Liturgical churches (Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican/Episcopal, Lutheran, Reformed) far exceed Evangelical churches (Non-denominational, Baptist, Pentecostal, etc.) in the amount of actual Scripture read, sung, and otherwise spoken in their worship services. In terms of quantity, it’s a simple fact. Not only are the liturgies mostly made up of quotes directly taken from the Bible. The hymns often have more actual Scripture than the contemporary worship songs, or even the revivalistic hymns, for those churches that still sing them. And liturgical churches have actual Scripture readings with long passages from Scripture, whereas non-liturgical churches often won’t have Scripture readings at all, and may only reference a few verses.
“But the theology and teaching are better in Evangelical churches,” some may say. Sometimes that’s true. There’s no denying that there are serious doctrinal errors in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. And in the old mainline churches, like the Episcopal and United Methodist Churches, there’s no escaping the amount of heresy one can hear from their “pulpits”. But the preaching and teaching in Evangelical churches often have their own share of wrong doctrine. Evangelical churches will also force testimonials on their congregations from people who don’t know enough right doctrine to keep from expressing heresy when they give their testimonies. Evangelical “Bible studies” and small groups have often been occasions for people ill-equipped to be teaching anyone to spread whatever unbiblical idea they got from whatever source to unsuspecting listeners. And then you have Evangelical preachers ranting in their sermons, berating congregations, and filling their sermons with silly, unedifying stories. When you have people thinking that their biggest sins are smoking and listening to rock music, rather than the things that Scripture actually focuses on, one has to ask: is your church really a Christian church? When your church is more intent on putting on a show in worship, and promoting the personality of your pastor, you have to ask: is your church really a Christian church? Rome is bad. But is it any worse than that?
Now I’m not naïve enough to expect every Southern Baptist pastor reading this to leave his pulpit for the last time this morning and start attending his local Presbyterian or Anglican Church. But I would ask this one question of Evangelical ministers of all stripes: why aren’t you reading more Scripture along with your sermons on Sunday morning? The above facts should be convicting.
Some, in the back of their minds, will have a fear of “dead formalism”. But how is that worse than dead informalism? And what makes you think formalism has to be spiritually dead? Any “death” you experience lies in a lack of faith, not per se in any written liturgy, and definitely not in Scripture. Do you believe God’s own testimony that His Word is alive and powerful, or not?
How did we become deceived into believing emotions and excitement equal life? Some of the most emotion-filled places on earth are full of death. Nothing is more active than a damned heart scrambling to find the peace that eludes it.
Are you a Bible-preaching minister or not? Is your church an Evangelical church or not? If so, why is there so little Scripture in your worship services? This has to be the starting point for all men who call themselves ministers of Jesus Christ. Is there a lack of power in your preaching? Are you having a hard time figuring out why all the moral failures among your congregation continue to happen? It could be that the answer is far simpler than you realize, at least the beginning of the answer. Without Scripture, there is no conviction of sin or repentance. And your people need to have Scripture read to them, by you, every Sunday morning.
If we trust God as we profess, we must have full confidence in His Word, and its power to turn lives, and the world, upside down. Anything less is rank unbelief.
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