The common objection to teaching about or preaching on the cross actually comes in various forms.  Here are a few that are heard regularly in our day, and they all flow from a self-centered worldview where we want things neat, clean, and safe.

1.  There is no need to relive the grotesque event of the crucifixion today because it makes people feel sick and uncomfortable.  They may not come back if we feature the cross in our preaching.

2.  In our advanced and highly sensitive culture, the cross makes God look like a bloodthirsty, vindictive monster.  This is not the kind of God we want.  We are not comfortable worshipping that kind of God.

3.  Our focus on the cross should not lie in the disgusting details of the event, but rather in the selfless example of Jesus as He teaches us how to live by His example.  

There are many more objections to the preaching of the cross, but these 3 seem to dominate.  I would like to make a few points concerning these objections, not for those who adhere to these statements (because few if any of them read what I write in this forum), but for pastors, teachers, ministers, evangelists, missionaries, and Christians who want to live obediently under the Lordship of Christ and serve faithfully in their calling to the gospel.  YOU are the person I write to and for, to be an encouragement and prophetic voice spurring on the body of Christ to living the gospel.

If you notice, those who fail to preach the cross or who have a problem with all the blood and gore always push back against it based on some personal, internal sense of discomfort.  They don’t like images of torn flesh being used in sermons.  They don’t enjoy being reminded of the flogging of Christ at the hands of the Romans that left His back torn to shreds, exposing His ribs and possibly His internal organs (the flogging that preceded crucifixion often killed the victim before they could make it to the cross).  Personally, I have had well-meaning Christians offer to me that they get queezy or feel sick at the mere mention of blood, torture, and excruciating pain.  Could it be that as a culture, we have become so averse to discomfort that we just can’t stand being uncomfortable in any situation?  The cross should sicken and offend us.  It is a mirror reflecting our sin back to us, as well as God’s serious measure to deal with our sin once and for all.  And the cross should never be preached apart from the resurrection, for they are ONE EVENT and indeed cannot be separated.  Nor should the story of Golgotha become an R-rated shock-sermon to simply get people worked up emotionally with feelings of guilt, then get them to an altar for a quick time of catharsis.  The love of God must be pre-eminent when the cross is preached.

Another element of these objections is that large groups of people, presumably in corporate worship, don’t need to be reminded over and over again of the death of Christ, but simply need to be told how to live victoriously now; how to be financially stable, maritally happy, and vocationally satisfied.  Again, the crucial mistake in this objection is that it places US in center, the place of prominence and importance, and it elevates what WE want to hear above what scripture declares and admonishes us to preach.  Anyway, how can we live victoriously, stand strong in suffering, enjoy our jobs and our marriages, were it not for the sacrifice of Christ on the cross?

Every objection to the cross holds at the core a proclivity towards ease and comfort, an aversion against anything that points toward our own selfishness and sin, and a distaste for being told that we are wrong, wicked, lost and hopeless.  But that is the beauty, the magic, and the mystery of the cross!  It does exactly what we think it WON’T do.  We assume that the full practical and theological preaching of the cross will turn people off and turn them away.  However, the opposite is true, and we cannot explain it.  When the gospel is proclaimed, and Christ is seen as murdered and resurrected for our salvation, people are drawn to Him.  The love, the sacrifice, the selfless act of dying for others, touches a deep chord in the human heart, and sinners are beckoned to consider Jesus when they are told of what happened on the cross and at the tomb.

One final thought…what is the that one thing about the cross that makes it both so ugly and so beautiful?  Why does it create in us both a need to turn away from it in disgust as well as embrace it with humility?  Perhaps I am oversimplifying, but I believe it is because the cross simply makes people look at Jesus.  When we see it, we see Him.  A Roman cross by itself is as worthless as the wood it was made from, but when the Son of God climbs on that cross, it takes on a new ethos and compels us to consider our ways, to repent in brokenness, and to receive the crazy love that Jesus offers us.  If the cross is a mirror that reflects our sin back to us, then it is also a spotlight that shines on Jesus, magnifying His suffering and glory.  God the Father and God the Holy Spirit unleash their love, conviction and grace when God the Son gets the attention from us that He deserves.  And there is no better way to give our attention to Him than by looking at, embracing, and preaching the cross.

This seems to be the underlying question among so many younger Christians today, particularly those in college who were raised in church and are now in theology classes where they are taught to question everything they have ever heard, read, or been taught.  Recently at a regional seminary, there was a great debate in a class on the cross of Christ.  The professor informed the class that the traditional, orthodox teaching on the cross (that it was brutal and bloody and necessary for our salvation and for God’s wrath against sin to be averted and satisfied) was antiquated and outdated.  The professor then said that the cross was simply an example of a willingness to serve humanity; an example Jesus gave us to follow so that we might live the rest of our lives serving others.

This is correct insofar that the cross beckons us to die to selfish desires, shallow materialism, and arrogant pursuits.  But is that it?  Is that all?  Is the cross MERELY AN EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW?

Maybe we should ask the apostle Paul that question.  He made the cross of Christ the central element of his gospel message.  Consider what he said in Colossians 1:20 when he stated, “…hrough Him to reconcile all things to himself on earth and in heaven, making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.”  

