Reviewed by Roly Johnson-Bell

Having been only acoustically acquainted with Mike Warnke hithero it's nice to see the guy. He's not half the reprobate I'd imagined (visually speaking), something which he actually alludes to at one point on the tapes. . . "when was the last time you were at a rock concert. . . imagine me in spandex. I'd look like a hippo in pantyhose!" The man is quite rotund with a shock of shoulder length ginger hair and an obtrusive earring that almost breaks the lenses of his glasses every time he does a quick head shake. But apart from that he looks just the same as any other late 40s, ex-hippy satanist priest, Vietnam war veteran, with a doctorate in Divinity and six children ranging from early teens to 30s. Mike appears to have no delusions about himself, so if the above description of his appearance, his story and behaviour cause you indignantly to move to another review then I'm afraid that's your loss. . . Jesus and Mike seem to be getting on fine despite the ever present wave of criticism that radicals are prone to receive, even after 20-odd years in the ministry. Mike Warnke is one of the most hilarious communicators of the truth of the Gospel; don't be deceived, after busting your slides he'll hit you with a spiritual reality that will make you catch your breath: The back end of this tape almost deserves a "PG" rating. At times the viewing quality is naff and the staging leaves something to be desired, but if that's the criterion for measuring this vid on that's sad. Pricey perhaps, and again the ever present copyright (does that mean I can't show it as a feature in a Church service?). . . but well worth seeing.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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