Why Preachers Should Care About Cognitive Biases – Part 1

 Many faithful preachers hold to a conviction: “The truth is enough. Preach the Word faithfully.”

This conviction flows from a deep reverence for Scripture and a right belief that transformation is the Spirit’s work, not ours. That’s noble. That’s beautiful. And it reflects humility before the sovereignty of God.

But here’s the hard part. That same conviction can sometimes lead to sermons that speak truth but don’t stick. Doctrinally precise, heartfelt, hermeneutically sound,  Spirit-trusting sermons… evaporating from memory before people even step out of the building.

Why? Not because the truth is weak. Not because the Spirit is absent. But because the human mind is flooded with distraction, forgetfulness, and competing voices that know how to grip attention.

And here’s the uncomfortable contrast:

False preachers, cult leaders, political demagogues, even marketing executives — they study how people think. They use memory, story, repetition, emotion, and social influence to lodge their half-truths and lies into human hearts. 

Their messages stick not only because it is what their ears itch to hear, but also because they’re designed to be unforgettable.

So we have to ask:

• If deceivers are so intentional, can truth-tellers afford to be careless?

• If God has designed human minds in a certain way, are we being good stewards of the gospel if we ignore that design?

The answer is not to copy manipulation. The answer is stewardship.

Think of money. In one person’s hands, it funds corruption. In another’s hands, it feeds the hungry and builds hospitals. The tool is neutral. Its purpose gives it meaning.

The same with psychology. Used for self-promotion, it manipulates. Used for truth-telling, it honors the hearer — it makes sure the seed of God’s Word falls on ground where it can take root. It’s not about performance. It’s about faithfulness.

That’s why I want to write about some of these tools. Not to make sermons flashy, but to make them memorable. Not to replace the Spirit’s work, but to serve it.

I am not a psychologist, nor do I claim to be a master communicator. I am simply someone who has prayed, wrestled, and brooded over this tension for a long long time: how to keep truth from slipping through our mind.

Titus 2:7–8 says: “In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.”

I only want to illuminate this small phrase: soundness of speech. Because truth deserves not only to be preached — but to be preached well.