Pastor John Amanchukwu delivered a blunt warning to church leaders at TPUSA Faith's Faith Forward Pastors Summit in Detroit: if they refuse to give what he called "God's answer" on issues addressed by Scripture, they should consider leaving the pulpit. His message, "The Danger of Having No Comment," challenged pastors who fear that speaking on controversial subjects will offend their congregations.
Amanchukwu argued that silence has consequences. When churches decline to address matters on which they believe the Bible speaks, he said, other voices shape their congregations instead. Drawing on Ezekiel 3's image of a watchman responsible for warning others, he presented speaking up as part of a pastor's duty, even when the message may be unwelcome. churchleaders.com
His challenge was pointed: "If you don't want to give God's answer, I have a solution for you. Go home. Find another occupation." The remark raises a question beyond whether pastors should avoid difficult subjects. How does a church leader determine that a particular response to a disputed cultural issue is "God's answer," and how should that leader explain the biblical reasoning to the congregation?
Amanchukwu did acknowledge a reason to hold back. Christians may remain silent, he said, when they do not have enough information. What troubled him was a different kind of silence: withholding a conviction because expressing it could carry a cost. That distinction gives pastors a demanding test. They must decide when they need to study and listen further, and when caution has become an excuse to avoid speaking.
The speaker is known for taking public positions on school board disputes involving sexually explicit books, critical race theory and gender ideology. He also serves as a pastor at Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and contributes to TPUSA Faith. His summit address brought that public advocacy directly to pastors, asking them to consider what their congregations learn from the subjects they address-and the ones they leave untouched.
Amanchukwu's message will likely resonate with church leaders who believe pressure to avoid controversy has narrowed what can be preached. It may also prompt scrutiny of his central premise: applying Scripture to current disputes takes interpretation, and Christians can disagree over an application while taking the text seriously. The challenge his address leaves with pastors is to make their case openly-showing their congregations why they believe Scripture calls for them to speak, and what it calls them to say.
