Last week's column by Chad Hall drew lots of response from our readers. Some cheered, some jeered. Some scratched their heads and wondered why a pastor who quit going to church for a while would encourage others to do the same. In part, he had grown weary of the church thing. But Chad also reasoned that to understand non-Christians, he needed to hang out with them. To think like a fish, you must swim with the fishies, he said. (To read Chad's full column, click here.)

We received many, many replies. Some readers took the whole column literally. They had quit church, and Chad's "six ways" simply provided reasons for their exodus. One couple traded church for brunch, and reported they found there a real sense of purpose in sharing the joy of their faith with the non-Christians they were meeting over eggs benedict. Two said they had started house churches. One correspondent wrote: "OK, he quit and attended Bedside Baptist and the Bagel Church. When did he unquit and why?" It was signed, "Larry ...