No, the title isn’t an indication that you need an eye exam. You’ve probably heard the famous quote, “Preach the gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” This saying is falsely attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, the Roman Catholic patron saint of animals. When I saw that a friend had posted this quote on Facebook, I was compelled to reply. The thread received quite a bit of interaction, here is an excerpt:

Stephen Macasil replied:
Francis never said these words, they are erroneously attributed to him. The only way to disprove this is to provide a citation, a task that no Assisi scholar has been able to do so far (that I’m aware of). The preaching of the Gospel requires words. It is a propositional message with specific content that cannot be conveyed via charades – it requires the use of words.

Dan replied:
The preaching of the Gospel REQUIRES words? No, there is no magic in the words.

The OT is filled with words, but still God found it necessary to send his Son to Earth in the flesh to live out God’s redemptive message. Preaching is great, of course, but it should never be used as an excuse for not living a Godly life. We need fewer “propositional messages” and more Godly living.

Stephen Macasil replied:
Think about it, if the Gospel is news about an event in history nearly 2,000 years ago, it follows that for the news to be received today it must be communicated, right? And how is it to be communicated if not with words? Can someone that manages their finances well, cares for the poor, counts others more important, etc., be observed by an onlooker to the point where the onlooker deduces her need for a Savior and from what she’s observed place faith in Jesus Christ to restore her to a right relationship with God? If so, please explain how…no one has been able to yet!

What do you think about all this? Does anyone have or know of better arguments for the other side that says the Gospel can be preached without words? I’m sure that many here have heard this quote or a variation of it at one time or another. How did you respond? Or, did you? more…