Why I Object to Screen Preaching

Is it okay for a preacher to speak to a Christian gathering via a screen? Or is it important that he be physically present with them? In an earlier article I suggested in passing that "it matters for the preacher to be physically present to preach in the assembly of the church." That remark prompted both a comment that numerous churches (including several led by TGC Council Members) now function as multi-site gatherings in which the pastor preaches from a screen, and a request that I write another piece exploring this question more deeply. So here goes. Let me say at the start that I want to stand by what I said. But I want to nuance it.

Two Invalid Reasons

Before I get to the heart of my case, we need to clear away some debris from our thinking. There are at least two invalid reasons why we may object to preachers on screens. The first is downright worldly: envy. It's never crossed anyone's mind to suggest I should preach to several congregations via screens because, well, my preaching is not of that quality. Would that it were! As a pastor infected with the disease of ministerial envy and pride, I can feel irritated when others' preaching is so good that people want to see them even through a screen. I'm ashamed of my attitude, and I ought to be ashamed. I write from the UK, where the Christian scene is so small that we have (to my knowledge) no multi-campus churches and no preachers sufficiently well-known for this setup to be requested. So, in my perverse British (nay, English) way, I instinctively don't like the idea. That dislike is worldly and needs to be cleared out of the way.

The second invalid reason is cultural conservatism: I don't like it because I'm not used to it. In the same way, I don't really like using an electronic diary; I use one, but it feels wrong. But this is simply because I'm getting old (in my 50s, no less, and how geriatric in our culture) and am in danger of becoming a cultural dinosaur. No doubt a previous generation didn't feel the telephone was a natural instrument to use. The fact that it doesn't feel right isn't an argument against it; indeed, it may simply be a challenge to me to adapt and get used to it.

It cannot be absolutely wrong to preach by a means more remote than immediate bodily presence. The apostles wrote letters and clearly regarded them as a valid and authoritative way to communicate. Paul even instructed the church in Colossae to read his letter out in the church of the Laodiceans as well (Col. 4:16).    Continue at Christopher Ash