there is a story about a young pastor who had been hired as the main pastor at a church in Kentucky. this was his first job as a pastor and was very eager to make a good impression on his new flock. he prepared long and hard and came up with an excellent sermon on the evils of smoking. his presentation was flawless, his timing perfect. Afterwards the head elder came to him and said, "Tread lightly my son. A third of the congregation raises tobacco." armed with this new information, the young pastor came upon a new topic for the next week's message and delivered a fire sermon on the evils of drinking! afterwards the same elder came to him and said, "Tread lightly my son. A third of the congregation works at a brewery." after some more consideration he came up with a new topic, and delivered a masterful message on the evils of gambling. soon the same elder came to him and said, "Tread lightly my son. a third of the congregation raises race horses." the next week the youn pastor delivered a firey sermon on the evils of fishing the territorial waters of another nation.
Well, that preacher has some tough choices ahead of him. It does raise an interesting question, though doesn't it? A pastor has to choose weekly what to share with his congregation. I'm sure that they must wrestle with questions like what do they need to hear right now, will some be offended, is it alright to offend on this or that topic, etc. What are the thought processes that go along with these decisions? Are some topics worth the possibility of being a bit offensive? Even though the Christian community may be split on the question of Harry Potter and movies about vampires, does one take a stand, and if so how strongly? Is it truly necessary to tackle the issue? Is the evidence compelling in either way? Will it bring people in to the church or drive them away? Are these even fair questions?
in all fairness, doesn't a pastor have an obligation to listen to the Holy Spirit? to choose messages not based on what might offend, or entice but what needs to be heard? if one can trust one's pastor one must needs trust the messages they deliver and try to find that nugget of truth the Spirit meant for you.
Pastors must walk a fine line, discerning what their flock needs irregardless of whether it's "offensive" or not. Majoring on the "majors" and minoring on the "minors" so to speak. Some avoid the question altogether and concentrate on only the positives of the Gospel. God is love, He gave His only begotten Son, etc. Others address the "tough" questions head on, unequivocally stating their opinions and letting the chips fall where they may.
What topics do you feel are "worth the risk?" And how far would you go to push your point?
