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Question 5
He challenges listeners to ask whether their pastor could preach four specific passages (1 Cor 11:3–8; 1 Cor 14:33–37; 1 Tim 2:8–15; 1 Pet 3:1–6) “without watering them down”; what would “watering down” look like in real terms (language, framing, omissions), and why does Bercot call that approach “cowardly” and “politically correct”?
Another way to ask: What would it look like for a pastor to “water down” those passages in how he speaks, frames them, or leaves things out? Why does Bercot think watering them down is cowardly and driven by wanting to please people?

Direct Answer In Bercot’s framing, “watering down” means avoiding these texts, rushing past them, or explaining them away so they no longer function as “commandments of the Lord.” He calls that cowardly because it protects the pastor from backlash and keeps the church aligned with cultural expectations rather than with God’s Word.

Support from Transcript:

  • He asks listeners to consider: “Could my pastor actually preach what those passages say without watering them down or explaining them away?”
  • He predicts that in most churches “he could not,” showing he expects common avoidance.
  • He says the first step is pastors “simply tried to avoid those four passages,” asking how often people hear sermons focusing on them: “In most churches, the answer would be none.”
  • Second, pastors focus on male-directed teachings, “skip or hurry past the passages directed to women,” “expand on” men’s responsibilities, and “minimize or totally ignore” commands to women.
  • He labels this “a cowardly way to treat God’s Word,” but “the politically correct thing to do,” tied to fear of wives, women, and even men opposing the message.
Discussion Follow-ups What phrases or approaches have you heard that soften these passages without directly denying them? How can a church teach difficult texts without being harsh, yet without emptying them of meaning?

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