Do you ever hear a sermon which addresses particular sexual sin or mentioning hell?

wolfsbane

Jester has a poll for Catholics that reminded me how often I would have liked to know the same from Protestants. For the purposes of this poll, Protestant means those who regularly attend a Protestant church service. They need not be converted persons. I'm more interested here in what is being preached than in the state of the hearer. Thanks.

antiskeptic

wolfsbane wrote: »

Jester has a poll for Catholics that reminded me how often I would have liked to know the same from Protestants. For the purposes of this poll, Protestant means those who regularly attend a Protestant church service. They need not be converted persons. I'm more interested here in what is being preached than in the state of the hearer. Thanks.

By 'Protestant' I take you to mean not Catholic and not Orthodox?

I answered 'rarely'.

Hell is mentioned in passing because by and large, the congregation are Christians and the view would be that sermons are for the fortifying of Christians in their walk, not outreach opportunities to those who might happen not to be Christians. That said, there are occasional sermons which would be heavily weighed towards the unbeliever - in case there are some in the congregation who aren't yet believers.


Specific sin wouldn't be preached on.

Fanny Cradock

I'm not a Protestant but I'll throw my 2 pence in anyway.

Like AS, I also selected rarely because I can't for the life of me remember the last time I heard a fire and brimstone sermon. Perhaps hell or immorality was introduced but never as a central component to the sermon.

Jester Minute

As a Catholic, I can't vote on this poll. Just so you know.:cool:

But I must say, it was only when I read a fire and brimstone sermon that I changed my ways. It was a sermon on the little number of those who are saved, by the Franciscan Saint Leonard of Port Maurice.

I'd heard a lot about the love of God up to that point, but to a sinner entrenched in sin, that is not much use. Sometimes a good kick in the mouth is in order, spiritually speaking of course.

Seaneh

I clicked no, because I have never heard one preached at any church service I have attended.

SonOfAdam

jester minute wrote:

As a Catholic, I can't vote on this poll. Just so you know.

.... Well you started it

I voted 'rarely'. Thankfully I seldom hear a sermon where a particular sin is singled out for condemnation - for those that partake in this activity it generally comes back to bite them and very publicly - There are respectable sins (as Jerry Bridges put it) and not so respectable 'though I don't think God makes the same distinction the way we are inclined to -
It really is a case of 'there but for the grace of God' so we had better be careful lest we expose our own nakedness.

Jester Minute

SonOfAdam wrote: »

.... Well you started it

I voted 'rarely'. Thankfully I seldom hear a sermon where a particular sin is singled out for condemnation - for those that partake in this activity it generally comes back to bite them and very publicly - There are respectable sins (as Jerry Bridges put it) and not so respectable 'though I don't think God makes the same distinction the way we are inclined to -
It really is a case of 'there but for the grace of God' so we had better be careful lest we expose our own nakedness.

The sunglasses smilie was there to indicate that I was really stating the obvious, but taking the liberty of posting in the thread for the purposes of contribution to any discussion. :mad:*

* I'm not really mad. I'm just using an inappropriate smilie.*

I'm not really confused. I'm just using an inappropriate smilie.:eek:*

*I'll stop now.

wolfsbane

antiskeptic wrote: »

By 'Protestant' I take you to mean not Catholic and not Orthodox?

I answered 'rarely'.

Hell is mentioned in passing because by and large, the congregation are Christians and the view would be that sermons are for the fortifying of Christians in their walk, not outreach opportunities to those who might happen not to be Christians. That said, there are occasional sermons which would be heavily weighed towards the unbeliever - in case there are some in the congregation who aren't yet believers.


Specific sin wouldn't be preached on.

Yes, sorry I was not clear on what constituted 'Protestant' for the poll. Any of the historic Protestant churches, plus Baptists, Brethren, Pentecostals, Quakers and any other church holding to the basics of Christianity. That would exclude the cults - JWs, Mormons, etc.

Would it not be necessary for believers to have hell mentioned more than rarely as a spur to evangelism? Our lost friends are not going out into oblivion.

wolfsbane

Jester Minute wrote: »

The sunglasses smilie was there to indicate that I was really stating the obvious, but taking the liberty of posting in the thread for the purposes of contribution to any discussion. :mad:*

* I'm not really mad. I'm just using an inappropriate smilie.*

I'm not really confused. I'm just using an inappropriate smilie.:eek:*

*I'll stop now.

Emote all you like, my friend.

wolfsbane

SonOfAdam wrote: »

.... Well you started it

I voted 'rarely'. Thankfully I seldom hear a sermon where a particular sin is singled out for condemnation - for those that partake in this activity it generally comes back to bite them and very publicly - There are respectable sins (as Jerry Bridges put it) and not so respectable 'though I don't think God makes the same distinction the way we are inclined to -
It really is a case of 'there but for the grace of God' so we had better be careful lest we expose our own nakedness.

Sadly, from my experience, particular sins are being condoned, if just by ignoring them. Whatever is the one going on in the church at the time, that is the one to start with. Then we can get on to warn about the deceitfulness of other sins.

Mature Christians need to warn the newer ones that our new life in Christ is not a stroll through the meadow, but through a battlefield. The ground may be very pleasant most of the time, but ambushes are laid. We need to warn, for example, how an innocent friendship between a man and woman can develop into romance. OK if they are single and looking for a spouse. But tragic if one or both are married.

wolfsbane

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

I'm not a Protestant but I'll throw my 2 pence in anyway.

Like AS, I also selected rarely because I can't for the life of me remember the last time I heard a fire and brimstone sermon. Perhaps hell or immorality was introduced but never as a central component to the sermon.

Thanks. I'm not thinking about a sermon devoted to the subject of hell, just one that makes it clear there is a hell and how easy it is to get there.