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Preachers quoting other preachers in their preaching.


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I readily admit that I am probably a little too far the other way, in that I do not remember the last time, nor who it was, that I quoted another preacher.

But I do know of some who would not go a lesson or message without quoting from three, four, or more other preachers - sometimes even more volume of preacher quotes than Bible quotes.

And this from men who are pastors of conservative, independent Baptist churches.

The most profilic quoter I know personally has now moved away from the basics of IFB to be MV, contemporary music, Calvinistic, and more closely aligned with a major MV contemporary preacher than with IFB.

I am not saying that quoting other preachers necessarily leads to this result in every case, but I feel like it was one of the factors for this man.

Anyway......... leaving all of that aside, the question is:

How do people feel about quoting other preachers? Not just on occasion, but habitually and regularly.

And how do people feel about basing a teaching on the teaching of another man, albeit biblically based by that man?

 

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I don't mind when my preacher does it, which is not often.  In the few instances he quotes many preachers on a particular subject, he also encourages us to read their books.  Even poor old Larkin!  But he warns us about that guy.  The writings of other preachers, only known to me because of my pastor has been a great blessing to me and instrumental in my growing in grace.  

If one does it all the time, then you might wonder if we're witnessing a hero worship problem brewing which leads to sin and a lack of independent, Holy Spirit lead study.

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Well, I am not much in the habit of quoting other men.  I do not believe that it is inherently a sin to do so.  However, I wonder WHY I would need to quote other men much, when I can rather quote THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD through HOLY SCRIPTURE.  There is a DISTINCT difference between the spiritual authority, spiritual power, and spiritual "lifehood" (to invent a word) of the two.

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10 hours ago, DaveW said:

How do people feel about quoting other preachers? Not just on occasion, but habitually and regularly.

I don't like it nor appreciate it.

10 hours ago, DaveW said:

And how do people feel about basing a teaching on the teaching of another man, albeit biblically based by that man?

I don't like it nor appreciate it.

 

(2 Timothy 4:2) Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

 

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Caveat, I may not be 100% sure regarding my post. There are a lot of preachers (past and present) who quote Charles Spurgeon (A Calvinist) and C.S Lewis (Who is a heretic), whom many Christians revere. I won't quote from any of them (maybe just one) because Spurgeon was a Calvinist and C.S was a heretic. From the information I gathered, these two men taught false doctrines. I don't have to tell you why I wouldn't quote from someone like Spurgeon because the answer is quite obvious. C.S Lewis believed in purgatory, and in one of his books he implicity tells you that a (ficticious character) represents Satan, and that Satan (is actually helping God (played by another ficticious character). With Spurgeon, I chew the meat and spit out the bones. You may have or heard this popular quote of his. Lewis stated that "Jesus was, a Lunatic, Liar, or LORD". That's pretty much the only quote I would quote from him. And quoting preachers on Online Baptist threads in a friendly discussion. I was trying to interject a little levity about quoting from Online Baptist. 

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This is not exactly on the same topic though I do think that it does perhaps touch on the topic at hand.

 "It seems odd, that certain men who talk so much of what the Holy Spirit reveals to themselves, should think so little of what he has revealed to others. My chat this afternoon is not for these great originals, but for you who are content to learn of holy men, taught of God, and mighty in the Scriptures. It has been the fashion of late years to speak against the use of commentaries. If there were any fear that the expositions of Matthew Henry, Gill, Scott, and others, would be exalted into Christian Targums, we would join the chorus of objectors, but the existence or approach of such a danger we do not suspect. The temptations of our times lie rather in empty pretensions to novelty of sentiment, than in a slavish following of accepted guides. A respectable acquaintance with the opinions of the giants of the past, might have saved many an erratic thinker from wild interpretations and outrageous inferences. Usually, we have found the despisers of commentaries to be men who have no sort of acquaintance with them; in their case, it is the opposite of familiarity which has bred contempt” (Spurgeon, Two Lectures Addressed to the Students of the Pastor’s College, Metropolitan Tabernacle).
 

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Spurgeon isn't my pastor. Henry isn't my pastor. Ironside isn't my pastor, Cloud isn't my pastor...nor is any other well-known "expositor" of scripture. Seek their counsel if you will, but I will abide by those of whom the Bible places above me for teaching along with my own study.

While I may consult the occasional "expositor", I consult with grave caution, because though many well-known "expositors" may have something good to say, they also have bad things to say.

I don't claim that I'm right...so make of it what you will.

...and if Spurgeon saw no problem with Henry's commentaries, then that's just another strike against Spurgeon in my book. :)

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  • 3 weeks later...
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Preaching and teaching is communication. The responsibility of successful communication lies with the "communicator", not the "communicatee". If I need to get a truth across, a concept, and I am unable within myself to find the words I need to successfully communicate that important truth, I will sometimes also quote someone else whose grasp of language and personal clarity is greater than my own. It is rare that I do this, but it is needed at times.

Have you ever preached to your people some truth for years on end, and they just didn't quite get it? And then some evangelist or missionary comes through and teaches the exact same thing, and your whole church goes "Aha! Why haven't we heard this before?!? What a wonderful truth!!" It make you want to face-palm, and scream in frustration. The new guy just said it in a different way, and it clicked.

There are men out there who have a gift of words, of communication, and it is a mistake to not use a tool God has given you to enable you to fulfill your responsibility a little better. To teach a truth from the Bible, and to illustrate it with ... "W.A Tozier said it like this, ..." is not wrong. It just takes a little humility and a lot of discretion.

Of course, all of that is pointless if we are not preaching and teaching with the power of God on our lives. Then we are just preaching with man's wisdom, and we all know what Paul said about that.

Edited by weary warrior
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I just want to point out that my OP was regarding the constant use of quoting, not the occasional quote.

I think most people got that, and I think that most people in general agree that a little quoting here and there is fine, but a lot of quoting is indicative of an issue.

And by the way, a few weeks ago I quoted someone, but I can't remember who it was now..... ?

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As long as their 'preacher' quotes are the Gospel preachers listed in the KJV, I can accept it. Constant quoting of others, not for me.

Otherwise occasional quotes in the sermon text of other committed Christians is OK with me. If the purpose is to drive a point about the Gospel home I won't get upset.

I know some may have issues with Tozer but, I quoted him twice this past Sunday for 'Spirit and Truth Worship'...

“I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven.”

and...

“In the conduct of our public worship where is the authority of Christ to be found? The truth is that today the Lord rarely controls a service, and the influence He exerts is very small. We sing of Him and preach about Him, but He must not interfere; we worship our way, and it must be right because we have always done it that way, as have the other churches in our group.”

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