The Widespread Problem of Boredom and Impatience with God's Word

My wife recently reminded me of an article that Al Mohler wrote over a year ago, but which is still very much worth reading. In fact, it describes a problem that is becoming more and more widespread every day. The article is entitled Why So Many Churches Hear So Little of the Bible, and it describes the way in which so many people are bored or impatient with the Bible and how this has affected the teaching and preaching of the Bible in a negative way. In the article Al Mohler actually interacts with another article written by Mark Galli of Christianity Today, and I will include the link to his article in the following citation from Al's own article:

"It is well and good for the preacher to base his sermon on the Bible, but he better get to something relevant pretty quickly, or we start mentally to check out.” That stunningly clear sentence reflects one of the most amazing, tragic, and lamentable characteristics of contemporary Christianity: an impatience with the Word of God. 

The sentence above comes from Mark Galli, senior managing editor of Christianity Today in an essay entitled, “Yawning at the Word.” In just a few hundred words, he captures the tragedy of a church increasingly impatient with and resistant to the reading and preaching of the Bible. We may wince when we read him relate his recent experiences, but we also recognize the ring of truth. 

Galli was told to cut down on the biblical references in his sermon. “You’ll lose people,” the staff member warned. In a Bible study session on creation, the teacher was requested to come back the next Sunday prepared to take questions at the expense of reading the relevant scriptural texts on the doctrine. Cutting down on the number of Bible verses “would save time and, it was strongly implied, would better hold people’s interest.” 

As Galli reflected, “Anyone who’s been in the preaching and teaching business knows these are not isolated examples but represent the larger reality.” 

Indeed, in many churches there is very little reading of the Bible in worship, and sermons are marked by attention to the congregation’s concerns, not by an adequate attention to the biblical text. The exposition of the Bible has given way to the concerns, real or perceived, of the listeners. The authority of the Bible is swallowed up in the imposed authority of congregational concerns.

Al Mohler perceptively concludes that:

How can so many of today’s churches demonstrate what can only be described as an impatience with the Word of God? The biblical formula is clear: the neglect of the Word can only lead to disaster, disobedience, and death. God rescues his church from error, preserves his church in truth, and propels his church in witness only by his Word—not by congregational self-study. 

In the end, an impatience with the Word of God can be explained only by an impatience with God. We all, both individually and congregationally, neglect God’s Word to our own ruin.

As Jesus himself declared, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

I highly recommend reading the entire article. Also, if you have found yourself struggling with boredom or impatience with the Word of God -- even despite your best intentions -- then perhaps the advice of John Piper will be helpful. You can read his advice for a person dealing with this problem here.

See also: Help Being a Good Hearer of the Word