View from the Acrylic Pulpit

[Barb1957]

Bob, ohhhhhhh! I feel like such a doofus. LOL Thanks for the explanation, makes sense to me now. It wasn't you, it was me, it's one of those days! :) - Barb

[susieface]

Bob,
 Excellent article!!  I cannot believe some people.  I would love to know how he bases his thoughts.  What would he think of a minister who doesn't use any pulpit or stand?  I guess that preacher wouldn't even be considered a part of the family of God.
I guess this is a new test or question to ask when one is visiting a new congregation.  Call them up, instead of asking for service times or directions, just ask if the minister has an acrylic pulpit.  If he does then just hang up and go to the next church in the phone book until you find one who has an acceptable (biblical) pulpit. LOL!!!
Susie

[kebecer1]

Of course, as a DoC, having departed from the one, true church and apostolic faith :D , I don't use a pulpit at all-just a little music stand for putting some occasional notes on--and I drift, and drift, making use of some strange,strange dramatic gestures; that, plus a dramatic black Geneva preacher's robe and a stole w/ strange (possibly Masonic?) signs on them and a Celtic cross around my neck--and don't even get me started on the red for the legal profession fluting on the sides of my arms...Heavens!

Still, we're adding a second service in the fall; and attendance is UP!

I suspect the liturgy DOES, indeed, have something to do w/ "smells and bells"--and something other / "Preacher-hone-my-frontal-lobes-till-next-week".

"Preacher, are YOU saying that worship's about God and not about "logical discourse", but comfort...and reconciliation...and love...and grace...and being-turned-outside-myself-to-love-and-share-with-the-baptized-for-another-week-our-corpo
rate-redemption-in-Christ?"  

IS THAT WHAT YOU ARE SAYING, preacher??

Yep, and so is scripture, and the corporate worship of the liturgical church!

Once you folks go messing w/ acrylic pulpits, who knows what's next??!!??!!  It's a slippery slope; next thing, you'll find youselves loving God more, too.  

Oh, no:  grace and love! ;)

[nerdneh]

seekr, I believe the religionists are always at war with the spiritual. The sons of Esau and the sons of Jacob, so to speak. All we can do is to line up with Jesus and let Him be our Guide. Surely God will bless and see that we survive, if not here, then in Eternity.

[patriciaredstone]

Janine,

We share a lot in common.

I also am a speaker who is never asked to speak by any of the thirty churches in my county. No one even seems to know about my lectures, yet when one of the men are asked to speak at the lectureships they are announced, prayed for and everyone is ecouraged to go and hear them! No one in my church attended my lectures. Most said that they did not want to miss others, and I understand what they mean ... I would rather listen to Rubel Shelley too!!! But fortunately, my church is bigger than my congregation, and I was so blessed and encouraged by the men (men!) who sat front and center nodding their heads and whispering "Amen." I breathed the air of reconcilliation, and was refreshed!

[nerdneh]

A letter to the editor of a religious publication stated there was a link between liberal preachers and acrylic pulpits. We explore that link in this posting:

Clear Views from the Acrylic Pulpit

I will attempt to be as transparent as possible in my views. As one who proclaims from an acrylic pulpit, I must affirm I have clearly seen this type of pulpit to be a visible blessing.  Certainly I am in fellowship with those occupying wooden pulpits, stainless steel pulpits, marble pulpits, and even converted music stand pulpits. Still, the acrylic pulpit lives in a special little clearing in my preacher heart. It symbolizes the unambiguous serenity of an unencumbered sermon.

Though one could say he or she sees through the motives of those of us occupying plastic pulpits, be not so quick to judge. The acrylic pulpit is first of all a light delight that is, easy to move around. If you have had to heft the old oaken pulpit to help some couple get married, you will quickly appreciate the lightness of the plastic pulpit. Secondly, one proclaiming from behind the solid facade of a wooden pulpit can afford to be indifferent to his clothing. He might well have a dingy, wrinkled suit on and hope to get away with such laziness. The acrylic pulpit, however, demands the utmost in neatness, as one is seen, warts and all, through its nearly invisible structure.

