Walter Shurden tells of an incident someone related to him about a Southern Baptist pastor invited by a pulpit committee to meet with the deacons of the church for a preliminary conversation. After the usual light chitchat they got down to business.
One of the deacons, a delightful wholesale grocer, looked at the candidate and said, “Sir, what one question do you want most to get answered from us?” Almost immediately the prospective pastor shot back, “I want to know if you have a free and open pulpit. Do I have the freedom to say from this pulpit what I honestly think God wants me to say?”
The deacon who asked the question responded, “Yes,” he said slowly and deliberately, “we have a free pulpit.” Then he added, “But we also have a free pew.” Hurrah for him!