One weekend, I was on a spiritual high after a church event and couldn’t wait to share my joy and excitement with a friend. Before I had the opportunity to fully express this joy, I was interrupted: “Did you have to pay for the event?” I replied, “Yes.” Her response included a heavy sigh, eye roll, and what I can only describe as a hailstorm of criticism. She expressed passionately, “See, I don’t understand why they have to charge you to go to an event. What if someone can’t afford to attend, but really wants to grow in their faith? Did they have food? I wonder how much of our giving to the church has been put toward food that I’m sure they threw away afterwards. Was there any pressure to … [Read more...]