A Love Affair with the American Pulpit

A Love Affair with the American Pulpit 

Jeremiah 1:2-9; Luke 4:16-21

A meditation delivered electronically by Rev. Dr. Randy K. Hammer, June 14, 2020

Today’s message results from, and is a follow-up to, last Sunday’s message. And initially you may wonder why what I’m going to say matters to you personally.  But trust me; it will become clear in a moment.

A true story: I remember a time when I was an adolescent or young teenager when our family was driving to the beach.  As we drove across North and South Carolina, I pointed out church buildings all along the way.  “Look,” I would exclaim, “a church!” Or, “Look at that church!”  Or, “I wonder what kind of church that is.”  My parents, I am sure, were baffled at why an adolescent boy would be so interested in church buildings.

But I have always had a fascination with churches and church buildings, especially beautiful, white, frame church buildings that appear to have some history behind them.  And I have been privileged to minister in a number of such beautiful churches.

One of the things I loved most during the six years we lived in New York was being able to travel in New England and see all the historic churches that grace the towns and village squares, especially the New England Congregational and Universalist Churches.  My favorite of them all is the Old First Church Congregational of Bennington, Vermont, the oldest Protestant church in the state of Vermont and the place where poet Robert Frost is buried.  The point being, I have always had a love affair with American churches, especially the old, historic ones.

But my love for American churches goes deeper than the church buildings themselves.  Because inside those historic churches you find a pulpit.  My love, admiration, and respect for the American pulpit is as strong or stronger than it is for the church buildings themselves.

For, you see, in spite of all the flaws and weaknesses of the American Church, (1) the American pulpit has done more, perhaps, than anything else to help shape American thought.  I think of Congregational preacher Henry Ward Beecher, who in the mid-nineteenth century was said to be the most popular man in America.  Beecher (brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin), with his pulpit, was a leading voice in the fight to abolish the institution of American slavery. 

And the American pulpit, down through the centuries, has had a profound impact upon the thinking or mindset of America. Think of Dutch Reformed minister Norman Vincent Peale who for 52 years pastored Marble Collegiate Church in New York City, one of the oldest and most historic churches in America.  Peale wrote the 2 million-plus copies sold of the bestseller, The Power of Positive Thinking.  Peale, and other preachers like him, promoted the thought that Christianity doesn’t have to be a guilt-inducing, guilt-ridden, somber way of living; but it can be a positive, joyful force in a person’s life and can have a positive impact upon all aspects of a person’s life.  The American pulpit in many ways has helped shape American thought.

(2) The American pulpit has served as the nation’s conscience.  I firmly believe that the American pulpit, in the spirit of the Hebrew prophets and of Jesus, is called to be the nation’s conscience. The role of the pulpit is to call us – as individuals and as a nation – to our better self.  The American pulpit is to point a finger at and call out national sin, injustice, oppression, and the failure to walk in the ways of kindness, compassion, and mercy.  And sometimes, as with the Hebrew prophets, that includes holding government leaders accountable to principles of truth and justice.

I think of American preachers Harry Emerson Fosdick and William Sloane Coffin, both of whom stood in the revered pulpit of Riverside Church in New York and served as a national conscience, as it were, and called America to its better self.

(3) The American pulpit has been at the forefront of positive social change. Much of the impetus for the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s originated in the pulpits of American churches.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr led the charge from the pulpit of Ebenezer Baptist Church of Atlanta.  But brave preachers all across America stood in their pulpits and preached the need for social change and progress.

 Well, we could go on with this brief history lesson, if we had time, giving more examples of how the American Church and American pulpit have helped shape American thought, served as the nation’s conscience, and been on the cutting edge of positive social change.  Such, you see, explains at least in part why I have had a life-long love affair with the American Church and its pulpits.

But, you may be thinking, that is all fine and good for you!  You’re a preacher.  But how is all of that relevant to me, the person in the pew (or the Lazyboy recliner, as the case may be today)?  Well, let me try to explain. 

By being a member of a church and supportive of a minister who has freedom of the pulpit, a minister who is free to speak the truth no matter how uncomfortable that truth may sometimes be, you play a part in making sure the pulpit continues to help shape contemporary thought, serve as a collective conscience that calls us to our best self, and works toward positive social change in this community and the world.  The messages that you permit me and Suzanne to deliver here in this pulpit that are broadcast via the Internet, YouTube and Facebook have a positive impact in leading people to think, and hopefully act, in a more compassionate, just manner.

And it just may be that your thoughts, your sentiments, your deep convictions are shared with the Oak Ridge Community and wider world in a way that each one of you personally could not do.  By being prayerfully and emotionally supportive of this free pulpit, you have a role in helping change the thought, appeal to the conscience, and work for positive change in the community and wider world.  And that is something that you can be proud of.

And speaking of being proud, I received several email responses following last week’s service.  I would like to share with you, anonymously of course, what two of you said:

“I am proud to be associated with a faith community that shares the values expressed in the service today, and so many times in the past.”

“I am truly proud to be a part of this United church community and to look toward your words of wisdom and healing during these times. I felt so much more at peace after today's sermon.  Appreciate your honesty and guidance.”

Now, I don’t share those responses with you to pat myself on the back.  Rather, I share them to make the point that the pulpit should give voice to the collective “heart of heart convictions” (to draw upon the thought of William Sloane Coffin), those deep-down spiritual principles we all know to be true and right.

It was preparing and delivering sermons that led me to commence the journey of Christian ministry 44 years ago, and it has been preparing and delivering sermons that has kept me in the ministry throughout the years. 

Yes, the American pulpit, in the spirit of the Hebrew prophets and of Jesus, has the potential of shaping for the better American thought, appealing to the nation’s conscience and our best self, and affecting social change.  But it is only possible because of you, people in the pews (or Lazyboy recliners) who support, affirm, and resonate with the truth and deep convictions that are shared.  Amen.