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I have no respect for the kind of preaching that confuses selling with persuasion, sales pitches with preaching the Gospel.
—Ben Patterson

Ahair salon in Minneapolis ran an advertisement recently that pictured Albert Einstein with the caption: "A bad haircut can make anybody look dumb!"

The now-deceased genius has appeared in a number of ads this year. Usually, however, he is seen promoting such high-tech products as computers and software. Apparently some ad agencies consider Einstein a universally accepted symbol of intellectual brilliance and technical mastery, the kinds of things we consumers hope to get a piece of in the purchase. Their rationale is simple, almost self-evident: If they can connect in our minds what he stands for with what they want to sell us, we can be persuaded to buy their products.

Persuade. Isn't that what we Christian preachers hope to do to people in regard to the Gospel? It may sound crass, but in the final analysis aren't we all in the business of selling the greatest product—Jesus Christ? Several people have suggested this is indeed the case, with one of them boldly calling Jesus himself the "greatest salesman who ever lived!"

Well, is selling the same as persuasion? Let's come at this from another angle. When we prepare a sermon or an evangelistic address, what do we want to see happen? Do we want hearers to change their beliefs or their behavior? "A false dichotomy!" you protest. True, but nevertheless an important distinction. Of course we want—God wants—those who hear his Word to change both what they believe and what they do. We shouldn't prefer one to the other.

But they are different. In selling, you change a person's behavior without changing his beliefs. In persuasion, ...

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