Friday, September 28, 2007 at 1:01am
Sometimes the truth hurts
Column: For His Glory
Have you heard of Paul Washer?
In 2002, at a Baptist youth conference, Paul Washer stood up and preached a message that angered the majority of the people in attendance. So angered were the leaders of this conference that he was never invited back and many disregarded his message as that of a false prophet.
How explicit could his message have been that so many Christians were offended? Well, he said that modern American Christianity is a shell of the Christianity taught in the Bible. Paul Washer even went so far as to call the youth in that conference lost sinners who do not know God.
At one point, at the beginning of the message, when it still wasn't apparent that he was speaking about them, Paul mentioned that "we must not be like Britney Spears," and the audience clapped and gave hearty "Amens." At the end of the clapping, when all was silent, he pointed his index finger directly at the audience and said: "Why are you clapping? I am talking about you!" Whatever giddiness was in the auditorium, whatever feel-good sentiments were held, were quickly dispelled. Quickly the mood and thoughts turned inward, and the prevailing thought was "Could what Paul Washer is preaching be true?
I downloaded his sermon, "Modern American Christianity," from the front page of the www.sermonindex.net website and listened to it myself. I had to ask myself, "Is what he is saying true or not?"
Was it thought-provoking? Yes, it was. Was it relevant? Yes, it was. Was it true? Only you can decide — which is why you will have to watch it yourself. One quote that jumped at me, to which Paul alluded in his sermon, was "The unexamined life is not worth living" by Socrates. This really stayed with me because it is biblical. The apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith." This thought is contrary to the culture we are in.
People do not like to examine their lives to see if they are living a life worth living, and part of that is because we live a life that is so distracted. We have so much information tugging at us from different directions that we fail to see if we are remaining true to the values we cherish. As Christians, we need to examine our lives on a daily basis to see if we are remaining faithful to Jesus Christ. How often do you examine your life? How often do you spend time reflecting on the spiritual journey you are traveling on? How do you know that you are on a path to heaven? It would be a colossal mistake to believe you were on the path of righteousness and then in the end find out you were living a lie. Why not, then, spend a couple of minutes each day examining your life? It will make a huge difference, especially when you examine your life in light of God's word.
Paul Washer's sermon may be offensive, but it may or may not be true. ... I personally believe his message was right on the money. I just pray that you will live a life that is examined in light of the Cross of Christ.
— — —
Gio Marin is an author, currently working on a master of divinity degree at Andrews Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Visit For His Glory, the blog, and send an email to {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Gio Marin.
In 2002, at a Baptist youth conference, Paul Washer stood up and preached a message that angered the majority of the people in attendance. So angered were the leaders of this conference that he was never invited back and many disregarded his message as that of a false prophet.
How explicit could his message have been that so many Christians were offended? Well, he said that modern American Christianity is a shell of the Christianity taught in the Bible. Paul Washer even went so far as to call the youth in that conference lost sinners who do not know God.
At one point, at the beginning of the message, when it still wasn't apparent that he was speaking about them, Paul mentioned that "we must not be like Britney Spears," and the audience clapped and gave hearty "Amens." At the end of the clapping, when all was silent, he pointed his index finger directly at the audience and said: "Why are you clapping? I am talking about you!" Whatever giddiness was in the auditorium, whatever feel-good sentiments were held, were quickly dispelled. Quickly the mood and thoughts turned inward, and the prevailing thought was "Could what Paul Washer is preaching be true?
I downloaded his sermon, "Modern American Christianity," from the front page of the www.sermonindex.net website and listened to it myself. I had to ask myself, "Is what he is saying true or not?"
Was it thought-provoking? Yes, it was. Was it relevant? Yes, it was. Was it true? Only you can decide — which is why you will have to watch it yourself. One quote that jumped at me, to which Paul alluded in his sermon, was "The unexamined life is not worth living" by Socrates. This really stayed with me because it is biblical. The apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith." This thought is contrary to the culture we are in.
People do not like to examine their lives to see if they are living a life worth living, and part of that is because we live a life that is so distracted. We have so much information tugging at us from different directions that we fail to see if we are remaining true to the values we cherish. As Christians, we need to examine our lives on a daily basis to see if we are remaining faithful to Jesus Christ. How often do you examine your life? How often do you spend time reflecting on the spiritual journey you are traveling on? How do you know that you are on a path to heaven? It would be a colossal mistake to believe you were on the path of righteousness and then in the end find out you were living a lie. Why not, then, spend a couple of minutes each day examining your life? It will make a huge difference, especially when you examine your life in light of God's word.
Paul Washer's sermon may be offensive, but it may or may not be true. ... I personally believe his message was right on the money. I just pray that you will live a life that is examined in light of the Cross of Christ.
— — —
Gio Marin is an author, currently working on a master of divinity degree at Andrews Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Visit For His Glory, the blog, and send an email to {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Gio Marin.