The stark contrast between 19th-century preaching and contemporary pulpit ministry reveals a troubling trajectory in modern Christianity. Where once the Word of God was proclaimed with uncompromising clarity and theological precision, today’s sermons often reflect a diluted gospel that accommodates cultural sensibilities rather than confronting them.
The Uncompromising Nature of Historical Preaching
Nineteenth-century preachers possessed an unwavering commitment to biblical exposition that modern congregations would find shocking. They did not hesitate to use stark language when addressing spiritual realities – terms like “utterly miserable,” “despicable sinners,” and “wickedly evil before God’s sight” were commonplace. These men understood that sin is sin, regardless of cultural context or personal feelings.
The preaching of that era followed systematic, verse-by-verse exposition with clear three-point structures that mirrored biblical narratives. Each sermon concluded with practical application sections that fearlessly addressed contemporary issues – whether Western individualism, religious formalism, or cultural accommodation within the church. The theological foundation was unshakeable: God’s absolute sovereignty, human inability to save themselves, and Christ as the only mediator.
Consider how Charles Spurgeon would declare: “You are condemned sinners deserving of hell,” while today’s preachers speak of people being merely “broken” and needing “healing.” The difference is not merely stylistic – it reflects a fundamental shift in understanding human nature and God’s holiness.
The Educational Revolution and Its Consequences
Modern education has produced a generation that questions absolute truth and embraces relativistic thinking. Where 19th-century congregations accepted the authority of Scripture without hesitation, today’s audiences demand explanations that satisfy their intellectual pride. This shift has forced many preachers to adopt a more “scholarly” approach that often obscures rather than illuminates biblical truth.
The explosion of information through social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube has created congregations that are simultaneously more informed yet less discerning. People know more about psychology, sociology, and cultural trends than previous generations, but they lack the spiritual wisdom to distinguish between human wisdom and divine revelation. This has led to sermons that sound more like TED talks than prophetic proclamations.
Contemporary examples abound: Joel Osteen’s “Your Best Life Now” philosophy transforms the gospel into self-help therapy, while prosperity preachers on television promise health and wealth rather than holiness and heaven. The uncomfortable truths about God’s wrath have been replaced with messages about “living your purpose” and “finding your destiny.”
The Dilution of Gospel Truth
Perhaps most devastating is the systematic dilution of the gospel itself. Where 19th-century preachers proclaimed man’s total depravity and desperate need for salvation, modern sermons often focus on self-improvement and personal fulfillment. Scripture declares that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), yet contemporary preaching frequently suggests that people are merely victims of circumstances rather than rebels against their Creator.
The therapeutic language of modern psychology has infiltrated the pulpit. Terms like “dysfunction,” “codependency,” and “emotional healing” have replaced biblical categories of sin, repentance, and regeneration. Marriage conferences focus on “communication skills” and “love languages” rather than the biblical roles outlined in Ephesians 5:22-33. Parenting seminars emphasize building children’s “self-esteem” rather than training them “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).
Consider how Rick Warren’s “Purpose Driven Life” approach, while containing some truth, fundamentally shifts the focus from God’s glory to human fulfillment. The question is no longer “How can I glorify God?” but “How can I find my purpose?” This subtle but significant shift reflects the broader cultural accommodation that has infected modern Christianity.
The Accommodation to Cultural Pressures
Modern Christianity has fallen prey to the spirit of the age in ways that would have horrified previous generations of believers. The pressure to be “relevant” has led to compromises that fundamentally alter the gospel message. Seeker-sensitive churches design their services around the comfort of unbelievers rather than the worship of God, forgetting that “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).
The influence of secular psychology has replaced biblical anthropology. Where Scripture teaches that the heart is “deceitful above all things, and desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9), modern preaching suggests that people are fundamentally good but damaged by external circumstances. Christian counseling often mirrors secular therapy more than biblical discipleship.
LGBTQ+ affirmation in many denominations represents perhaps the clearest example of cultural accommodation trumping biblical authority. Despite clear biblical teaching on sexuality and marriage (Genesis 2:24, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11), many churches have redefined sin as “alternative lifestyle” to avoid cultural offense.
The social justice movement within evangelicalism has similarly shifted focus from individual sin and salvation to systemic oppression and social transformation. While Christians should certainly care about justice (Micah 6:8), the gospel’s primary concern is not reforming society but regenerating sinners.
The Loss of Prophetic Authority
Nineteenth-century preachers spoke with the authority of prophets – men who had encountered the living God and were compelled to declare His Word regardless of consequences. They understood their role as watchmen on the walls, warning of coming judgment and pointing sinners to the only refuge in Christ.
