Section 1

The testimony of this book reaffirms the original New Testament witness, that the Christians separation from the world is so radical that in the eyes of the unbaptized worldling he is quite literally out of his mind (Acts 26:24). Paul’s description of the Christian gospel as folly (1 Cor. 1:18) therefore is seen to be no mere literary device but a deep penetration to the root of the Christian’s alienation from the world. The basic proclamation of that gospel that God was in Christ, who died for our sins, rose from the grave, ascended into heaven and will some day return to judge both the living and the dead is at best hard to believe (Mark 16:9-14), and at worst has been placed in the same category of delusional psychology of which those with experience in caring for the mentally ill can give numerous examples (Albert Schweitzer, The Psychiatric Study of Jesus). My own experience of the gospel, having run this gamut from best to worst, has been for me a brilliant illumination of the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God (Rom. 11:33). I believe it cannot but result in enlightenment for others also, and therefore I publicly make this confession.

^___ from the authors Foreword