Preaching Up VS Preaching Down

Preaching Up VS Preaching Down

There are many styles of preaching a sermon. Some pastors are energetic and passionate; others are quiet and reserved.

Just as each pastor is different from the next, so too is their style of teaching scripture. There are two distinct styles however that I would group all types of preaching into. I call these preaching up and preaching down.

Preaching up is where a pastor preaches the Bible and motivates the congregation by building him up. He compliments all attending mass for being there and encourages them not to let their faith leave as they exit the church. These pastors make you feel proud to be Catholic and energize you to both reflect on and act on your faith. They raise you in the hope that you will continue growing yourself and your community.

The opposite end of this is preaching down. This preaching style occurs when a pastor condemns all who attend as sinners. They claim that almost no one goes to mass and that those who do merely go through the motions. They state that so many of us are simply being disrespectful to our faith, and that does no good at all. This style is meant to “scare” the congregation into being more actively involved in their faith. I, however, find this style to be grotesque.

In my opinion, this does far more harm than good. Who are these pastors talking to? Who are they talking about? If you are at mass, then you are practicing your faith. Perhaps you can do more, but anyone can always do more. To chastise those who are attending mass because others do not is wrong.

An analogy would be AMC movie theaters. Before each movie, they show an advertisement with Nicole Kidman. This advertisement is for AMC movie theaters. Who is this for? If you are seeing this, then you have already bought a ticket to see the movie. It does not benefit the brand or those in the audience.

How can a congregation of believers help when the man who is meant to lead them in a faith journey instead takes out his frustrations on them? It is for this very reason that people criticize the faith. We are meant to be welcoming and supportive, not condemning and rejecting.

We should all strive to preach up and help to raise all those around us to Heaven, not go around blaming others for Hell. We are meant to follow in the footsteps of Christ, and those are significant steps to follow, but we must remember the way to take that first step is by filling ourselves with love. Let us build each other up, and it takes each other down, and together, we can all grow in faith, hope, and love. Preach up and leave preaching down to others behind us.