Another good reason to have this lucid stand is that the preacher's Bible and notes seem to float in the air before the congregation. This illusion is an excellent diversion for bored children who tend to think of wooden pulpiteers as persons hiding behind a lumber wall. With the addition of a light or two, the acrylic pulpit will take on a shimmering hue which can remind the listeners of the crystal sea found in familiar hymns.

Of course I had no idea that such a pulpit was theologically suspect. I am horrified to think that some good member may have been scandalized by my attempt at openness. Still, the acrylic pulpit is probably an obvious sign of things to come. It will certainly require a more presentable preacher. Perhaps one who instead of being invisible for six days and incomprehensible on the seventh will be right out front for everybody's conspicuous benefit.

[nerdneh]

barb, some guy wrote a letter to the editor of one of "our" publications and stated he was convinced you could tell a preacher was liberal if he used an acrylic pulpit. I have no idea how he made the connection, or what his thinking was. It just sounded like such a silly idea that I wrote the article as a parody. Kind of like Winston Churchill wrote when some obscure official in the British Government wrote that no one should ever end a sentence with a prepostition. Churchill replied; "This is the kind of nonsense up with which I will not put."

[seekr]

Bob, i think that's great--all it takes for me sometimes also, is just a comment like that, that sets me to writing something. Lots of material out there.

seekr

[!--QuoteBegin--][/span][table border=\"0\" align=\"center\" width=\"95%\" cellpadding=\"3\" cellspacing=\"1\"][tr][td]Quote (nerdneh @ June 06 2002,10:39)[/td][/tr][tr][td id=\"QUOTE\"][!--QuoteEBegin--]seekr, as the Roman writer Juvenal says in his Satires' "Who wouldn't write satire living in a time like this?"  He lived in the time of Domitian Caesar![/quote]
Domitian, now there was a real wooly-booger if there was one!

[Jim]

Bob,

Thanks for the post! I needed a pick-me-up. I am amazed at the lengths some people will go to qualify religion. I have gone through some of the same nonsense with removing our wooden pulpit and replacing it with a music stand. Most of the comments came from our guys who have communion & prayer. They felt "exposed" to the congregation. My comment was "get use to it". Thankfully, that "crisis" has passed and now we're on to the organ. One hurdle at a time!

[nerdneh]

Jim, perhaps the whole thing is really a plot by wooden pulpit manufacturers. If enough people go some other route, they may have trouble unloading all those heavy pieces of furniture. But, I guess they could be converted to entertainment centers, or, come to think of it, maybe they don't need to be converted.

[Arkstfan]

Charles, if you REALLY want to flip folks out have them come to the table instead of passing the plates.

[seekr]

I love all this discourse--BUT sometimes it really isn't so funny, especially since too many preachers appease the crowd, instead of speaking the truth in love. When they get too much flak back and the "board" holds the purse strings--will the truth (what we hear from the Spirit) win out? Will you be willing to face rejection and maybe your employment, for the cross? Freedom NEVER comes without cost.

seekr

[seekr]

Bob, I know you have mentioned that before and I understand it, because of the rejection I have faced, also, by following God and not the favored denominational stance. I wonder if it'll eventually create a chasm so wide that the "religious" will come after those who are free in Christ.They already do in some subtle and not so subtle ways. It has always been so and I can see the hate sometimes even in the posts. We speak of unity, and hear it a lot by those who have caused great division for not following them. "Those who hate me without cause...."


seekr

[janine]

When I preach (yes, preach... we do have ladies-only events, ya know!), I start out behind the pulpit, but it doesn't take long before I'm wandering mic-to-mic (there is usually a cloud of microphones set up, for the singing groups [OK, choirs, are ya happy?!?]; I flit between those).

