The aesthetic of the church is rustic, just shy of

revival, but the fire and brimstone is conspicuo-

usly absent. Pastor Raymond Kent is not that ki-

nd of orator. Quite the opposite, in fact. The pla-

ce is packed and there’s more people outside

who don’t fit in the square, high-ceilinged room.

As I’m standing in the back, I notice heavy water

damage at my feet. If One Truth is stealing mon-

ey, it’s not visible from here.

The church has developed a reputation for its

quiet congregation. Kent preaches often about

the clamor of noise and its corrosive effect on

the human psyche, and in fact, he has made si-

lence one of his core tenets. While I wait for him

to take the stage, I can hear hymns being sung

in another church down the street. It’s a power-

ful effect, but I can see how it might unnerve

the casual observer.

When he finally does appear, he’s met with no

reaction, no commands, and no music. He says

one word followed by that long pause he’s fam-

ous for: “Pain … is the only honest friend you have

in this world.” The sermon, which lasts about 45

minutes, is about how we look away from the

pain in our lives when we should be looking at

it. Humanity, he says, has built a world for the

sole purpose of avoiding discomfort, calling it

“an empire of dopamine that has left us all

junkies.”

June Nguyen: If I may, I’d like to jump into so-

me of the controversy your church has been inv-

olved in. Florida Governor Mike Cannon, on

FEED, called your church a “Commonwealth

shill tax shelter,” and you a “tin can con man.”

Do you feel an urge to fight back on these atta-

cks, and are you concerned with how it looks

that the Commonwealth has given you

tax exemption?

Raymond Kent: It’s well known that I don’t ha-

ve a FEED account or a smartphone. From what

I’ve heard, Governor Cannon seems like he just

wants to cause a reaction. He doesn’t care if its

bad or good, he just needs it. Actually, that mi-

ght be unfair. I don’t know Mike, never met him.

Maybe he’s frightened of a changing world, afr-

aid of losing his place in it. I can relate to that,

I’m just not a fan of his methods. To answer your

other question, I don’t have any affiliation with

the Commonwealth, I don’t speak on their be-

half. I’m not naive to corporate interests. I’m sure

they want something, but they haven’t asked for

it yet. They just created the donation system.

June Nguyen: Can you talk about the automa-

ted donation system they set up?

Raymond Kent: As I’m sure you know I’m a bit

of a layman, but basically it allows people to do-

nate and decide how the donations are used

without One Truth or myself touching the mo-

ney. There’s a long, gross history of churches de-

frauding people that goes back thousands of

years. And when you can bring people together

and inspire and help without the suspicion that

you’re doing it for nefarious purposes it just ma-

kes everything easier.

June Nguyen: Has no one donated to fix the

roof here?

Raymond Kent: Ha! That’s on me! I won’t let

anyone help. I’ve been preaching here for most

of my life and, well, maybe it’s superstition or

maybe it’s stubbornness but nobody fixes the

roof but me. Hahaha.

June Nguyen: So one last question, I have to ask.

Raymond Kent: I think I know where this is go-

ing. I don’t claim to have superpowers, but it wo-

uld be disingenuous not to talk about it someti-

mes. I get these flashes sometimes, like electric-

ity coming off of people. And I get this sense

that I know how to help them. I don’t know if it’s

divine intervention or a medical problem, I just

know it makes me feel good and it seems to

make the people around me feel good when I‘m

better at diagnosing their problems ... Did that

come across as too hokey?

June Nguyen: No, it was great, thank you, thank

you so much for your time.