Now that we are in a reflective mode, I’d like to review the message preached by Danny Sweatt, “Young and Restless”. The thesis of my review is this: Pastor Sweatt has gotten a bad rap from his critics – they heard what they wanted to hear and are uncharitable in listening to him.
I would challenge anyone who disagrees with me to listen to the message again. Listen carefully. Try to understand each point that Pastor Sweatt is making. Don’t get distracted by any animus you might feel about his comments about Calvinism. Listen to them first to understand what he is saying, and second to judge the comments in context with the rest of his message (not to mention his years of faithful ministry). I am writing this review after listening to the message for a third time. I would urge that all critics listen again (or actually listen for the first time) and listen with as little prejudice as possible.
Now, having made that apology at the outset, I have to agree that pastor Sweatt’s message was not the absolute best message I have ever heard. At many points the points were made clumsily and indistinctly (that’s why careful listening is required). He at times said things and used vocabulary that I think obscured his message. In fact, his own poor word choice (malapropism) is responsible for the hottest lingering criticism of his message. He is also guilty of preaching prejudice at points. His reasoning and expression are often very clumsy. He doesn’t fully say what he means, misuses words, and in general fails to achieve what he set out to achieve.
However, I don’t think his message is the travesty that some are making it out to be and I believe that some are twisting what he said for their own ends.
First, a summary of his points:
Comments