015 – Why I Hate The church – Part 02

(Updated Show Notes - May 2025)

Episode 015 – Why I Hate the Church (Part 2)

Originally recorded: November 2006

This episode is a fire.

But not the destructive kind.

It’s the kind that burns off everything fake.

In Part 2 of my Why I Hate the Church series, I read the full preface of George Barna’s book Revolution, then share stories from my own life that had brought me to the brink of leaving institutional religion altogether.

I talk about:

• How bureaucracy smothered new ministry
• Why I was denied the chance to podcast my church’s sermons
• The emotional weight of missing Sunday service
• The exhaustion of four weekly church events while newly married
• The red tape that delayed acts of compassion
• And the rejection of real relationships in favor of rigid programs

I also get honest about church members—some of the kindest, yes. But also some of the most critical, controlling, and cruel people I’d ever met.

And I confess:

“I’ve been one of them.”

This episode is not a polished teaching.

It’s a spiritual purge.

✨ What I Believed Then

I believed that the church had forgotten its purpose.

That the Spirit had been replaced with systems.

That buildings had become idols.

That red tape had choked compassion.

That passion was being dismissed under the name of “excellence.”

I believed we needed a revolution.

And I believed God was calling me out of the system… and back into my soul.

🌱 What I Believe Now

I still believe in revolution.

But now I know the revolution isn’t something we start.

It’s something we remember.

I no longer believe I need to reform the church.

I believe I need to live Christ consciousness.

I don’t ask people to go to church.

I ask them to become the frequency of Love.

And I no longer try to prove anything.

I simply trust what flows when I speak from Presence.

🔥 Why I’m Leaving This Episode in the Feed

Because this is the sound of something being set free.

Because this is what it looks like when someone finally tells the truth.

Because I want people to know they’re not alone in their questions.

And because God was never in the building.

God was always in the breath.

Cliff