If the cross is merely an example to follow, then Paul missed he point by emphasizing the blood of Christ too often.  The fact that the blood of Christ is made central simply points to the unjust brutality of His murder, the debt that had to be paid as required by Old Testament law, and the severe nature of the crucifixion of Christ on calvary.  I don’t believe the blood was magic, as some ancient sects would have declared.  But I do believe it was perfect; perfect in a way that allowed God to accept it as a sacrifice worthy of all His forgiveness and grace.  The blood magnifies the cross, and the cross is paramount to our preaching and living the gospel.

It is counter-intuitive to our human nature to put such importance on such a gross, disgusting and unsettling theme.  But that is exactly the reason why we MUST preach the cross of Christ; the very nature of that cross is to unsettle us, to disgust us at the reality of our own sin and wickedness, and to see how very serious God was about dealing with our sin and reconciling us to Himself.  And as strange as it seems to our post-enlightenment brains (which tell us to preach common sense and make people feel good), when we preach the cross and make a big deal out of the scandal of His crucifixion and resurrection, God mysteriously touches hearts and minds and lives are undone, convicted, changed and regenerated.

Why does this work?   I will tell you in the next post.

Are we sacrificing the GOSPEL by removing the cross from our preaching for the sake of relevance?

I am a sermon addict.  I listen to them all day most days.  I have over 300 on my iPod and they are playing while I drive, in airports and airplanes, and during my time at the gym.  I listen to a wide variety of preachers, from Matt Orth, Erwin McManus, Mark Driscoll, J.D. Greear, Rob Bell, Perry Noble, and some Steven Furtick and C.J. Mahaney.  On top of that, my wife cringes every time I turn on the TV because I go straight to TBN to watch the preachers.  And there is never any telling what might be on, but for me, it is always entertaining at least.

I am seeing a VERY DANGEROUS trend among preachers.  I am not an alarmist and I am not chicken little saying that the sky is falling.  But fewer and fewer preachers and pastors are talking about the cross of Jesus Christ these days.  At risk of sounding like the old man pining away for the glory days of his youth, may I suggest that this is not simply misplaced nostalgia.  This is frightening on a deep and eternal level.  Many, though certainly not all, preachers today are opting out of preaching the gospel of scripture, the one that Paul proclaimed and the early church suffered for, the one which contains a bloody Roman cross in it’s center.  Instead they have been co-opted into a secular, user friendly worldview, one that has already taken over Christian radio (family friendly, encouraging, uplifting, etc.) and is in the process of taking over churches by the thousands.

While I am not throwing stones at radio (Christian radio is a different entity with a different purpose), I am screaming and shouting, most forcefully, that men of God need to not include the cross in their preaching, but they must make it CENTRAL to all instruction, encouragement, admonition, and correction.  It seems that we find ourselves in a modern-day story of Jacob and Essau.  Preachers are swapping their birthright blessing (the honor and command to preach Christ and Him crucified) for a shallow bowl of soup (the applause and approval of a selfish and sinful culture that must be confronted with the scandalous death of Jesus because of our sins).

Could it be that the trend of moving away from the cross in preaching (and thus the avoidance of topics like sin, repentance, brokenness and lostness) is simply a lack of courage?  Is it cowardice and lack of conviction, since we know that preaching the crucifixion offends the listener particularly when we tell them that WE ARE TO BLAME and that WE ARE GUILTY?  Of course the cross does not leave us there, it offers us mercy and forgiveness and peace with God.  But not everyone will accept those free offers of grace.  Many walk away, huffing and puffing and blogging.  And maybe some preachers today just can’t handle not being liked.  

If there is no cross, there is no Christianity, no Jesus Christ the resurrected Lord, and no hope.  By His grace, I intend to live by it’s power, preach it in it’s conviction and liberation, and to one day be united with Christ by it’s promise.  I must preach the cross.

The most significant day of my spiritual journey as a Christian was April 16, 2005.  That was the day that I spent 3 hours sitting at the feet of my hero and role model, Billy Graham, in his living room in Black Mountain, NC.  It was the culmination of 18 years of prayer, for I had prayed daily since I was saved in 1987 that God would grant me the honor of meeting the greatest evangelist and Christian statesman that ever lived.  God be praised, my prayer was answered and that afternoon changed my life forever.

I want to honor Billy Graham today on his birthday by sharing this personal story with you.  As this humble man ages, the generations that come after him will unfortunately know less and less about his impact on the world and history.  I intend to be a voice that will tell the story of how God chose a boy from a dairy farm in Charlotte to preach to over 210 million people over 7 decades.  

Much of our ministry at Crossroads is based on how the BGEA (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association) has conducted business over the years.  He put such an incredibly high value on integrity and simplicity and because of this, his name and ministry is the the only prominent one to have never suffered through a scandal since the end of WWII.  He is the only living human and only person in history to have personally known 12 presidents.  He never deviated from preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and as a result of his faithfulness, over 2 million people were saved at his crusades alone.  

