Do I, a Preacher, Have the Right to Tell You How to Live?

"No one has the right to tell me how to live my life."  I can't count the number of times I have read this in various social media posts recently.  Whether discussing the legality of gay marriage or any other social issue, this is the common response to anyone who dares to label a specific behavior as "sinful."  The logic goes something like this:  Only God can judge me.  You are not God.  Therefore, you have no right to tell me how to live my life."

Can we talk about this?  I promise I will be gentle.

Last February, President Obama spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast.  Within hours, a two minute video clip went viral.  The headlines proclaimed that that the President insulted Christians by comparing the Crusades to terrorism.  But if we read the entire speech (which I am guessing my share-happy friends did not), we find so much more.  President Obama didn't say, "You Christians," but rather, "We..."  Most us of also missed the next part: ". . . this is not unique to one group or one religion. There is a tendency in us, a sinful tendency that can pervert and distort our faith."  He is right on, isn't he?  For a minute there, he sounded a lot like a preacher.

I would argue that the President was calling us to humility and, where needed, to repentance.  By the way, isn't humility the appropriate starting point for prayer?  Jesus thought so. (See Luke 18:9-14)

Now I must admit at this point that I am no fan of the President's administration, policies and tactics.  I didn't vote for him either time.  In fact, I disagree with much of the rest of that same speech!  But I can't ignore the call to humility, to examine how I am tempted to distort my faith to justify sinful actions.

So how did many Christians respond?  Two ways.  They attacked the message and the messenger.  Pundits interviewed experts, who nit-picked the reference to the Crusades by measuring which side killed more people.  (It was interesting that the President's references to slavery and Jim Crow laws were ignored.)  Second, they discredited the messenger.  Who does he think he is to try and tell me how to live my life?

These tactics are not new.  No one likes to be confronted and told to straighten up.  I don't like to admit that I am wrong.  And so, to relieve any guilt, you and I resort to two tactics.  First, attack the message.  If I can find logical holes in your argument, then maybe I can convince myself to ignore the main point.  Second, attack the messenger.  You are not God; you are a sinner, just like me.  If I can drag you down to my level, then I can ignore your message.  Now I can confidently say, "You can't tell me how to live my life."

Prophets and Prophecy

One of the first things I learned in Seminary was that prophets were not merely future-tellers.  While God sometimes gave a "prophetic word" to address a specific person or situation, the prophets usually spoke to bigger issues.  The prophets pointed out where people were getting off track, and they vividly described the "dead end" of off-track living.  Their motivation was holy.  They wanted people to experience the good ending waiting for those who live "on-track."  But in order to promote God's way, they had to clearly and specifically identify "off track" living.  In other words, they declared that specific actions were sinful.

The prophets recognized that they were merely messengers.  They weren't sharing their own opinions.  Since their messages came from God, then to reject the messages was to reject God.  The prophets weren't trying to tell people how to live their lives.  They were trying to tell people how God wanted them to live their lives.  But no one likes to be confronted and told to straighten up.  As we discover in the Bible and in history, prophets were often rejected and even killed.  Attack the message.  Attack the messenger.  Relieve the guilt.  After all, who does he think he is telling me how to live my life?

The prophets were also not restricted to addressing only the sins of "insiders" (Israelites, Christians and other religious folks who were expected to follow God.)  The prophets regularly condemned other nations.  Jesus called everyone to obedience.

God's way is to speak to humans through his prophets.  Even when God came to earth himself, the ministry of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was recognized as that of a prophet.  Before he ascended to heaven we read in several places that Jesus gave authority to his followers to continue the prophetic work of spreading God's messages through human messengers.  While this focused on the message of good news, it included the related message of bad news.  Grace, and the sin that grace redeems.  History tells us that eleven of his original twelve apostles were rejected and most were killed.  Attack the message.  Attack the messenger.  Relieve the guilt.

With this understanding of prophecy that spans both Testaments, preachers have continued the work as messengers bearing a message from God.  Like the prophets before us, most of us don't feel worthy.  (And the ones who do feel worthy don't last very long).  We bring good news, but we also bring bad news.  We preach love, grace and forgiveness.  But those ideals make no sense without the related message of sin.  No, I don't have the right to tell you how to live your life.  But God does.  And I am the messenger.  (To be honest, I don't like it any more than you do.)

We Really Do Appreciate It

I think that somewhere deep inside, you are glad that I, the messenger, might dare tell you how to live your life.

You are probably glad that John Newton, a British minister, spoke against slavery for decades, even preaching aloud on December 19, 1797, that, "I fear the African trade is a national sin, for the enormities which accompany it are now generally known..."  Yes, he called it sin.

You are probably glad that Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. proclaimed that, "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."  That was no mere suggestion.  Must is a word we use when we are telling people how to live.

These preachers, believing that they were messengers inspired by God, boldly told people how to live.  Their influence shaped even our own lives today.  They believed they had a right to tell people how to live, and we are glad they did.

Do you really want to muffle the voices of preachers?  Do you really want to restrict preachers to saying only nice things about God and humanity?  If I am not allowed to tell you how God wants you to live, then our faith, both yours and mine, will cease to connect with anything in life.  If I am not allowed to tell you how to live, I am like the doctor who is no longer allowed to give prescriptions for future health, but is restricted only to comforting you in your pain.

So yes, I do have the right to tell you how to live your life.

With some fear and hopefully a lot of humility, I will preach and teach.  I will preach good news and God's grace.  As appropriate, I will define, describe and decry behaviors and attitudes that are simply out of line with God's best.  I will call them what they are: sin.  In smaller settings, such as a small group or a private conversation, I will do the same.  I will seek to apply God's truth, constantly answering the question of how to live God's truth in our everyday lives.  Wherever the message intersects your life, it will feel as if I am telling you how to live your life.

I Promise This

Having said that, here my promises to you:

• I will view you as a person who is created in the image of God and is loved and valued by God.
• I will listen to your story and will mourn with you as you share the painful parts.
• I will not verbally attack you in public.  While I will identify specific sins, and, from time to time, identify specific groups, of which you may be a member, that exemplify such sins, I will not personally attack you.
• If necessary, I will address your behavior in person, in private.  If the situation needs additional attention, I will follow the instructions of Jesus in Matthew 18:15-17.
• I will remember that I am a human who is prone to the temptation of pride, power and a host of other sins.
• I will at some point mess up, and I invite you to confront me whenever I am wrong, as long as you will do it privately and in person.
• I will do my best to speak the truth in love.

A few years ago I cracked a joke in the middle of a sermon.  I felt like maybe the joke was not appropriate, but I ignored that prompting, opting instead to gain a few laughs.  But the joke was racist.  I intended no malice, but I was still unwise and just plain wrong.  It didn't feel good when a couple of young adults confronted me.  But they did it privately and yet boldly.  I am glad they confronted me.  They were right to tell me how to live my life.  I needed it.  My guess is that you need it regularly as well.