All the Old Testament prophets, from Moses to Malachi, were “preachers.” Today, every Christian is called by God to be a preacher. God has called all believers to “preach” the gospel to all people. And as you do you will probably sound a bit “preachy.” And that’s OK.

The Cambridge dictionary defines “preachy” as “sounding as if you want to give someone moral advice.” In light of that definition, is being “preachy” a good thing or a bad thing for Christians who want to witness to unbelievers? Many modern-day so-called experts on evangelism tell Christians they should not be “preachy.” I say, maybe we should be “preachy”—it depends on what one means by “moral advice” and the word “preachy.”

The Issue of “Moral Advice”

First, consider the issue of “moral advice.” The definition above implies that it is wrong to foist your moral views on other people. But the Bible says that is exactly what we are supposed to do as ambassadors and representatives of Jesus Christ, Savior and Judge of every soul. Every truth and command in Scripture is either a moral principle or has moral implications. There is nothing a-moral about the Bible’s teaching. The Bible is not neutral. Neither is God. Neither is Jesus. Jesus proclaimed, “He who is not with Me is against Me” (Matt 12:30).

That is categorical, dogmatic, and black and white. The whole Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is a disclosure of God’s morality. The 10 Commandments are inherently moral. Calling sinners to repentance is inherently a moral demand. Jesus’ whole ministry was composed of telling people to stop sinning (Luke 5:32). After healing the man who had been lame for 38 years, Jesus exhorted him with this moral demand: “Do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you” (John 5:14). James, Jesus’ half-brother, declared, “Cleanse your hands you sinners” (James 4:8). Long before that, God commanded all people to “repent and live” (Ezek 18:32).

The current culture is dominated by a relativistic worldview. We are told there are no universally binding truths or moral demands. “You have your truth and I have my truth,” is the popular adage. We are told that it is a universal truth that there are no universal truths. Christians are supposed to tip-toe around, being sure not to hurt anyone’s feelings or “offend” anybody with the demands of biblical morality. If we do then we might be scorned, called out, rejected…or even persecuted.

The Word “Preachy”

Second, consider the word “preachy.” It is a slang adjective to describe someone who comes across as dogmatic and commanding when they talk to people. Sometimes it is used to describe someone who is rude, insensitive, arrogant or myopic. Christians are definitely not to be rude, insensitive, arrogant or myopic when sharing the truth of the gospel with unbelievers. We are to be “gentle” and reverent when interfacing with non-Christians (1 Pet 3:15).

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