There’s a video floating around on the social networking sites, especially twitter and facebook. Its made by a young poet entitled “Jesus > Religion.” There is a long list of complaints against religion. Among them, that religion is focused on the externals, never getting to the core, that it is responsible for wars and judgmentalism, that it’s “perfume on a casket” and “behavior modification.” He says Jesus hated religion and that religion is manmade, on the opposite end of the spectrum from Jesus. His emphasis on grace and the love of God is laudable, and he is clearly a very gifted poet. But, theologian he is not. Scripture scholar he is not.
Here’s my most basic response, on which I would like to elaborate:
My take on the hate religion, but love Jesus bit: “Folks, Jesus Christ established the Church, with rituals (Baptism the Eucharist), prayers (the Lord’s Prayer), Holy writings, authority structures, and clear teaching. Thats religion. You can’t just make religion a bad word because you don’t like those things. And – you can’t say that Christianity is just about loving Jesus – it isn’t. This sort of talk is just hyper-individualistic pietism taken to the nth degree. It has never done anything but make people into total snobs, not saints.”
First, Jesus Christ established His Kingdom on Earth. In the ancient era in which he inserted himself, every kingdom had a religio or a cultus. The prime example is that of Caesar. Caesar had a religion which surrounded him, requiring Roman citizens to worship him, and in a proscribed way. Jesus does not separate himself from this, for He, unlike Caesar, is actually worthy to be worshipped. (John 9:38, Rom 14:11, Philippians 2:10) Jesus established clear instructions to his disciples, including instructions regarding the making of disciples and baptism (Matthew 28:19), the celebration of the Eucharist (1 Corinthians 11:23-24), the forgiveness of sin (John 20:23), and many others. He is very clear that love for Him does not consist in the mind or the heart, but in action – in obeying His commandments. (John 14:15) That’s religion. If it’s not, what could we possibly call it?
The second problem comes from this, and it is an intrinsically postmodern contempt for the meaning of words as well as for institutions. This young man has made religion a category for all the things he turns his nose at. But, religion is actually a word coming from the re-reading of texts, as was done by medieval monastics. Hence re and legere, rereading. The other possible source for the word is the Latin religare, to bind fast. This meaning speaks to obligations of vows. From the earliest days, the Church has had the vows of Baptism and a great deal of clarity regarding the obligations of Christians, including the obligation and duty to know the faith, to keep the sabbath, to give to the Church, etc. This is not legalism, nor is it onerous duty. It is the wonderful privilege of each and every Christian as well as being the means of growing in Faith and the love of God. Practices cultivate virtue, religious practices specifically. This young man has, unfortunately, let contemporary postmodern distaste for such things infect him.
Further, postmodernism elevates relationship above truth. For instance is the insistence that relationship matters more than morality. If two men have a sexual relationship, this is more important than moral truth. In fact, what Aristotle says is the truth: “For though we love both the truth and our friends, piety requires us to honor the truth first.” I fear that contemporary Evangelicalism has elevated a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to the status of an idol, saying my relationship is the most important thing, when it is clear from the Scriptures that faith without works is dead and that love for neighbor is part and parcel with love for God.
But, the worst of all of it is that this young man displays what the Church has always called Gnosticism. Gnosticism, in its heyday, sought to be free of religion too. It taught that man must free himself from the shackles of this earthly and bodily existence and open himself to the knowledge of the infinite. Gnosticisms insistence on knowledge is the source of its name, gnosis being the Greek word for knowledge. Gnostics were suspicious of the Incarnation, preferring to say that Jesus actually intended to free us from our bodies, that he was not divine, and that he was primarily concerned with the spiritual and not the practical. Gnosticisms emphasis upon the evil of the flesh (most of them said that physical things were created by a malevolent demi-God) led them to fall into two camps. Some said that the physical outworkings of life were without benefit, leading them into licentiousness of the worst sort. Some, like the Manichees, believed that extreme asceticism was the cure for an overly-physical life.
