pulpit vs soapbox

pulpit

noun
  • A raised desk, lectern, or platform for an orator or public speaker. 

  • The railing at the bow of a boat, which sometimes extends past the deck. It is sometimes referred to as bow pulpit. The railing at the stern of the boat is sometimes referred to as a stern pulpit; other texts use the term pushpit. 

  • A raised platform in a church, usually enclosed, where the minister or preacher stands when giving the sermon. 

  • A bow platform for harpooning. 

  • Activity performed from a church pulpit, in other words, preaching, sermons, religious teaching, the preaching profession, preachers collectively or an individual preaching position; by extension: bully pulpit. 

soapbox

noun
  • Any physical or media platform which gives prominence to the person on it and the views they espouse. 

  • A talk about one's pet topic (or the topic itself), especially when only tangentially relevant to an ongoing discussion. 

  • A soapbox car. 

  • A crate for packing soap. 

verb
  • To give a speech from (or as if from) a soapbox. 

How often have the words pulpit and soapbox occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )