Faith has had the same face for hundreds of years. Oftentimes, the face of faith, as projected by some priests, pastors, evangelists and preachers, has been a very serious one. That face of faith never showed a smile, but only overtones of fear and anger. Over the past 2,000 years, that old face of faith so often has spewed violence. My son coined a term last week when he introduced this message series that I thought was very profound.
Religion can be toxic.
It can feed you and fill you, but it can also be emotionally poisonous. I believe God has called on us to put a new face on faith. And it will be a face that smiles. The Hour of Power will soon celebrate its 30th anniversary on television. The 45th anniversary of our church is also coming up.