Sunday, March 20, 2022

Dear Pastor

Please do not use Greek from the pulpit today. People aren't even faintly interested in the aorist passive imperative. They want to know two things: this is what the text says, and this is what it is telling us we must do. Never say, "The word in the Greek means ...." Greek words do not have a meaning. Greek words have meanings, only one of which is its semantic contribution to any passage in which it occurs. I recently heard someone say that the Greek word for preaching means "to announce the rules." This is both incorrect and unhelpful. Never forget that the New Testament was written in the language of the people. Strive to make the greatest book in the world understandable to plain people. Using simple, everyday English will remind your hearers that the New Testament was meant for the plowboy (William Tyndale). 

Speak emancipating truth in a way that all can understand, and we will thank you for it.