The Foolishness of Preaching
 

What is the foolishness of Preaching in your opinion?

Must we act like fools to fulfill this passage? Or was it indeed suggesting something entirely different?

1 Cor 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

Do we need pulpiteerisms to accomplish the goal?

Do the yellings, screamings, spittings, and inaudible frothings into an over-modulated sound system suffice?

Should we be sure to add the comic put downs of our very wives coupled together with other clever Clichés?

Is this anointing or just annoying?

Has it hindered the Gospel with the same burden of lunacy that other fanatics gain honestly?

What say ye?

the foolishness of preaching is that the message is, at fact value and looked at on a logical level, unbelievable and kinda nonsensical....

it has nothing to do with showmanship... If anything we detract from what the Bible calls the foolishness preaching (the Word of God (read: Message of God) by acting like fools when we preach purposefully like that...

The answer it in verse 18. :driving

Theo, in my opinion, it is fairly evident what is meant by the "foolishness of preaching." The message of salvation is one that doesn't make sense to the carnal mind. How can turning away from sin, getting in some water to be baptized in Jesus' name, and then being filled with God's Spirit save someone? The thought of getting into water to have sins remitted makes no sense, the idea that an invisible God comes to live inside the body of a human makes no sense, and the notion of praying to an invisible God to let Him know you have turned from your wicked ways makes no sense either. In fact, the whole premise that a God exists makes no sense to the carnal mind. This is why preaching these things can be termed as foolishness; they are foolishness to the non-believer.

I concur with the points that others have already made. I'll add one old cliché -

"There's the foolishness of preaching; and then there's foolish preaching."

We all tend to mimic the behavior of others that we observe. It's probably inevitable that some practices get picked up and used over and over - even the bad habits. Theophilus, you've done us all a favor in asking us to stop and consider our actions. What we do and the way we behave does have consequences.

Amen!