The reason I say this is that many modern Christians, in their neglect of the Incarnation, have unwittingly slipped into this mode. Heaven becomes an entirely body-less existence filled with disembodied souls. Faith is about one’s own spiritual life, not so much about action. Sacraments are the object of suspicion and religious people are the bad guys. Christianity becomes about knowledge and relationship and neglects duty, ritual, practice, and charity.
Lastly, the Gnostics were snobs. They immediately created hierarchies of progress for their movements. Certain blessed people had more knowledge than others. And, of course, their knowledge was more the result of their enlightenment than their formation and instruction, which was basically non-existent. The Church did the opposite. No knowledge was hidden, any question could be asked, and the Church was passionate about catechesis and formation of Christians, the introduction of religious practices, rituals, and articles of belief.
At the end of the day, I am not against having a relationship with Jesus. In fact, I am quite in favor of it. But, it is a relationship of marriage, not puppy-love. Married people know that you show your love for your spouse by emptying the dishwasher, taking out the trash, remembering anniversaries, spending time together, paying the bills, getting up and going to work. This is maturity in marriage. I fear that a new generation, in their lust for eternal youthfulness, in their rejection of institutions, in their distrust of received practices, has been sentenced to immaturity. You see, religion and relationship have a symbiotic need for each other. I have witnessed, through the years, that the people with the most maturity in the faith were the ones who dragged themselves to Church Sunday after Sunday, who made regular retreats, who lived by a Rule of Life, who made their confessions regularly. They’re not snobby about their faith. They’re lights to the world. They’re mature. They’re saints.
In the meantime, I pray that this young man will come under the influence of mature Christians who can direct his passion and guide him to the fulness of the truth.
Wonderful response! I am sharing your link on my facebook page as well. Thank you!
AMEN!! What an absolutely great response!
Read your last paragraph. You are making a very personal judgement on that youngs mans life and yet you do not know him at all. Maybe it would be best to have a relationship with him first. However, I understand and agree with what your saying. But the spiritual pride that I hear in your words against this man is distasteful. And in the end, it’s a semantics battle anyways.The video is using the word “religion” to mean all the negative and heartless duties of religion that don’t please God. He is, In a sense, speaking to the modern day pharisee which Jesus called “white washed tombs” which is where he got his line “perfume on a casket”. They obeyed religion but had no heart for God. Now on the other hand, religion can also mean all the wonderful laws and rituals that Jesus instituted for the church but even in this case it is not specific enough because Islam and Buddhism are also considered religions but as Christians we wouldn’t endorse the teachings and practices of those religions would we? So the word “Christianity” is a much better and more accurate replacement of the word religion. So to mar the word “religion” is no threat here. And remember, it’s Jesus who GIVES us an obediant heart to follow his laws, so if our relationship with him isnt our primary focus, we won’t obey anyways. And I would also submit that anyone who has an authentic relationship with Christ WILL be learning the truth. Why do you assume that having a relationship with Jesus Christ will mean that people will stop going to church or learn the truth or disobey the laws of God?
Religion is defined in the Book of James. The young man in the video is unhappy with the system of “religion” (as commonly understood to be an established system of beliefs). In fact, most of the young people (teens through 30′s) of this generation see right through it. They want more than what the administration of the church and the system of religion. It does not show relationship and does not provide an experience with our Creator, and it’s hyper repetitive with no quantitative result . 80% of what a person learns about God, is not during a church service, but constant communication with the Father, and if that involves learning and executing the nuances of hermeneutics an exegesis, then that’s how it is.
I attended a great Bible College in Alberta, Canada and I was filled with great theology and doctrine, and if anything, that experience gave me the tools to feed my hunger for God. But had it not been for my constant walk and extra-church experience with Jesus, it would have been a “clanging symbol.”
I think you missed the heart of what this kid was saying. Not everyone gets a Bible degree, but every Christian has a deep desire to experience God any the system of church and religion is not helping guide those who want it more than anything.
