Pastors Abandoning Their Pulpits

“We would be more able teachers, and not so easily carried away by every wind of doctrine, if we sought to have a more intelligent understanding of the Word of God.” – C.H. Spurgeon

I was aghast as I watched the scene unfold from a church in Atlanta, GA.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was invited to speak at the Atlanta Berean Church, a Seventh Day Adventist congregation. Yes, THAT Fani Willis, the one who indicted former President Donald Trump last year and recently admitted to having an affair with the married man whom she hired to prosecute Mr. Trump. Ms. Willis is also accused of improperly using department monies to fund lavish trips with her married lover, Nathan Wade.

Politics aside, who thought it was a good idea to allow this woman to speak from the pulpit for 20 minutes, cherry-picking Scripture verses to portray herself as a victim? Likewise, who was responsible for presenting her with a Black History Achievement Award at the same time that she is being investigated for financial impropriety and perjury?

Oh, how we need the spirit of discernment in our churches today!

Ironically, Atlanta Berean Church is named for the Bereans in Acts 17:10-11 who, instead of taking Paul’s teachings at face value, went home and “fact checked” what he had said against other Scriptures. Paul wasn’t insulted by their actions, but rather commended their diligence and allegiance to true biblical teaching.

America needs a spirit of discernment to descend upon our land, beginning in our pulpits. Far too many pastors are being swayed by public opinion and collection plates instead of standing firmly upon the infallible and immutable Word of God.

As Charles Finney, one of the leaders of the Second Great Awakening, said in his classic "The Decay of Conscience" in 1873...

"Brethren, our preaching will bear its legitimate fruits. If immorality prevails in the land, the fault is ours in a great degree. If there is a decay of conscience, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the public press lacks moral discernment, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the church is degenerate and worldly, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the world loses its interest in Christianity, the pulpit is responsible for it. If Satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible for it. If our politics become so corrupt that the very foundations of our government are ready to fall away, the pulpit is responsible for it."

It's time to get our acts together, pastors and church leaders... or answer to God accordingly.