Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Religion News
Prop Bet: Josh Howerton and Internet Trolls Who Hate Ladders

Prop Bet: Josh Howerton and Internet Trolls Who Hate Ladders

Last updated on: October 12, 2026 at 8:35 am by Shawn Paul Wood

0 Comments

Prop Bet: Josh Howerton and Internet Trolls Who Hate Ladders 2026-10-12T08:14:55-05:00 Shawn Paul Wood

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In case you were sleeping, a few Sundays ago, Lakepointe Church pastor Josh Howerton climbed two ladders during a sermon, made a point about following Jesus, and somehow became the latest target of Christian outrage on social media.

Now, if you like your church with the obligatory pastor’s lumbering stick stuck where the sun don’t shine, standing motionless at the lectern, reading 19 Scriptures aloud, and concluding with a faint, whispered “Amen,” well… you may not like this blog post.

As The Christian Post reported, Howerton’s sermon on Sept. 20, part of his “Fight the Good Fight” series, used two ladders to illustrate the growing difficulty of trying to please the world while following Christ. Drawing from 2 Timothy 3, Howerton explained how the two paths might initially appear close enough to straddle, but eventually force believers to choose where they stand.

(You can watch the sermon if you’re so inclined to discover the source of this ballyhoo.)

Since then, some internet trolls and church watchdogs have determined that theatrical sermon illustrations (or “prop sermons,” as they’re being noted) have no business in the pulpit. Interested seminarians, especially those who believe Jesus had a sense of humor, would like to know: What’s the big deal?

Sure, it’s different. Yes, some prop sermons probably have no business in a pulpit (Ed Young of Fellowship Church, driving his Rolls-Royce on stage, we’re looking at you). But using a visual illustration to communicate a biblical truth isn’t inherently offensive, inflammatory, or even wrong. If anything, this controversy raises a much more important question about what Christians expect from their pastors.

And you better believe that question is going to hit close to home.

BUT FIRST: Headlines hit the Body of Christ every week, and somebody has to dissect them with a real understanding of faith, instead of only a hot take from a news talk show. Subscribe to our free newsletter for a straight biblical answer to why each story actually matters to your faith. That’s what hits close to home!

Climbing Heights for Jesus

Sign reading "Danger No Entry" in front of an escalator out of order

This is what preachers see in front of their podiums to grab the congregation’s attention. (Image Credit: Issy Bailey via Unsplash)

I don’t know the man, but I’m willing to bet his salary that when he straddled two ladders, Jean-Claude Van Damme-style, in the name of Jesus, he didn’t expect to become the subject of an online theological investigation. Yet here we are, with social media sporting a shiny new hashtag: #LadderGate2026. Now, that’s funny.

Maybe your pastor wouldn’t climb eight rungs to make a point, but does that make the illustration wrong? Howerton certainly doesn’t think so. After the criticism, he posted the full illustration and said he “would do this again a thousand times.”

By popular demand, here’s the full #LadderGate2026 sermon illustration.

Week 7 of series through 2 Timothy, right after a few hundred people surrendered to Christ and are deciding whether to be obedient in baptism next week.

Would do this again a thousand times for those ppl (if I weren’t getting too old for stuff like this!)

— Josh Howerton (@howertonjosh) October 5, 2026

So, there’s that.

Was there an edict that went out declaring, “Thou shalt not use props in sermons”? Scripture certainly doesn’t suggest one.

Jesus placed a child among His disciples to teach about humility (Matthew 18:1–5)
He used a coin to make a point about earthly and heavenly authority (Matthew 22:15–22)
And He even washed His disciples’ feet to demonstrate servant leadership (John 13:1–17).

None of that means every sermon prop deserves applause. But it does establish that using something people can see to communicate something they need to understand has biblical precedent.

Besides, with Christians playing Candy Crush in the pews, messing with their flip-flops (now, that’s unsettling in church), and wondering whether the message will finish before kickoff, a pastor has plenty of competition for attention. The responsibility is to ensure that whatever captures attention leads people back to God’s Word.

Josh Howerton climbed a ladder. And again, so what?!

When Did the Church Start Taking Itself So Seriously

A stained glass window panel of a church showing Jesus in deep thought, holding his head in his hand.

Yes, Lord. We feel you. (Image Credit: All Saints’ Church in Ripley, near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England)

It is stunning how quickly some church watchdogs turn a difference in preaching style into a referendum on somebody’s ministry. That doesn’t mean pastors should be immune from scrutiny. Far from it.

Is the church full of pimps, charlatans, and wolves in sheep’s clothing? Definitely.
Should they be held accountable to God’s Word and, where applicable, the law? You bet.
Are there also well-known evangelists and TV preachers who are egregiously misunderstood? My Lord, yes.

The distinction is between examining biblical teaching and policing personal preferences. God cares about one more than the other. To wit, meet Evangelist Justin Peters, who entered the ladder debate with this observation:

Apparently, Josh Howerton was not the first to come up with the ladder idea.

— Justin Peters (@JustinPetersMin) October 3, 2026

Yes, you caught him. Apparently, somebody else once used a ladder to illustrate a spiritual principle. Who cares, Sherlock?! Preachers have borrowed illustrations, analogies, and sermon outlines for generations. Originality is wonderful, but it isn’t a prerequisite for communicating the Gospel. Or should we storm the annals of your church history to see if you’ve ever recycled a message? Because that doesn’t matter either.