Although I agree with your post, I do understand the young man. I believe he used the wrong word. The traditions and the set of customs we have in the church is great, but the truth is sometimes we get so caught up in doing things religiously that we forget the reason why we are doing it. We don’t read the bible for sheer knowledge but to get a deeper relevation of the one we love or claim to love (Christ). If our ways of doing things doesn’t make us more like Christ, then we are wasting our time. It basically boils down to a heart issue as well. So Yeah, that’s all I wanted to say.
“it is a relationship of marriage, not puppy-love”
Perfect!, as a convert I have been trying to ponder why folks are drawn out of the true Church and into the new non-denomination denomination Evangelicalism, and I realized that it is partly because there is some truth mixed with the warm fuzzy Jesus is my homeboy theology.
The other part is what you touch on with the puppy love analogy, as one of the reasons new relationships are so exciting is because they are part fantasy, the “other” is still more of the person you think you want than the true person they are. It is this very honeymoon stage that we tried to keep the kids in when I was a youth leader, with our endless praise and worship song fests and vanity short term mission trips. I rarely remember actually truly studying or teaching anything about the early church or even scripture. We never let the kids, or ourselves, meet the real Jesus; but just an idea of the lover who looks across the table at us with googly eyes, never noticing the nail holes in His hands.
This is why their is always some new church popping up, because we like the dating, but we’re not ready to settle down . . . and so goes the history of Protestant America.
Great article! I think the young poet did use an improper definition of religion.His poem was directed at todays pharisees who mistake the external for the real, and to those who then misuse the external appearance to pass judgement while feeling morally superior to others. Perhaps religiosity our a religious spirit was the former, whole legalism may better describe the latter. Not understanding the difference will cause is to throw the baby out with the water. Discipline and duty are party of love, and thus we sanctify ourselves for our beloved. However, discipline and duty without love, is burdensome and deathly. May the Lord kindle a fire of Love within us that we may live Holy lives, just as our Father is Holy!
I wonder, and this is just speculation, but I wonder if this man may have not used the right wording, but is trying to get across something along the lines of Amos 5:21-27 (“I hate, I despise your religious festivals…”).
It just seems to me that he may have meant that Jesus was opposed to the Pharisees, who were “religious” only for themselves and their own holiness, not to actually worship God and give Him the glory. This sort of “religion’ leaves a bad taste in people’s mouths, and then end up hating the idea of traditions because they bundle them all together.
So, maybe what he should have titled it is “Jesus > Empty Rituals”.
I really appreciate your take on this, which I hadn’t thought of before, this is just a thought that came to me that I wanted to share.
I tend to agree with Cassidy. I believe this response to the video is misunderstood. I think the video was referring to dead religion born out of the desire to look good and be seen. I feel this young man is for a religion born out relationship with God as sons and daughters of the Most High. Godly works are born out of the revelation of the grace we have been shown through salvation. Our motives even as believers isn’t always pure, but our desire to be obedient to God leads us to good works, baptism, and the taking of communion. This is good religion come from the heart of obedience. Which is very much a part of the relationship.
Thank you for writing this. I was thinking of organizing my responses to that video you were referring to, and i stumbled upon this text. Thank you for writing this, and i do pray that it reaches as many people as possible. i will be sharing this on facebook.
i don’t think the poet was saying works don’t mean anything. He said he believes in living right for God but it’s not about following tradition. I think he represented James 1:27 very well “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Excellent response Fr. I have a response to Mr. Bethke too on DOES JESUS HATE RELIGION TOO? http://www.gadel.info/2012/01/does-jesus-hate-religion-too.html
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72% of the millenial generation describes themselves as “spiritual but not religious” More than blog posts and critiques of this video, this trend needs to be responded to both aggressively AND compassionately among all Christians. My take on this – this video doesn’t need to be refuted, these kids needs to be engaged. I would love to have a beer with Jeff and have a real dialogue: http://pursuedbytruth.blogspot.com/2012/01/why-i-hate-religion-but-love-jesus-beer.html