Hard to Reach
S. M. Hutchens on Clarity, Mystery & Their Demands on Preachers & Hearers
"Always put the cookies on the lowest shelf," said the seminary professor. He meant that all preaching and teaching should be suited to the meanest understanding, that everyone in a general audience should be able to comprehend fully what one is saying in the exposition of Scripture and explication of the Christian faith—that Christianity, to be believable, must be understandable, and not only that, but understandable to all. He was a famous man, the author of many very understandable books. Most who were listening, including myself, were in awe of him, and had worked hard for the grades that gave us the privilege of sitting under him.
He himself did what he was teaching us to do. His lectures were clear and concise, and he pointedly encouraged his students to become what he himself was—master of a theology that removed all sorts of difficulties by means of a comprehensive interpretational system, making them easy for anyone who was willing to ignore or rationalize away certain persisting problems.
THIS ARTICLE ONLY AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS.
FOR QUICK ACCESS:
S. M. Hutchens is a senior editor and longtime writer for Touchstone.
Get six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access including pdf downloads for only $39.95. That's only $3.34 per month!
Get a one-year full-access subscription to the Touchstone online archives for only $19.95. That's only $1.66 per month!
bulk subscriptions
Order Touchstone subscriptions in bulk and save $10 per sub! Each subscription includes 6 issues of Touchstone plus full online access to touchstonemag.com—including archives, videos, and pdf downloads of recent issues for only $29.95 each! Great for churches or study groups.
Transactions will be processed on a secure server.
more from the online archives
29.5—Sept/Oct 2016
on Past & Present Atheism & the Invention of Happiness by Jordan Bissell
30.6—Nov/Dec 2017
Christ, Individualism & the Meaning of Cultural Diversity by Anthony Esolen
calling all readers
Please Donate
"There are magazines worth reading but few worth saving . . . Touchstone is just such a magazine."
—Alice von Hildebrand
"Here we do not concede one square millimeter of territory to falsehood, folly, contemporary sentimentality, or fashion. We speak the truth, and let God be our judge. . . . Touchstone is the one committedly Christian conservative journal."
—Anthony Esolen, Touchstone senior editor
