Urban Legends: Preacher’s Edition
Trevin Wax:
Those of us who are entrusted with the task of expositing the Scriptures in a local church must take care to verify our sources, illustrations, and stories. No matter how helpful an illustration may be, it is dishonoring to God if it is untrue.
Here are a number of urban legends that get repeated in sermons. Some are more pervasive than others, even appearing in commentaries and scholarly works.
Here’s one example he shares:
The high priest tied a rope around his ankle so that others could drag him out of the Holy of Holies in case God struck him dead.
Various versions of this claim have been repeated by pastors, but it is a legend. It started in the Middle Ages and keeps getting repeated. There is no evidence for the claim in the Bible, the Apocrypha, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Josephus, the Pseudepigrapha, the Talmud, Mishna or any other source. Furthermore, the thickness of the veil (three feet) would have precluded the possibility of a priest being dragged out anyway.
Also Worth Reading:
Preaching: Practical Tips for Expository Preachers
Faith, Life & Ministry: Some Potential Solutions to the Celebrity Pastor Critique
Blogging: Do You Have to Respond to Every Blog Comment?
John Piper: What Happens When You Turn 65
In Case You Missed It
Here are a few of this week’s notable posts:
Luther on the children of the Law vs the children of the Gospel
J.C. Ryle: What Was Once Narrow and Deep Has Become Wide and Shallow
Book Reviews:
The Greener Grass Conspiracy by Stephen Altrogge
