Todd Hiestand // Missional Living in Suburban America

Preaching and Political Convention Speeches

Here’s my main question: does our preaching give way for conversion or does our preaching simply make those who disagree with us disagree more?

After spending the last two weeks listening to the speeches at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions I realized that there was a strong difference between how I used to preach and how I preach now.

I used to preach, and still sometime do, in similar manner as these conventions. After I was done, those who already agreed with what I was saying cheered me on and told me “that was one of your best sermons.” But, those who disagreed with me would not have said, “You really made me think.”

Why the different reactions? Because my sermons were too much like these recent political speeches.

As I watched them, I realized that there was no way someone who was a strong Democrat would be able to watch McCain or Palin and say something like, “hmm, that’s a good point. I never thought of it that way. Maybe I should think carefully about that.” And, no one who was a strong Republican would have been able to listen to Obama and Biden and say, “Wow, that’s an interesting point. I should think carefully about that.”

No, the reactions were… well, you read them in the papers, the news websites and your blogs. “The Democrats are liberals and will ruin our country!” The Republicans hate human life and want to kill people!”

Why these reactions? I think partly because these speeches, and my early sermons, weren’t so much geared at preaching for conversion of people’s thoughts but rather, it seems that the goal of these speeches, and again my early sermons, was more to show why and how one side is right and the other side is wrong.

Now, I have nothing wrong with believing and speaking things with conviction. In fact, if I did, there would be no point of me continuing to preach. But, a huge challenge to those who preach (and dare I say those who speak in political settings) is to make your case for your side in such a way that allows the other side to begin to see why it is important that you think the way you think.

The fact is, the Democrats are right on a lot of things. The Republicans are right on a lot of things. No, the two sides will never agree with each other. But, I can’t help but think that there is room for a lot more respect of each other.

What I am talking about a difference between being a bully with your words and carefully shepherding with your words.

When I get done preaching, I would honestly rather hear someone say to me, “Your sermon was very thought provoking” than to hear someone say, “your sermon was awesome.”

When someone says, “your sermon was awesome” it usual means they already agreed with me and I just reinforced their previously held belief.

When someone says, “that was thought provoking” it means I really communicated well and made them think about the topic a little differently.

It’s easy to effectively communicate with those who already agree with you.

It’s a whole other challenge to communicate effectively with those who disagree with you.

And pissing them off isn’t necessarily effective communication.

I heard a few times that “Obama really took McCain to task” or “Palin really laid the smack down on Biden.” Well, your side thinks that’s what happened.

But their side just thinks that other person is an idiot.

I’ve gotta wonder, when this happens, how much is really accomplished?