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In my book Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide <\/em><\/a>(Rowman & Littlefield, 2019), I note that whether you are a clergy person or a member of a congregation, the question of addressing social issues in a sermon is fraught with both risk and opportunity. Tackling justice issues in the pulpit can provide the preacher and congregation with a chance to apply scripture to topics that relate to our daily lives, our social institutions, and our community\u2019s well-being.\u00a0 But there are also many reasons preachers hold back on their prophetic voice, such as concern about angering those who disagree with their stance or alienating those who believe that politics do not belong in a worship service.<\/p>\n In the first two months of 2017, I conducted a survey of mainline Protestant clergy in the United States to assess how preachers approached their sermons during this divisive time in our nation\u2019s history.\u00a0 I designed and conducted a 60-question online survey entitled \u201cPreaching about Controversial Issues,\u201d which ran for six weeks, from mid-January to the end of February.\u00a0 I received responses from 1205 participants in 45 states (with an almost equal number of male and female respondents).<\/p>\n In one part of the survey, respondents were given a list of 38 possible topics including things like health care, immigration, and fossil fuel extraction.\u00a0 They were asked to pick the two that they would actively avoid <\/em>in their sermons.\u00a0 The results give us a snapshot of the \u201chot button\u201d topics for preachers in mainline Protestant churches.<\/p>\n Of the 761 preachers who responded to this question, 205 listed women\u2019s reproductive health as an issue they would actively avoid in their sermons.\u00a0 27% said they would not preach on that topic.\u00a0 It was the #1 issue preachers said they won\u2019t talk about.<\/p>\n This category covers a number of topics, such as infertility, access to and the use of contraceptives, access to pre-natal care, and female-specific health issues such as endometriosis<\/a> or menopause, to name a few.\u00a0 But the strongest aversion to this category is likely due to another taboo topic:\u00a0 abortion.<\/p>\n In a recent Facebook discussion on this topic, one of my colleagues, Rev. Justin Johnson, said that there are very few topics he won\u2019t discuss except one.\u00a0 \u201cAs a preacher who doesn\u2019t shy away from preaching about social issues, I will say there is one topic I never talk about or touch upon: ABORTION.\u00a0 I think the topic is non-debatable in that most people have made up their minds and are unwilling to budge. There is no argument, point, or idea which will move someone in a different way regarding their attitude about abortion.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cI certainly have my own ideas and opinions, but I recognize they are just that \u2013 my own ideas and opinions.\u00a0 I feel men should stand back from the topic.\u201d<\/p>\n Many indicated that their congregation is divided on this issue and that the topic is better suited for an adult forum or other format. Here are some of their individual comments:<\/p>\n \u201cOur denominational standard is more clear-cut than our church\u2019s nuanced and diverse opinions on the topic. I don\u2019t know how to stand in that breech faithfully.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI know people in the congregation for whom this is so sensitive that I\u2019m not sure it would be the gospel to preach on it. People who have had abortions, people who are struggling to conceive and couldn\u2019t ever understand why someone would have an abortion.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI feel like preaching on this topic would only empower people who want to become militants on the issue.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Despite these concerns, some pastors did indicate their willingness to address women\u2019s reproductive health issues either in an educational setting or individually with members of their congregation.\u00a0 For example, Johnson said he is willing to talk about one-on-one with parishioners about these issues.<\/p>\n \u201cI can certainly talk about abortion as a justice issue if we sat down for a conversation. I might begin by asking, \u2018Who are clinics primarily for? If the US banned and criminalized abortion and doctors who performed them, which socio-economic group of people would be arrested at a higher rate? Wouldn\u2019t the rich just fly to a country where abortion is legal? So, who are the clinics for and why isn\u2019t the topic being debated as a race\/economic issue in addition to a moral one?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Preaching<\/em> about abortion from a justice perspective, however, is off-limits for Johnson. \u201cIt is the sole \u2018hot issue\u2019 I have never mentioned in a sermon. It is instantly divisive with very little room for discussion or debate in the listeners\u2019 minds.\u201d\u00a0 Nevertheless, he clarified that he has talked about contraception, the harm the church has done to women with the purity movement, the need for Planned Parenthood, the pervasiveness of domestic violence, and rape\/rape culture from the pulpit.<\/p>\n Since the survey was conducted in 2017, several states have proposed and\/or passed laws criminalizing women for exercising their reproductive rights<\/a>.\u00a0 Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia all have anti-abortion legislation in the works or in effect.\u00a0 Georgia now has a law banning abortions before women even know they\u2019re pregnant (the \u201cheartbeat\u201d law<\/a>) and criminalizing women who have miscarriages<\/a>. So it may be that some pastors are rethinking their aversion to addressing women\u2019s reproductive health issues.<\/p>\n Preachers have plenty of biblical stories to draw on.\u00a0 Stories of infertility, menstruation, endometriosis<\/a> (the woman with \u201can issue of blood\u201d in the Gospels), and rape are all found within scripture.\u00a0 The questions surrounding women\u2019s health issues are longstanding and ongoing.\u00a0 With pastoral sensitivity and an invitation into dialogue about these issues, preaching about women\u2019s reproductive health can be part of a larger project of addressing a subject that affects the lives of so many.<\/p>\n In future posts, I\u2019ll explore the other subjects which preachers said they avoid in their preaching.<\/p>\n In the meantime, if you\u2019re interested in learning more about how you can approach difficult social issues in your preaching and ministry, Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide<\/em><\/a> is a resource for helping the church understand the challenges facing parish pastors, while encouraging and equipping preachers to address the vital justice issues of our time.\u00a0 You\u2019ll learn about the \u201csermon-dialogue-sermon\u201d method I\u2019ve developed that grounds preaching in biblical and theological foundations while engaging the congregation in dialogue to discover the values that bind us together.<\/p>\n Leah D. Schade is the Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at\u00a0<\/em>Lexington Theological Seminary<\/i><\/a>\u00a0in Kentucky.\u00a0 She is the author of\u00a0<\/em>Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide<\/a>\u00a0(Rowman & Littlefield, 2019) and\u00a0<\/em>Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit<\/a>\u00a0(Chalice Press, 2015).<\/em><\/p>\n Twitter:\u00a0<\/em>@LeahSchade<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n Facebook:\u00a0<\/em>https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LeahDSchade\/<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n How to Preach When You Are Afraid<\/a><\/p>\n Preaching Across Divides: Purple Zone Strategies for Pulpit and Public Square<\/a><\/p>\nSo what topics are off the table (or off the pulpit) when it comes to sermons?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What topic will you NOT preach about?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Why the hesitancy to discuss women\u2019s reproductive health issues?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nOthers in the confidential survey shared their own reasons why they won\u2019t preach about women\u2019s health issues.<\/h3>\n
Women\u2019s reproductive health as a justice issue<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Is it time for preachers to rethink this?<\/h3>\n
What about the other 9 topics on the list?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nRead also:<\/h4>\n