Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Let's All Be the Proclaimers We've Been Called to Be

The word "preacher" has taken on all sorts of traditional baggage that was never intended. A "preacher" in scripture was someone who shares the good news with unbelievers. Today it usually refers to someone speaking to the church from behind a pulpit. For this reason, I much prefer the word "proclaimer." This word is free from the distortions of tradition.

I'm happy to see that the translators of the ESV decided to use "proclaim" instead of "preach" in one of the key Great Commission passages. In Mark 16:15, Jesus says, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." Mark 16:15 is not directed to only some specific subset of special Christians. Rather, it applies to all of us. Therefore, let's be the proclaimers God calls us to be.

Below is a favorite song of mine by a group called The Proclaimers. They are not a Christian group and this is not a Christian song. Despite that, I really like the music.

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