Grace Versus Shaming Preaching: A Reflection on Condemnation in the Church

The author describes attending a church service where a host pastor, before the guest speaker was introduced, sharply criticized the congregation for poor attendance, lateness, and their appearance, calling them lukewarm and asking whether they were really Christians. A visiting friend of the author stepped up, took the microphone, and reassured the people that God loves them without condition and is not disgusted with them. The author says the room’s shame lifted and people began to smile and praise God.

The author admits that at first the courage of the friend impressed them most, but on reflection they focused on the fact that the congregation seemed to accept the pastor’s harsh treatment as normal. The author confesses that as a young pastor they sometimes preached at people in pursuit of holiness, and now sees that using guilt to produce godliness is misguided. The post also names bullying in church, such as preaching law, pulling rank, public shaming, and threats, as more common than it should be. The author views the host pastor as misguided and overworked rather than cruel, and thinks he needed freedom too.

The post closes with a story of the author’s own ministry of grace in prisons over seventeen years. A chaplain told them that, among many Christian ministries that visited, their message was the only one where the men were not condemned or told they had to earn God’s favor again. The author reflects that people respond to grace because they hunger for it.

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