The Revelation! Oh yeah, this one gets a bit nasty... makes us
somewhat uncomfortable.
Just like we feel when we
uncover the slimy body of a North Carolina slug lurking
under a rock or a kid's toy left out overnight in the
backyard. Yuck!
You know, there are some
strange things that live in the shadows. In
life, as well as in church.
The Revelation! First, Jesus' description of the church in Laodicea:
"I am
rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of
nothing..."
Then, His words to the
church in Smyrna:
"I
know your tribulation and your poverty..."
Where would you like to
attend? What church do you think would have the
best Youth Group, a kickin' Praise Band and a
state-of-the-art new Family Life Center? Which
church appeals to you? Exactly!
“I’m completely in favor of the separation of Church and
State.
My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on
their own,
so that both of them together is certain death.”
George Carlin (1937- )
I am keenly aware of the fact that you may be wondering
about a guy who would write a book entitled, Love Jesus, Hate
Church. You probably have some questions, maybe many
questions, about the origins of a book that makes people as
uncomfortable as Love Jesus, Hate Church has proven to do.
You may be asking yourself, "How can you be a Christian
and use the words Love and Hate and Jesus and Church all in
the same sentence? It just seems so wrong."
And, you're right. It does seem wrong.
True. But wrong.
Yep, I would probably be wondering the same thing if
the tables were turned and I found myself in your shoes.
So, let me see if I can shed some light on who I am and
why I do what I do by telling you a bit about myself and how I
came to write Love Jesus, Hate Church. Let me share with you,
oh, how shall I put it— the joy of believing the lie. I
believe this will give you a better grasp of who I am and why
I wrote
Love Jesus, Hate Church.