Introduction

Introduction

Tom and Fred were sitting on the jetty lazily dangling their lines into the peaceful waters of the estuary below.
How can you say that you are a Christian if you don’t go to church?” asked Fred.

“Well, it is like this” Tom began. “I believe in Jesus but the church! I’ve tried it! The most pathetic people I have ever met are people who go to church. They bow and scrape to the Pastor, throw away their own minds as they enter the church door, uncritically believe everything he says and feel guilty if they do not give the church money they really cannot afford. I have no desire to become one of them.”

“Oh come on” “they are not all like that.”

“Of course not but too many are” said Tom. “Besides I thought the church is supposed to be about Jessus and goodness and love and hope and friendship but it seems to be full of hypocrisy and internal politics and about money and status and control and spin and mindless conformity. I find that my faith is assaulted every time I go to church. It often makes me feel angry afterwards and I am a lot happier if I stay away.”

“Going to church on Sunday makes me feel good” responded Fred. “I feel that I have discharged an obligation to God and that it puts me in a good place. It’s one way to get into God’s good books. If I give Him what He wants then He will look after me. ”

“Well it makes me feel bad” retorted Tom. “Once the big-name preacher told us all that if we gave some extra money to the church God would give us back ten times as much. He was so persuasive that I thought I would try it out but it didn’t work – I have been in debt ever since. Lies and hypocrisy is what I call it!”

“You are very negative today” Fred persisted. “All real Christians go to church”.

“Well it is not that I have not tried” Tom muttered. “I have visited lots of churches.

I have experienced the formal nonsense of incense and candles and robes and fancy hats and I have been to churches full of sad unfriendly people doing their duty by being there. Then I have been to more lively churches where they have lectured me on all of the things I should be doing which I already knew of course. I found that the most depressing experience of all and it left me feeling guilty and hopeless.”

Just then Fred got a bite on his line and pulled in a poisonous toad fish.