Back to the show…Peters also raised a more substantial question:

If gimmicks like this make for better, more impactful preaching, does that mean pastors who are, say, crippled and unable to climb ladders or do not drive luxury cars are less effective, and their congregants are not really being fed? Asking for a friend. https://t.co/hGVQGzrDMA

— Justin Peters (@JustinPetersMin) October 3, 2026

That’s a fair concern, but it assumes something that Howerton’s illustration doesn’t establish.

Nobody is suggesting pastors need ladders, luxury automobiles, or a Broadway production budget to preach effectively. A pastor who cannot physically climb a ladder isn’t somehow less qualified to proclaim the Gospel, any more than a pastor who doesn’t sing terribly well is less qualified to lead a church worship team (shout out to all the Steven Furtick fans).

The effectiveness of preaching cannot be measured by stagecraft alone.

The message must remain faithful to Scripture, and whatever method communicates it should serve that purpose. If your pastor would rather stand (or sit) still and explain the Word verse by verse, wonderful. If another pastor uses a ladder to demonstrate the difficulty of serving two competing authorities, that can—and will—work, too.

The frozen chosen may not appreciate the pomp and circumstance, but personal discomfort doesn’t automatically constitute a biblical objection. Otherwise, we’re just arguing over whose church service looks more like a church service.

Everything else is just that, everything else.

Oh, Shoots and Ladders

The immovable ladder outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchure hasn't moved since 1757

This cedar wood ladder leaning against the Church of the Holy Sepulcher has been in the same position since 1757. It works. (Image Credit: CoastDayLight.com via Wikimedia)

Christians have disagreed about worship, doctrine, church government, and religious traditions for centuries. Some disagreements produced necessary reform. Others produced divisions that still exist today. So, perhaps it’s fitting that a ladder has become the latest object of contention.

Today, people go church shopping. They visit a congregation to gauge the music, children’s ministries, dress code, pastor’s voice, and whether somebody serves a decent cup of coffee. If every box isn’t checked, they try somewhere else. That’s the way of the world, but those preferences shouldn’t automatically become standards by which everybody else’s church is judged.

Pastor Mark Driscoll has also weighed in on Howerton’s preaching style , adding another recognizable name to a controversy that probably never needed one (pictured here).

Some churches won’t be your cup of coffee, and that’s fine.

What matters is whether the pastor is faithfully teaching Scripture
Whether Christ remains central
And whether the congregation is being encouraged to live according to God’s Word.

Those are legitimate matters for biblical discernment, as 2 Timothy 4:2–5 reminds those entrusted with preaching. Howerton explained the point of his illustration while addressing new believers:

“If you’re a brand new disciple, let me tell you what is going to happen in your life that you’re not aware is going to happen in your life,” Howerton said, adding that “the Word and the world are in constant conflict with one another, and there will come a day in your life when you must choose which one stands in authority over the other one.”

In case you need a prop to clue Justin and friends in: That’s why he climbed the ladder! As the two ladders separated, he demonstrated the growing impossibility of keeping one foot in the world and the other committed to following Jesus. The illustration wasn’t the Gospel itself. It was a way of helping people visualize the decision he was preaching about.

And Howerton eventually offered a final response that deserves more attention than the spectacle that started everything.

Final comment on #LadderGate2026:

There are people who (vigorously) think using that sermon illustration was wrong and have made that VERY PUBLICLY clear. What do I think about them?

“Some indeed preach Christ [without object lessons], but others [with them]… What then? Only that in every way, whether [without ladders or with them], Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.”

–– Philippians 1, edits obviously mine

Honestly, I praise God for *any* ministry bull-horning the true and saving gospel of Jesus Christ, pray that there is an open heavens above their pulpits, and count it an honor to be on Team Jesus with them in this (exciting) era.

Go Team Jesus, go.
Into the breach, together we win…

— Josh Howerton (@howertonjosh) October 7, 2026

Howerton’s playful adaptation of Philippians 1:15–18 isn’t Paul’s original argument about competing motives for preaching Christ. But his broader point is worth considering: Christians can disagree on methods while rejoicing when the Gospel is faithfully proclaimed.

That doesn’t excuse false teaching, and it certainly doesn’t mean every theatrical stunt belongs behind a pulpit. It means Christians should be careful not to confuse the presentation with the substance.

Josh Howerton climbed two ladders to explain why believers eventually have to choose between the Word and the world. His critics have spent days arguing about whether he should have climbed them in the first place. Maybe it’s time everybody looked a little more closely at the message.

And that, even for the trolls out there, is that.

General Christian

Religious Events

About Shawn Paul Wood

Shawn Paul Wood, Th.D., is an award-winning copywriter, contributor, and content strategist, and ghostwriter of several faith-based articles, speeches, columns, and books who has worked for some of the most admirable brands in their respective industries for over 20 years. As Founder of Woodworks Communications, he leads teams of content strategists and marketing professionals to expand the brands of corporate leaders, serial entrepreneurs, and respected ministers of the Gospel. He aims to help others develop self-discovery through stories and the written word to proclaim the Word to the world. For more information about his portfolio or help telling your story, visit WoodworksCommunications.com. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

October 8, 2026

Christian Media Taught Us How to Respect with Jim Bakker

Next Post

October 19, 2026 Election Day With Amos: 3 Lessons for Christian Voters

What did Jesus do for Lazarus?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Healed his eyes Raised him from the dead Fed him Made him king