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IGNORANCE IN THE PULPIT “Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.” (Hos. 4:1) I once left a church because I could no longer follow the pastor. One of the main turning points that helped me make my decision was a conversation that we had one day in his office. He said two things that I’ll never forget because of the shocking impact they had on me. First he looked me in the eyes and said, “The Bible just doesn’t open up to me.” That baffled me because he had been to a Bible college and had been examined and ordained for the office of pastor. The second statement was the straw that broke the camel’s back. In so many words, he told me that it was wrong to expect common church members to take a serious interest in the Bible. I left the church (gracefully), and within three years they fired him (Ezk. 34:9-10). As Doc used to say, "First year, NICE KITTY . . . second year, POOR KITTY . . . third year, SCAT!" My fellow preacher, I sincerely BEG you to take your calling very seriously, learn the Book very well, and always count it the highest honor to FEED THE SHEEP that God sends your way (John 21:15-17). Most anyone can be a religious administrator, but only a God-called preacher can properly feed the sheep with the right balance of knowledge, wisdom, faith, love and grace.