Here is a snippet of the great Sinclair Ferguson warning preachers against using an oppositional tone in their preaching. He has a valid point. Sometimes what is intended as encouragement and grounds for hope comes across as judgment, and righteous indignation on behalf of one's congregation comes across as anger at them.
If I may be so bold, however, Ferguson uses such a horrific analogy to describe the effect of this oppositional tone that, in his own address, he basically replaces an oppositional tone with a destructive image. Ferguson knows his Bible. I wonder how he would square, e.g., Stephen's sermon and its fallout in Acts 7—8 with his characterization of oppositional preaching. All of which is to say that the challenge for preachers to use the right tone and image at all times, in every sermon, never goes away, no matter how much experience we have or how conspicuous and prestigious our platforms.
