Church Hurt

We all know the story of the Good Samaritan. Those of us who have been in church for a while can nearly quote it by heart, and even those who have never opened a Bible know the general idea. It’s one of Jesus’ best known parables, and its message is pretty clear: love your neighbor as yourself, even if your neighbor looks, talks, or lives different than you do. But what if there’s more here? What if each character in this story has a message for us, if we just took the time to listen?

The parable of the Good Samaritan is a simple story with complex implications. What is interesting about this story is not just that Jesus chooses a Samaritan to be the hero, but that He chooses two religious workers as the ones to pass by the man beaten on the road. For those that have been hurt by religion, this parable carries an extra weight. Join Dr. Mark Lantz as he takes a closer look at this famous story in this sermon entitled Church Hurt.