But as Dr. Graham has aged and ceased his public preaching ministry, his scope of influence for Christ has not ebbed or diminished.  The organization is reaching more people now than ever before!  Through their My Hope / Mi Esperanza television events, literally millions of souls have been brought to faith in Christ.  His son Franklin leads not only the BGEA, but also Samaritan’s Purse, perhaps the most effective Christian relief organization on earth.  I have spoken at both The Cove in Asheville and The BGEA Headquarters in Charlotte and can attest to the attitude of absolute excellence that characterizes everything they do; from how they greet visitors to how they serve their speakers.  From top to bottom, everyone reflects the integrity of this great and anointed man of God.

Over the past couple of years, God has also allowed me the most amazing joy of developing a friendship with Wil Graham, Billy’s grandson and Franklin’s son.  He has become one of my closest friends.  He is self-effacing, unpretentious, kind and generous.  He carries himself with the humility of his grandfather and the confidence in the gospel of Jesus Christ that has become synonymous with the Graham legacy.  And on top of that, he is a superb preacher.  I guess you could say he comes by it honest.  I pray that we can remain friends and co-laborers for Christ until we are old men ourselves.

I know I don’t have much influence, but what little bit I have, I intend to use it to make sure that we do not miss the chance to thank God for Billy Graham today.  This day could easily be lost in the shuffle of other news; elections and economic disaster, scandals and college football.  All these things will come and go and in 90 years few people will remember ANY of today’s headlines.  But few humans in history have left a mark on humanity like this man.  Fewer still  have consistently conducted themselves with such circumspect care and holy humility.  And to think that of all the stars that rise and fall, God placed His hand on one man and chose him, of all people, to be His ambassador to the world.

And I spent the afternoon with him in his home!  Happy Birthday, Dr. Graham.  You have been a shining example for this young evangelist to follow.  You will need a forklift for the crown that awaits you in Heaven.

I would not dream of missing this once-every-4-year opportunity to comment on something as gargantuan as our new democratically elected president and his vice president, but first….a story!

Yesterday morning at approximately 6 AM I was waiting on a cup of coffee at Starbucks when a 19 year old young man whom I had never met looked me dead in the eye and said, “Well, I guess Jesus is coming back now!”  Of course he meant that since Obama was elected, this was going to start the catastrophic events leading to the End of Days.  My response was, “I am pretty sure Jesus was already coming back before last night’s election.”  He said, “Yeah, but now He will come back WAY SOONER, the book of Revelation says so.”  I just so happened to have my Bible in my hand (I was on my way to preach) and handed it to him so he could show me WHERE the Bible said that.  He evidently was not as adept at Bible scholarship and interpretation as he assumed he was.

When I arrived at the small Liberal Arts Baptist college where I was preaching, the buzz was evident, and there was a group of students that had been awaiting my arrival so that I could “straighten everyone out” about the election and the new president.  I took this as an invitation to make a few points.  Here they are.

1.  My loyalty is to Jesus Christ and His kingdom FIRST.  My faith and hope is in Him, and if we have learned anything from the past 8 years, it should be this: The most outspoken evangelical president perhaps in history was unable to outlaw abortion, gay marriage, or put prayer back in public schools (all the things a good Christian president should do, I guess).  If he could not do it, even with a like-minded majority for his first 6 years in office in Congress…then these things will never happen by political means, but rather when people’s hearts change through the gospel and their worldview follows, creating grass roots change first and then national change ultimately.

2.  God is bigger and stronger than any prince, king or president, and the scriptures tell us that He can turn the heart of a king like the banks of a river turn the river’s tide.  Will we dedicate ourselves to praying for Obama and Biden and their administration?  Are we really THAT opposed to abortion, gay marriage, and the supposed slide to godlessness that a new adminstration may bring (sorry, I have been reading too many blogs about this)?  If I am not willing to pray daily for my leaders with the same fervor with which I supported one or fought against the other, then I am a hypocrite.

3.  Benjamin Franklin said that in a true democracy, the people will always get the leaders they deserve.  If we are unhappy with local or national politics, then let’s work harder at local levels, and ask God if He is calling us to make a difference nationally one day, and in the meantime, let’s proclaim THE GOSPEL.  Because that is THE ONLY HOPE for the human race. 

For 2 GREAT reflections on the election, 2 of my best friends on earth have something to say.  You should read these.

www.perrynoble.com

www.jdgreear.com

Elevation was the fastest growing church in America last year, and I preach there several times each year.  Their pastor is a great friend and former speaker and teacher for Crossroads, Steven Furtick.  I am preaching at all 7 of their services.

You may send cards, gifts, giftcards, well-wishes, cash or checks to: Clayton King-PO BOx 1448-Boiling Springs NC-28017

One of my favorite churches to preach at.  The pastor is a long time friend, Todd Gaston.  I will be preaching all their Sunday morning services and reconnecting with their students who attend Crossroads every summer.

For the third straight year, I am preaching a 3 day revival  at a church in the town where I live.  This is the only truly “old school revival” I preach every year.  Starting nightly at 7 PM

All 4 services during the “Beautiful” series for women.  I serve as Teaching Pastor at Newspring and will be preaching a message entitled “ONE THING: What Women Really Want”