The idea for this post was not originally so open minded. I was sitting in chapel at my Christian college, a twice a week occurrence, when it hit me. Maybe I should say “re-hit” me, because I think about this often. Well, every time I hear a preacher/pastor/Christian speaker who is hurting my ears with how loud they speak and their unnecessary emphasis on unimportant words (or just every word). Now I know that even as I break down both sides, I am leaving out the variety of intentions each individual speaker has behind their decision to speak in this way (assuming it is a choice). So I will try to break down, as impartially as possible, the pros and cons of a preacher/pastor/Christian speaker who isn’t afraid of the whole city hearing their voice.
Cons:
–They act like newscasters. The way they use the same breathing techniques that allow them to spew out information at lightening speeds before the camera man pans away from them. I sit there feeling assaulted by the rapid-fire abuse of oxygen taking place on stage. What’s the rush? [personal thought: maybe it’s better to have less words with more meaning than more words that, in the end, have less effect on people because they can’t keep up]
–They’re very aware of how they speak. They utilize dramatic pauses, whispers, yells and claps. This is not inherently negative. After all, many excellent speakers use the same methods. But are preachers supposed to be the best? That doesn’t mean they should try not to be a good speaker, but it does make me question whether they choose their words for their own benefit (pleasing the audience, sounding cool, gaining credibility, etc.) rather than for the fulfillment of God’s purpose in them as a speaker.
Pros:
–They get people’s attention. Audience members are forced to open their ears to hear what they have to say. They aren’t the same monotone pastor that strolls through. This is especially beneficial (within the college campus/high school setting) for the students who assume that all preachers are the same: boring.
–They are using their gifts. I say this because many of the people who do this are naturals at it. It’s either how they were taught or how they taught themselves how to preach, making them be at their most comfortable at that volume level. And a comfortable speaker puts the audience at ease.
-They are natural motivators. Every Christian has gotten into a funk that only a retreat or passionate Christian could get them out of. Doubts are okay, healthy even, but not a place to build a home.
–They reach a different crowd. These kinds of people catch the attention of the extroverts in the audience. “Finally, someone with a personality!”, they might be thinking. They allow themselves to be more relatable to a crowd that is often ignored with our monotone-speaking friends.
In Conclusion,
I’m glad that I found more pros than cons. I don’t just write these posts for you guys, you know. I’m usually a realist–pushing pessimist–so I expect a negative outcome. While I’m hoping to reach a positive conclusion, I am often disappointed to prove myself right in the end. But not today! Today is a good day with happy endings.
What do you think? Did I miss anything? Was I too bias? Want to start a useless internet argument with me? Well you can’t, because I don’t care enough to argue with strangers (or maybe I care so much that I don’t care to argue with strangers. Things to ponder…).
-Equally Lost
Equally Lost 