched to the pastor’s office.

“What’s up?” He asked.

“Judging from what you just said from the pulpit, you’ll need to teach my class.”

Puzzled, he asked why.

“I come from a family of scientists. We believe in long-day creationism.”

(Don’t know what it is or why we would believe in long-day creationism? See Reasons to Believe.)

We went back and forth several times, me desperately trying to be polite, he trying to calm me down.

Finally, we agreed to disagree.

“I’ll go into class and explain what the issue is, what I believe, what the lesson teaches and then point the members to the Bible to draw their own conclusions.”

My pastor, a good man, agreed that was the most honest way to handle the situation.

No one in my class particularly cared.

Except me.

It’s just an uncomfortable feeling to be denounced from the pulpit–especially when you are trying so hard to stay true to the Bible.

The good news?

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord.”

Isaiah 1:18

My heart before Jesus was clear, my devotion known, my desire for truth absolute.

I’d rather, however, not live through it again!

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