Dogs & Doghouses

James 1:19 - Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: (20) For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

There’s an old joke out there. If you stay a Baptist long enough I’m sure you’ll hear it. I think it’s a commentary on giving advice wrapped up in a backhanded compliment. Anyway, it goes like this:

Somebody comes along and tells the pastor, “One of these days you’ll make a good pastor.” Never mind that the pastor in question has been a pastor for the past dozen or so years and never mind that he just delivered what was probably a really doctrinally sound and spiritually edifying sermon and that he’s doing quite well where God has placed him. Haw haw, get it? It’s funny (sort of) because the poor guy is already a pretty decent pastor. It’s sad because the first person can’t bring himself to just give an honest compliment – it has to be mingled with sarcasm.

Anyway, I can’t help but notice how, when preachers get together they talk about other preachers and other churches. In surreptitious tones, off in groups of twos or threes they mostly talk about those who aren’t present or represented in the current get-together.

Early in my ministry I had an older preacher take me to the side and tell me, “If you don’t let them tell you what to do, they’ll talk about you.” At the time I didn’t know what to do with that advice. Now I know it’s very true. The guy was warning me.

A lot of Baptist pastors say they believe in the local church. In other words, the local church makes decisions only for the local church. They’re not controlled by a convention or a group of people hundreds of miles away. They say that’s what we see in the New Testament. And I agree with that. But listening to our concerns about others, we make sure and voice lots of advice, not to them, but about them.

For example, there is always plenty of commentary about who they just called to be their pastor, or the type of activities they’re doing these days and about how we (the current gaggle of preachers) would do or did things differently if and or when we used to be pastor there. For all the talk of the local church it doesn't sound like we respect the concept.

If pastors were old women we’d call it gossip. But since pastors are doing the talking, it goes without a name.

True story: I remember one time when several people were sitting around talking about how a fellow Christian always acted so paranoid and how sometimes that person would do things that just seemed odd. Finally, someone spoke up and said, “Yeah, I don’t know why she’s so paranoid. It’s not like we sit around talking about her.” The subject changed pretty quickly.

Consider Ephesians 4:21 – 29 (bold is my emphasis):

“But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with [his] hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”

In between the parts I made bold are the ideas of corruption, deceitful lusts, controlling anger, giving place to the devil, not stealing, and being charitable. Since we don’t seem to be able to stop our mouths from running all the time, I’d say the next best thing would be to try and get a handle on what’s coming out of them.

Pastors especially should watch their petty, catty, repartee. It’s just not that edifying.