The character of a nation is not shaped and nurtured by Washington, D.C. It is shaped by the pulpits of America. When the truth is proclaimed without apology and the scriptures are central, then and only then, can lives and hearts truly be changed. It is the age old question - do we preach a Gospel of heart change or a Gospel of social change? You might think the answer is that we should do both. I would agree. But there is more.

What is at the heart of Biblical preaching? Changed hearts are what change cultures. And only a heart gripped by the work of the cross is truly a changed heart. Gospel preaching involves three elements. First, there is the "logos" - that is, a proclamation of the truth of Holy Scripture. Sadly, many of America's preachers have caved on the doctrine of inerrancy. For many, the Word of God is contained somewhere in the books of the Bible. But they believe that the Bible as a whole is not inerrant. Thus, the preacher becomes the arbiter of what is and what is not the Word of God. How dangerous is that?

Second, there is the "ethos" or ethical demand of the Gospel, the "so what" of Biblical preaching. That is, what does the Bible tell me I must now do in response to what I have heard? Most liberal churches focus on the "ethos" at the expense of the "logos." Many evangelicals focus on the "logos" at the expense of the "ethos." But if one does not hold to the truth of scripture then by what authority must I obey its ethical demands? If the root is dead then the tree is dead if you catch my drift.

The third element of Biblical preaching is "pathos." The truth of what is preached (the inspired, inerrant "logos" of God) and the ethical demands of that truth ("ethos") must be declared with passion ("pathos"). Preaching is a "prophetic" event. This does not mean preachers are prophets in the Biblical sense of the word. But it does mean that as the true Word of the living God is proclaimed it becomes declarative in nature and prophetic in scope. We are to convince men and women of the truth. Preachers must engage in a personal "holy wrestling" with God as he also struggles with the stubborn hearts of man. The Gospel message must first be filtered through the life of the preacher as he dwells among his flock. Put very simply, the preacher cannot express what he does not possess. May God rend the heavens, come down, and either change our preachers or remove them.