Cher used to sing a song about a girl who grew up in a travelling show. People in every town would call them “gypsies, tramps and thieves”, but she says that “every night all the men would come around and lay their money down”.

Many people in our society have a similar love/hate relationship with the church. They call us all kinds of names. We are “narrow-minded bigots” when we refuse to go along with the attempt to redefine marriage. We are “mean-spirited control freaks” when we maintain that human life in the womb is precious. We are “heartless” and “cruel” when we insist that able-bodied people should work to support themselves rather than live off of taxpayers’ money.

However, watch what happens when it comes time to “lay their money down”. People readily accept aid from the church when a natural disaster strikes. They don’t turn down the benefits offered by schools and hospitals founded by Christians. And, in the end, they often turn to a Christian minister to read from the Bible to offer hope for eternity.

Interesting, isn’t it?