by Joseph W. Smith III (Author)
Have you ever arrived at church feeling so stressed out that you thought to yourself, "I can't face these people"-and your strongest wish was to rush back home and dive into bed? What on earth is happening here? How has church become a place where we must leave our "real selves" at the door-and pick them up later when we leave, more burdened than ever with loneliness, exhaustion, and hypocrisy? Transparency offers one remedy to this lamentable situation. Subtitled A Cure for Hypocrisy in the Modern Church, the book challenges readers to consider why we aren't transparent-including such issues as perfectionism, fear of man, and of course, pride and self-preservation. Likewise, the text shows how transparency unifies the body and crucifies sin, while also relieving the stress of pretending to be someone you're not. More important, the author highlights transparency in Scripture-in the lives of Job, Moses, David, Paul, and Jesus, among others; and he offers a practical framework for making openness work in the local church. Imagine a life without the pretense and artificiality that cripples our fellowship-a life where church members are free to admit their sins and struggles, sharing their deepest needs, worries, and joys in an atmosphere of openness and authenticity. That's the kind of life you will find in this book.
Author Biography
Joseph W. Smith III is a writer, teacher and speaker in Central Pennsylvania. His previous books include Sex & Violence in the Bible (P&R, 2014) and a study of Hitchcock's Psycho (McFarland, 2009). For more information, see josephwsmithiii.com.