Sometimes I end up halfway down the aisle, using women or songbooks or decorations as visual aids...

The sisters have learned they'll need to set the video cameras up to rotate 360' when I'm speaking.

Pulpit?  What pulpit? :D

It's been a while since I was asked to speak "at home".  I get called for events out in a 100-mile radius.  Local ladies must get enough of me in classes.

Can't be that 'prophets-don't-get-honored-at-home' thing, can it? :0

[janine]

My husband Mike isn't doing much "public", "service-time" work in the church right now, because he rejects the elders' "right" to enforce a suit-and-tie dress code for fellas who work the Lord's table, lead prayer, etc.

It's not that he does no "work"... the last four baptisms in the last several weeks were all converts after studying with Mike...  and, when asked by someone moderating to pray or lead singing, etc., he does, in his Dockers yet!

I guess he hates the idea that we're worried about being socially "pretty enough" in our worship assemblies, while people are under the shadow of a looming damnation outside our church building... :(

[Barb1957]

Bob, hi! Thanks for sharing that. I'm missing something though ... where does the liberal part come in to this? Sorry, I got kinda lost there, maybe the Mickey Mouse cartoon playing in the background here at home is too distracting. (Lee would like this one, I think, it's the golf one. :))

btw, I'm not really sure what I am exactly, I guess moderate maybe?  I dunno. But I don't worry about that stuff too much. It's like my eyes, they're different colors, I'm such a weirdo, so on forms I just put "hazel" to be done with it. (One's more brownish and one's more greenish, it's really bizarre!)

Our minister, come to dwell on it, tends to not stand behind the pulpit (some kinda wood) much at all, he kinda walks around as he preaches on Sunday mornings, and then on Sunday nights he's at congregation level, usually has one of those simple little stands down there, whatever they're called, kinda like a pole with a food tray stuck on top, LOL.

Was it Confucious who said "Man about to stand behind acrylic pulpit better check fly and then check again." ?

- Barb

[nerdneh]

seekr, as the Roman writer Juvenal says in his Satires' "Who wouldn't write satire living in a time like this?"  He lived in the time of Domitian Caesar!

[peck]

If you guys really want to stir up trouble,try moving the table that says 'this do in remembrance of me"from the front to the back.Some folks will be offended enough to leave.

God bless,Charles

[nerdneh]

seekr, precisely what happened in my case.

[WileyClarkson]

Janine,

[!--QuoteBegin--][/span][table border=\"0\" align=\"center\" width=\"95%\" cellpadding=\"3\" cellspacing=\"1\"][tr][td]Quote [/td][/tr][tr][td id=\"QUOTE\"][!--QuoteEBegin--]Pulpit?  What pulpit?[/quote]

What!!! no pulpit :0 That's going way too far :)

[!--QuoteBegin--][/span][table border=\"0\" align=\"center\" width=\"95%\" cellpadding=\"3\" cellspacing=\"1\"][tr][td]Quote [/td][/tr][tr][td id=\"QUOTE\"][!--QuoteEBegin--]When I preach (yes, preach... we do have ladies-only events, ya know!), [/quote]

Why limit it to the ladies only--men need it just as bad as the women--plus they need to hear it from the women!!!!!!!

Guess my "liberal" evangelical egalitarianism is showing--huh!!!

Wiley



[!--EDIT|WileyClarkson|June 12 2002,1:00--]

[OldDad]

I have to use a pulpit...Where else could I sit my bottled water?  (Speaking to my children now...) "When I was a preacher boy we didn't have no fancy bottled water!  If you were lucky you might get lukewarm tap water in a dixie cup..."

You know what really messed people up?  When I decided I wasn't going to wear a coat and tie in the pulpit any more.  Why you'd have thought I had denied the virgin birth, the Trinity, and the resurrection at the same time.  Course, I was "permanently" branded a heretic when I switched to Dockers...

OD