St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

Grill the Preacher

In the summer season of sunbathing and barbeques I came across an interesting new menu in “The Round”, the magazine of St Andrew the Great, Cambridge.

"Grill the Preacher" evenings are held every few weeks after the Sunday evening service. They gather together the main preachers for each of the series in the three services, plus any others who might be persuaded to take part. First they invite from the floor any questions raised by sermons on each of the three sections of the bible that are currently being considered. The proceedings are then opened up to any other questions which the congregation might like to raise, and last there is opportunity for “a tasty snack” (by which I presume they mean coffee and cake, not carvery and cannibalism?).

Rev’d Simon Scott explains that the benefits are not just the informality and the chance to put the preacher on the spot. Rather, it enshrines a great principle of the Protestant Reformation.

Along with justification by faith alone and the supremacy of scripture, “the right of private judgement” was one of the key doctrines of the Reformation. It means every individual Christian has the right to judge for him/herself whether what is being taught in church is actually the truth of God’s word or not.

An example of this is where the Bereans, hearing St Paul, “received the message with great eagerness” (Acts 17:11). But they didn’t abandon their critical faculties as they listened: they “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true”. In fact, one of the marks of the Gospel age is that God’s truth is not the preserve of just a few special people, but “they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest” (Jeremiah 31:34, fulfilled in Acts 2:17).

This doesn’t mean everyone has equal right to think whatever daft thing enters his/her head - Scripture is still the benchmark of truth. But different Christians have the right to test each other’s opinions by what the bible actually says, not just by what the preacher says it says.

In the Reformation this was hotly disputed. Church leaders thought that if the bible were translated into English, common people would misuse it. Our freedom to read the bible for ourselves had to be fought for. In our generation we too can grow careless about taking on trust what the preacher says instead of quizzing it against scripture.

I don’t know if “Grill the Preacher” would work at St Luke’s or not? But I’m intrigued by the idea. Maybe we ought to have it on our menu?

John Hartley

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. September 2002, Page 1.
Home Page. Index of articles. Vicar's Letters: index, Body & Cell, Cell Love, Cell Values, Cell Friends, Grilled Preacher, Faithful remnant. In this issue: (September 2002) Vicar's Letter, Babies out of wedlock, All included, Evening Service, Hindu Site.	Grill the Preacher In the summer season of sunbathing and barbeques I came across an interesting new menu in “The Round”, the magazine of St Andrew the Great, Cambridge. "Grill the Preacher" evenings are held every few weeks after the Sunday evening service. They gather together the main preachers for each of the series in the three services, plus any others who might be persuaded to take part. First they invite from the floor any questions raised by sermons on each of the three sections of the bible that are currently being considered. The proceedings are then opened up to any other questions which the congregation might like to raise, and last there is opportunity for “a tasty snack” (by which I presume they mean coffee and cake, not carvery and cannibalism?). Rev’d Simon Scott explains that the benefits are not just the informality and the chance to put the preacher on the spot. Rather, it enshrines a great principle of the Protestant Reformation. Along with justification by faith alone and the supremacy of scripture, “the right of private judgement” was one of the key doctrines of the Reformation. It means every individual Christian has the right to judge for him/herself whether what is being taught in church is actually the truth of God’s word or not. An example of this is where the Bereans, hearing St Paul, “received the message with great eagerness” (Acts 17:11). But they didn’t abandon their critical faculties as they listened: they “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true”. In fact, one of the marks of the Gospel age is that God’s truth is not the preserve of just a few special people, but “they will all* know me, from the least of them to the greatest”* (Jeremiah 31:34, fulfilled in Acts 2:17). This doesn’t mean everyone has equal right to think whatever daft thing enters his/her head - Scripture is still the benchmark of truth. But different Christians have the right to test each other’s opinions by what the bible actually says, not just by what the preacher says it says. In the Reformation this was hotly disputed. Church leaders thought that if the bible were translated into English, common people would misuse it. Our freedom to read the bible for ourselves had to be fought for. In our generation we too can grow careless about taking on trust what the preacher says instead of quizzing it against scripture. I don’t know if “Grill the Preacher” would work at St Luke’s or not? But I’m intrigued by the idea. Maybe we ought to have it on our menu? John Hartley
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