In the 1600s, a number of writers and preachers complained vociferously about the terrible practice
In the 1600s, a number of writers and preachers complained vociferously about the terrible practice of “sermon-gadding,” and the problems it was causing their parish churches..Sermon-gadding was the practice of attending sermons in parishes other than one’s own. Diaries, sermon notes, and printed sermons suggest that there was significant variety in preaching, especially in a large city like London, and that laymen and women went to those sermons they enjoyed, or found uplifting. This created almost a ‘free market’ in sermons, and while it may not have been as disruptive as is sometimes suggested, it infuriated many preachers - parishioners should stay in their own parishes! This business of going about and visiting different churches, or leaving one’s assigned parish to hear a minister reputed to have entertaining sermons was considered disruptive, disrespectful, and a threat to public order..One such ‘gadder’, who especially enjoyed eyeing the women who flocked to charismatic preachers, listened to up to 30 sermons a month and even managed to attend 17 in a single day!. @johnbeardyhttps://www.instagram.com/p/B__FxNtnuUw/?igshid=wo1qttobqynl -- source link