The Odyssey of King David with Dr. Sam Mayhugh & D. Paul Thomas

Everything changes when one is introduced with the title of
“Pastor” or “Reverend” or “Father” or “Preacher.” An individual
self-consciousness seems to invade the social space, consistently
altering the subject under discussion. People somehow seem
obligated to qualify themselves, dropping a sentence or two about
their spirituality, church attendance, or lack thereof.
Frequently there may also be a reference to childhood upbringing,
ethnic traditions, or family practices.


Since I was often introduced to such a title, I was
self-conscious of the expectations. I was now the church or
religion representative as the discussion twisted to a
disagreement or disillusionment with “organized religion.” Over
the years, I usually discovered I was in agreement with the
person expressing their discontent and fully understood why they
chose to disengage. 


While I have never taken a poll, I certainly have a lot of
anecdotal evidence to conclude people’s primary distaste for
organized religion is founded in what they perceive as hypocrisy.
Leaders allow themselves to be perceived as more holy, more
together, closer to God, and wiser than the average Joe. It can
be quite off-putting, but it is also very seductive. Who doesn’t
want someone with an into God? Why listen to sermons if the one
preaching it doesn’t have something you don’t have?  


But then the hammer comes down, and the stories unfold. This
preacher didn’t know how to keep his pants on. That leader, she
had her hand in the till. The neighbor always going to church was
rude to me.


In some ways, this whole discussion can get mundane to me. I’ve
had it hundreds, if not thousands of times. That’s sad, but cause
it isn’t mundane. It is so the opposite of what the Bible teaches
from beginning to end, perhaps nowhere more prominently than in
the leading figure of Old Testament Israel, King David.


Let’s find out more from our two guests today, who I will
introduce in a moment after an excerpt from their work “The
Odyssey of King David” read by D. Paul Thomas.


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