Spring 1995

ARTICLE TOOLS

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I became a Christian in 1970 during the Jesus Movement. I had been attending Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California, more or less the epicenter of the Jesus Movement, where people from all walks of life came. The church had no formal dress code, so as a teenager sporting long hair, I felt comfortable and welcome. One Sunday, I missed the morning service at Calvary, so I decided to attend another local church in the neighborhood.

I arrived late. The preacher was already preaching. As I took my seat, I immediately felt uneasy. I could feel the cold stares of those sitting around me. My jeans and tennis shoes did not match the dress code.

The stares bothered me a little, but I thought, Well, these people are Christians; I'm a Christian. We're all brothers and sisters. I sat down near the front and opened my Bible. The preacher was wrapping up what sounded like a great message, so I decided to stay for the second service.

The stares continued into the second service. Even the preacher seemed to be looking at me. Others stole furtive glances at me out of the corner of their eyes.

The sermon was next, and the preacher stood up. He began by saying his message would be different from the one in the earlier service. "I need to preach the gospel in this service," he said. "I think some here don't know Christ."

Does he think I'm not a believer? I thought. "We all have sinned," he said, but what I think he really meant was, "You (yeah you, the one seated in the fourth pew on the left) are a sinner." He riveted his eyes on me while making sweeping gestures. He was sure he had a genuine hippie on the ropes.

I squirmed and brought my Bible to my chest so he could see it, as if to signal to him, "Don't waste your sermon on me; I'm already a ...

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