I produced a Christmas TV special for a significant media ministry early in my career. We shot in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, because we had to film it in September to make the Christmas broadcast, and Steamboat was the only place in the country with snow that early in the season.
I had a terrific idea for the pastor’s Christmas sermon, so he was kind enough to give me a shot. During the filming, I handed him my notes, and he read them. But when he finished, he crushed my notes into a ball and tossed them over his shoulder.
Surprised, I asked what the problem was with my sermon. He told me something I’ve never forgotten:
“You can’t start with your idea and then find a list of different [Bible verses] to support it. You always start with Scripture.”
Proof-texting
I didn’t know back then he was talking about “proof-texting” — when a preacher or teacher grabs a Bible verse out of context to support a point they’re trying to make instead of letting Scripture speak for itself. At first glance, it might not seem like a big deal — after all, they’re still using the Bible, right? However, there are some serious problems with this approach.
First, it can distort the true meaning of Scripture. The Bible wasn’t written as a collection of one-liners to be plucked out and used however we want. Each verse is part of a bigger story, a more significant teaching, or a specific situation. When we rip a verse from its context, we risk making it say something God never intended. That’s dangerous because it can lead people to believe false or misleading ideas about God, faith, or Christian living.
Second, proof-texting can be manipulative. If a preacher is looking for a verse to support their opinion, they might ignore parts of Scripture that challenge or balance their perspective. That’s not faithful preaching — that’s using the Bible as a tool to win an argument. Sermons should be about what God is saying, not just what the preacher wants to say.
Lastly, proof-texting (or proof-reading) weakens biblical literacy. When people hear isolated verses instead of whole passages or books, they miss out on the richness of Scripture. They don’t learn to study the Bible properly or understand its full depth. Instead of proof-texting, pastors should teach Scripture in context, showing how different parts fit together and what they really mean.
A good sermon doesn’t just “use” the Bible — it teaches it. And that means handling it with care, not just picking out verses to prove a point.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was originally written and published by Christian media expert Phil Cooke at philcooke.com.
