The Gospel Jesus Preached

It may not be the one you’ve heard.

When I was young, I spent a lot of time across the street at my grandma’s. It seemed I was always at odds with my older brother, and he was bigger than me, so…

I liked being at Grandma’s house. I knew where her candy was and she never questioned why I was there. While she was busy in the kitchen, I would lay on her living room floor and watch television. There I was introduced to Rex Humbard and Oral Roberts, and as a result, to the wilder side of Jesus.

I was raised in a good Lutheran family, in church every Sunday. I don’t know how much influence those afternoon appointments with Pentecostals had on me, but I actually liked reading the Bible, and when it was time to go to Confirmation class, I didn’t mind at all. I liked challenging what the pastor was teaching. Not much has changed.

Somewhere along my journey through various expressions of Christianity, I was introduced to gospel tracts. To prove your devotion to Jesus, you hid them in places where people could find them, and if you were really brave, you placed them in their hands, then hurried away, hoping it would scare the pants off them and they would accept Jesus.

It was the duty and privilege of every serious Christian to distribute gospel tracts, and we were sure to get credit…