I wish I could like this 5000xs. So much truth here. I think as the collective church we’ve bought into the notion of Jesus as a brand, rather than as a Savior. People fall away from “the faith” because they put their trust in the cult of celebrity. And pastors sans a group of authentic, Christ-centered elders to keep them accountable fall prey to a worship of self (eg. Driscoll).

I wonder if any of the aforementioned even stop to ponder Jesus’s command to pick up our crosses daily & follow Him🤔. Or that in this world, (we) will have suffering…Great piece, Ben. Thanks for writing this!