Sermon Illustrations
Seven-Year-Old Steals Parents' Car to Avoid Church
Despite the best efforts of pastors and Christian educators, many children in America still don't enjoy going to church. These kids usually reveal their discomfort through one of a few predictable habits. Some fidget in their seats; others doodle or draw; still others try to sneak in a comic book or portable video game.
But a 7-year-old boy in Plain City, Utah, recently broke the mold and attempted to avoid the ecclesiastical experience altogether. To that end, he hopped in his parents car early on Sunday morning, pulled out of the driveway, and took off down the road.
Not long after, local police began receiving complaints about an erratic driver in a white Dodge Intrepid. When deputies located the vehicle and turned on their flashers, the boy refused to pull over, instead leading police on a low-speed chase through the streets of Plain City.
Sheriff's lieutenant Matthew Bell believes there is a practical reason the boy never exceeded 40 miles per hour: "His speed was slow, but erratic," Bell said. "He would kind of scoot down lower to push on the gas, and kinda sit up on the seat more to see where he was going."
The chase finally ended when the boy pulled back into the driveway of his suburban home, hopped out of the car, and fled into the garage. Later confronted by police, he finally explained the motivation behind his unexpected joyride: it was just too hot to go to church.