Modern preachers, by contrast, often function more as motivational speakers or life coaches than prophetic voices. Mega-church pastors like Andy Stanley have publicly questioned the reliability of Scripture, while others focus on practical life advice rather than eternal truths. The fear of man has replaced the fear of God, leading to messages that tickle ears rather than pierce hearts.
Church growth strategies have replaced Spirit-led ministry. Pastors study demographics and market research rather than spending hours in prayer and biblical study. The result is preaching designed to attract crowds rather than convert souls, forgetting that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).
Contemporary Examples of Diluted Preaching
Hillsong’s emphasis on emotional experience over doctrinal truth exemplifies modern Christianity’s shift toward feelings-based faith. Their songs, while musically appealing, often lack theological depth and biblical precision.
The Emergent Church Movement has questioned fundamental doctrines like penal substitutionary atonement, hell, and biblical inerrancy in the name of “postmodern authenticity.” Leaders like Brian McLaren have suggested that traditional evangelical theology is outdated and culturally insensitive.
Word of Faith preachers like Kenneth Copeland and Joyce Meyer have transformed the gospel into a formula for material prosperity, directly contradicting Jesus’ warning that “a person’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).
Even within Reformed circles, there has been accommodation. Some have softened the doctrine of hell, questioned the exclusivity of Christ, or emphasized social action over evangelism, forgetting that “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
The Remedy: A Return to Biblical Preaching
The solution is not to romanticize the past but to recover biblical principles that transcend cultural boundaries. True preaching must be:
Expository – Working systematically through Scripture rather than cherry-picking verses to support predetermined themes or systematically going through a passage to bring out all spiritual truths and applications as Paul commanded Timothy to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). Ultimately the text must determine the message, not contemporary relevance.
Confrontational – Willing to address sin directly and call for genuine repentance. The gospel is inherently offensive to the natural man and cannot be made palatable without destroying its power. Jesus Himself said, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18).
Christ-centered – Every sermon must point to Jesus Christ as the only hope for sinners. Moralistic preaching that focuses on human effort rather than divine grace is not gospel preaching at all. As Paul declared, “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). To the oft given complaint that such focus would bore a congregation – the carefully study and bringing out of the Word of God ensures that this is ever ‘new’ and ‘fresh’. Have we gone through the entirety of the Bible, and savouring Christ as He is presented in all of Scriptures.
Doctrinally sound – Grounded in the great truths of Reformed theology: the sovereignty of God, the depravity of man, salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Paul warned Timothy that “the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions” (2 Timothy 4:3).
Biblical Examples of Uncompromising Preaching
John the Baptist exemplified prophetic preaching when he called the Pharisees and Sadducees a “brood of vipers” and warned them to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:7-8). He did not soften his message to avoid offense.
Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7 culminated in calling his hearers “stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears” who “always resist the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51). His uncompromising proclamation cost him his life but advanced the gospel.
Paul’s preaching in Athens (Acts 17:22-31) demonstrates how to engage culture without compromising truth. He used their own poets and philosophers as entry points but concluded with the non-negotiable demand for repentance in light of coming judgment.
Jesus Himself spoke more about hell than heaven, warned that “the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:14), and declared that “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).
The Eternal Stakes
The disparity between 19th-century and 21st-century preaching is not merely a matter of stylistic preference – eternal souls hang in the balance. When the gospel is diluted, people are deceived into thinking they are saved when they remain in their sins. When sin is minimized, there is no urgency for repentance. When God’s wrath is ignored, there is no appreciation for His mercy.
Scripture warns that “many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness'” (Matthew 7:22-23). How many sitting in churches today have been given false assurance through diluted preaching?
The church desperately needs preachers who will stand in the gap like the prophets of old – men who fear God more than man, who love souls more than popularity, and who would rather preach to empty pews than fill them with false converts. Only such preaching can cut through the fog of contemporary confusion and point sinners to the narrow way that leads to life.
The question facing every preacher today is simple: Will you accommodate the spirit of the age, or will you proclaim the eternal Word of God with the same uncompromising faithfulness that characterized your predecessors? The souls of your hearers depend on your answer, for “how then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14).
The remedy is clear: return to the old paths where the good way is (Jeremiah 6:16), preach the Word in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2), and remember that God’s Word will not return empty but will accomplish His purpose (Isaiah 55:11). Only then can the church recover its prophetic voice and fulfill its calling to be salt and light in a decaying and darkened world.
