Yes, I Am Guilty of Pastoral Malpractice . . .

at least as it is defined in an article posted on the LifeWay website.  Here we read the following, written by Thom S. Rainer:

I would consider pastoral malpractice among the greatest treasons a minister can commit against the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, it is practiced weekly without inhibition.

What do I mean by pastoral malpractice? I mean ministers who stand and preach a gospel other than God’s rightful need for punitive justice against our sin and His wrath being appeased by pouring out upon Christ judgment intended for us. He in turn sets us in right legal standing before Himself, through faith in what Jesus has done, while simultaneously giving to us His holy righteousness.

So, if a pastor does not preach or teach the penal substitution theory of the atonement as outlined above, he or she is guilty of pastoral malpractice.  Never mind that this is but one of at least seven understandings of the atonement*.  Never mind that the picture of God in the paragraphs above is one of a depraved and sadistic deity.  Never mind that Jesus himself taught that we were simply to forgive those who sin against us as God forgives our sins (and this was said prior to the cross).  Never mind that this God of wrath is hard to reconcile with John’s view that “God is love,” and that “perfect love casts out fear” (and if there was ever a God to fear, it is the one described above).   Never mind all that and so much more besides.  If you don’t preach what Rainer says you must preach, you are guilty of treason and pastoral malpractice.

So, I guess that I am guilty as charged.

* To read more about the various theories of the atonement, I recommend going to this article on Wikipedia and perusing this website.