There are many ways to impair a sermon and muffle a ministry. Unsuspecting pastors have been doing it for centuries. One such way is by means of polemics. Polemics, strictly speaking, is a strongly written or verbal argument against another position. Polemical preaching then would be a sermon that goes after a particular practice or doctrine held by another person or institution.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones called polemical preaching "thorny." On the one hand, preachers can go wrong by being too weak, not adequately refuting the error of those who contradict sound doctrine (Titus 1:9, 2:15). On the other hand a preacher can become consumed with calling everyone and everything out. We now have ministries, churches, even websites that seem to build their identity on their reaction to error. After all, we live in a time that some have called the most undiscerning period in history, which means some preachers will undertake polemical preaching and ministry. But defending truth against error is only one part of faithful preaching. The question is not whether there is a place for polemical preaching but whether someone can do too much of it.
Some would say no. In fact, Lloyd-Jones (MLJ) interacted with them in his classic book Preaching and Preachers. In his chapter "What to Avoid" he speaks of a day-long conversation with a well-known preacher. MLJ talks about how he, unlike his friend, tended to avoid and rather dislike the type of preaching that "made mincemeat" of other preachers. In what follows I interact with and summarize MLJ's points. They remain fresh for us today. Keep reading
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