Plain Talk in the Pulpit
Charles SpurgeonI believe preaching should be plain, clear, sound, and interesting. I am not being criticized for my preaching though I have felt the sting of it in the past. The great Charles Spurgeon was criticized thoroughly and publicly for his plain, common-man speech and the direct manner of his thematic messages. He once wrote this:
“We have most certainly departed from the usual manner preaching, but we do not feel bound to offer even half a word of apology for so doing, since we believe ourselves free to use any manner of speech which is calculated to impress the truth upon our hearers.” —Charles Spurgeon
Spurgeon later wrote that he was not sure laughter in the pulpit was a sin and that he thought it less a crime to cause momentary laughter, than a half-hour of profound slumber. He would rather have people laughing then sleeping through his talks.
