Seven Strange Preachers: Embracing the Eccentric Call of God
In the rugged wilderness of Judea, a voice echoed with unyielding urgency: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" This wasn't the polished sermon of a temple priest, but the raw proclamation of John the Baptist, a man dressed in camel's hair, cinched with a leather belt, surviving on a diet of locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:1-5). To the casual observer, John seemed utterly strange—an outlier in a world that prized conformity and comfort. Yet, God chose him to prepare the way for Jesus Christ, fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy of a voice crying in the wilderness (Isaiah 40:3). As fundamentalist Christians who hold the Bible as the inerrant, inspired Word of God, we often find ourselves at odds with modern culture. But Scripture is full of "strange" preachers—men whose lives and methods defied human norms yet powerfully advanced God's kingdom. Drawing from Matthew 3 and other biblical accounts, let's explore seven such figures. Their stories...