014 – Why I Hate The church – Part 01

(Updated Show Notes - May 2025)

Episode 014 – Why I Hate the Church (Part 1)

Originally recorded: November 13, 2006

This episode marked a massive turning point in my spiritual journey.

It’s the first in a series titled Why I Hate the Church, and while that language may sound provocative, the truth is this:

I love the Church (capital C).

I just couldn’t keep pretending to love the system we’d built around it.

In this episode, I share:

• Why I resigned from all my ministry roles
• Why I stopped introducing myself as a “Christian”
• What led to my spiritual burnout and apathy
• Why I began questioning the authority of church systems
• And how I found freedom outside the church walls without walking away from my faith

I also preview a book I was about to read—Revolution by George Barna—and I close with a vulnerable, unscripted prayer of repentance, longing, and surrender.

This wasn’t a rant.

This was a release.

✨ What I Believed Then

I believed that institutional church had become a distraction from true discipleship.

I believed that labels like “Christian” were getting in the way of real connection.

I believed that ministry had become performance.

And I believed it was okay to ask hard questions without having all the answers.

I believed I had to leave something behind… to find something more true.

🌱 What I Believe Now

I now believe that I never hated the church.

I hated the illusion of the church that we had accepted as normal.

I now see that leaving the institution wasn’t rebellion—it was remembrance.

I no longer need to reclaim or reform “church.”

I embody Christ consciousness.

I now live in a frequency that transcends denomination, program, title, and tradition.

I no longer try to fix the system.

I live the solution.

🔥 Why I’m Leaving This Episode in the Feed

Because this was the day I stopped pretending.

Because this was the sound of chains falling.

Because this is what it looks like to start walking on water.

And because there’s always someone else…

who’s just now realizing they’re allowed to ask the same questions.

May this episode remind you:

You’re not alone.

You’re not broken.

And you don’t need permission… to follow the Voice within.

Cliff