How's This For Clarity in Preaching?
At some point in the lives of far too many people, they no longer recognize or believe in the existence of sin. They look right at it, desire it, engage in it, but don't see it for what it actually is - a grave offense and injustice to God, an act of immense ingratitude to He Who created them, and a conduit for eternal damnation. When sin becomes that entrenched, love and zeal for the salvation of souls dictate that sinners be confronted with the Truth and offered an opportunity to see and repent of the sin in which they are mired. Such was the case in the 16th century when Dominican missionaries in the Americas were unable to convince their fellow countrymen to cease their abuse and mistreatment of the native populations. In order to protect those natives and to save the souls of their abusers, they had to preach the Truth with clarity and with no concern about "hurting" the "feelings" of their listeners. This is how one Dominican preacher confronte...