Why Bother With Church?

Why bother with the local church?

The people can be rude and petty. The services and speakers can be boring. Yes, all that and more.

But as Tony Campolo writes in his new book, Letters To A Young Evangelical:

It is she who taught you about Jesus. I want you to remember that the Bible teaches that Christ loves the church and gave himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). That's a preeminent reason why you dare not decide that you don't need the church. Christ's church is called his bride (11 Con 11:2), and his love for her makes him faithful to her even when she is not faithful to him.

Campolo is a well-known and often controversial figure in the evangelical world. He is professor emeritus of sociology at Eastern University. Described by Christianity Today in 2003 as one of America's "25 most influential preachers," I saw him speak once back in the 80's.

CT has posted Campolo's chapter about the church for May only. Read the rest here.