Turning The Tide -- Introduction

Sermons to Stir Christians To Moral Reflection and Action

These messages were preached at the First Baptist Churches of Littleton, MA, Bucyrus, OH, and Springfield, OH and Mountview Baptist Church, Columbus, Ohio. A debt of gratitude is owed to members of those churches who strongly affirmed my call to probe ethical issues. With courage they sought with me to understand and to live the Biblical requirements of justice and love.

Rev. Kenneth C. Whitt

Introduction:

Turning the Tide--The tide is a powerful force that runs its own course, according to the seasons of the moon and the earth. Along the coast of New Brunswick, I have seen spectacular cliffs disappear into the sea as the Ocean rose into the Bay of Fundy. To resist the tide was to forfeit your life.

Sometimes, when writing or preaching a sermon on a controversial ethical issue or a contentious matter of public policy, I have felt like I was standing at the base of those cliffs with the tide rolling in. I did not feel innocent. I knew what I was doing. I knew the danger. How could anyone expect to preach a sermon on the divisive issue of abortion and not get drowned by the waves of vindictiveness coming from both sides?

In the face of such danger, the church has often abdicated its role as moral guardian of our society. Churches grow best by being silent on controversial issues. Preachers are more likely to survive and enjoy long and fruitful ministries if they do not create unnecessary offense. This trend toward silence is part of the tide that today sweeps over the church.

Yet, I bear witness to you that this tide can be turned. Sermons on difficult moral issues are a great labor. The preacher faces the arduous task of extended moral reflection, agonizing choices and fear of rejection. The result--without a doubt, no sermons I have preached in my near 20 years in the pulpit have been more gratefully received. People are hungry for moral guidance that is Biblically grounded, spiritually mature, and practical. Christians are flooded by immoral proposals and unethical practices. They want help. If they are given this help they will honor the preacher and, more to the point, they will learn to be obedient to the Word. They will not always agree with the conclusions but they will appreciate the effort and they will learn how to do their own moral thinking and moral living.

Dedicated With Love

To

CHESTER W. WHITT



He Taught Me How To Preach
And How To Live Humbly Before God.

Up To The Very Last Day of His Life,
I Witnessed His Passion For Justice and Peace.

The Sermon, “The Corruption of the Womb of God” Was Inspired
By A Summer Spent At The Lush Family Homestead
Dad Tended and Loved.