I really appreciate you writing this and sharing your perspective. It is interesting that one of the great gifts of the "Second Great Awakening" was the freedom to spread religion once state control of the churches was dismantled between 1776 and 1833. People were free to choose any preacher and being colorful and entertaining was more important than being faithful or prophetic.

Your piece got me thinking about the Iconoclasm controversy in the Orthodox Church. Many people say that while "images" of God can help us to reframe our understanding of the Divine, they can also cause us to believe that the image is the reality. I have always loved the idea of the "Via Negativa" where people are led to reject their images of God as always limited and inaccurate.

It saddens me how easily people choose power and control over love.