By KARAN MINNIS ,Guardian Lifestyles Reporter ,karan@nasguard.com

What if your pastor stands in the pulpit on Sunday morning and shouts "You're going to hell and there's nothing you can do about it!" What would you do? How would you respond?

Since the early 1980s "fire and brimstone preaching" has been quite common, but is it turning people away from the church? Is it working?

Pastor Arlington Rahming of Christian Discipleship Ministries International says it can. "Many people do not agree with fire and brimstone preaching. They see it as wrong and unnecessary but the problem with that thinking is the fact that these pastors are still carrying the gospel as well," he says. "We are not all called to carry the message in the same way. However I believe that the gospel is a well-rounded and balanced message that speaks to the whole man and our whole way of living rather than just the aspect of hell, hell, hell," he says. "Hell is a reality and we ought to teach it and preach it, but there needs to be a balance because there is also a heaven."

Rahming further said that the essence of the gospel is good news, so while a "fire and brimstone" approach is not his style, he says as long as there is a balance it can be right.

"For example, an evangelist is a person who is actually called to bring the unsaved to Christ, and quite often they would use that kind of technique or message to draw people. I'm actually fine with that, but that cannot be all there is to it. As pastors we must find a balance in the way we preach. So while "fire and brimstone" is not completely wrong, it can be if used too much."

Pastor John Sands of Kingdom Faith Ministries said that few members of the Christian community are interested in this form of preaching.

Preachers Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, are two of the most well-known "fire and brimstone preachers" in the United States. "These two pastors were famous for making their congregation cry by the end of their sermons and no — these were not tears of joy," he said. "In The Bahamas we do have our very own Edwards and Whitefields, however they may not be as strong as these men were, but they are just as extreme. The problem with that is that today few members of the Christian community are interested in this form of preaching."

New Covenant Baptist Church pastor Simeon Hall also thinks pastors must find a balance in their preaching.

"The Bible is filled with good news, therefore it is our job to try to show that even though God is a God of justice, He is also a God of mercy, therefore there needs to be balance."

Hall said all extremes are dangerous and so the preacher has to be aware of that and try to balance his message. "The principle overriding teaching of scripture is good news, and Jesus spoke very much so about the kingdom of God more so than he talked about hell. So I think that as pastor this is the kind of model we must follow."

Hall said training is also important. "In this time when people are marginalized, I think the truth of scripture needs to be highlighted. For this to happen pastors need proper training on how to do this very thing. Most of the 'fire and brimstone' preaching is done because that is the only thing a pastor wants to talk about or it's the only thing he/she knows to preach on. Training can fix that.

"You do have some pastors that choose to focus on one sin even though there are over 100 and that should not be so. Balance is what should take place and so while it is important to focus on issues facing your community as a pastor you must strike a balance."

Rev. Victor Cooper Jr. pastor at New Bethany Union Baptist Church, Key West St. says today pastors focus on a different style of preaching.

"This style of preaching worked and was very strong years ago but in recent times sermons have changed and so many pastors are not taking that approach to sermonizing these days. They are focusing more of their efforts on giving people hope for the times in which they live. These are very difficult times so rather than preaching 'fire and brimstone', we are trying to now provide people with skills for living on earth before they get to heaven."

Adding that the style of preaching used actually depends on the era of the pastor himself, Cooper says that it's all a matter of training.

"The generation that a pastor may have grown up in will definitely effect his style of preaching. I think pastors of the more traditional approach to ministry are still kind of locked into that mentality but today, the modern pastor, with his training, approaches ministry from a different perspective. Their focus is on how people should live on earth now, and then preparing them for the life here after. Therefore most pastors today are not interested in 'fire and brimstone' preaching. It does have its place, but having a balance is much more important."

Mt. Pleasant Green Baptist Church pastor, Wesley L. Thompson believes that people need to be frightened at times. "We need to do that, and not just prophecy house and car. People need to know that they need to repent," he said.

"People need to hear that again, because they think they can get a house and car and still live the same life. People need to hear the other side of the Bible, and not only hear something good."