But is there anyone here, right now, who can explain to me . . . Is Christ a myth? A madman's whim? Some say Christ can cure our sin. Is there a way to contact Him? Or will I die not knowing how? Listen, I only came to church to see if they could offer hope, but everything that happened there was way outside my scope. Like afterwards, outside . . . was a beggar on the grass. He held out his hand, and people'd smile, then they'd pass. I'm sure he reached for something real, for something more than cash. He begged them for a little cheer, and they all pretended . . . not to hear. I get the message, loud and clear: Church is middle-class.
-- Larry Norman, "Poem", Street Level (1970)
