Jesus vs. Religion-Spoken Word

There was a video that went completely viral on YouTube this week. Maybe you've seen it, or maybe you haven't.

I mean seriously, this video blew up! As did all the Facebook shares, posts and critiques about it.

Responses to Jeff's video have been varied across the board. Some hated it. Some loved it. The guy's heart is definitely in the right place. I struggled with the message however. Then I got angry with myself for overanalyzing a video that probably wouldn't have started a worldwide revolution anyway.

Truth is though, I did struggle. I was confused as to why people I know whose actions and life do not reflect Jesus and obedience to Christ were sharing the video. Then I got angry with people who claim to hate the church because of past shortcomings of church individuals. And then I got upset with myself for being confused and angry at other people. Because I practice religious disciplines and because I was judging the "irreligious" actions of others, did I actually succumb to living the horrible "religious" life that Jeff condemned in his video?

I ultimately (after prayer - which btw can be considered a religious discipline - and discussion with those wiser than me) came to grips with the existing and important distinction between religion and the Gospel. The truth is found in what my definition of religion is. Tim Keller spells out the distinction with a helpful comparative list in his book Gospel in Life (study guide p.16). Read it, check it out, it will do your soul good. Here's a sneak peek:

"Religion: I obey, therefore I am accepted
The Gospel: I am accepted, therefore I obey

Religion: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity
The Gospel: Motivation is based on grateful joy

Religion: I obey God in order to get things from God
The Gospel: I obey God to get to God, to delight and resemble Him"

Below are links to other articles and responses to Jeff's video. They are from contributing pastors of the Gospel Coalition and helped me out with my own processing.

"Jesus Was Religious"

"Does Jesus Hate Religion?" then read "Jefferson Bethke Responds"

"Religion and the Gospel"

I really like the last one. But don't take my word for it (don't take my word for anything except that, my word) read it yourself!

Blessings,
Adina

"So You're Religious Right?"

Finally, the post I've wanted to write about for so long! This question has been on my heart for the past month, and I haven't been able to process and write out my answer until now. For those of you who don't remember, last month one of my coworkers asked me the question "So you're religious right?" This was in response to a Facebook status I wrote about God's divine work in my mom's open heart surgery. I fumbled to find an answer to this question, for no apparent reason except for the fact that I do not live my life in order to be ready at any moment to share my faith clearly, boldly, and decisively.

Clearly, this has been bothering me a lot. Biblically, we are mandated to "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have" (1 Peter 3:15). Aside from the fact that it's hard to me to clearly communicate my beliefs; I think there were some tensions in what my answer should look/sound like. I know the first thing that spills out of the mouths of most Christians is "it's a relationship, not a religion," which to me is true, but I know that as a part of my relationship with God, I do practice certain disciplines that to a non-believer would be considered religious by definition (going to church, reading and studying the Bible, praying, fasting, etc.).

Now my following thoughts are based off an article from The Gospel Coalition specifically related to college/peer ministry. However, it's incredibly relevant and I think addresses my tensions in my answer to the title question really well. 

Thought #1 - There needs to be a shift from religion and relationship to Gospel.

Like I said previously, it's common for well-meaning Christians to say, "Being a Christian is not about religion. It's about a relationship." But honestly, I think this line is both tired and discounted by the unchurched (never been to church) and dechurched (left the church). Non-believers can rightfully point out much that is still "religious" about the Christian faith. (If they've done their research, they can reference verses like 1 Timothy 5:4 and James 1:26-27). And honestly, I'm not sure some non-believers will find talk of relationship very persuasive, because non-Christian "spiritual" people already have their pick of other of "spiritual relationships" from which to choose.

Both religion and relationship capture helpful aspects of what Christianity is, but I think neither word is strong enough to fully encompass what Christianity is about. Only GOSPEL can do that. The Gospel alone is the power of salvation for all who believe (Romans 1:16); no amount of our religious observance or relational feeling has the power to save.

Many of us are aware of how religion easily becomes a work, through legalistic observance of rules and rituals, but sometimes we forget that relationship can fall into some of the same traps. While the legalist chases adherence to the rules, the relationist chases the next feel-good moment. In this sense, relationship can become just another type of salvation by works among holier-than-thou people, going from one passionate mountaintop experience to another. Been there, done that!

Christianity is expressed and experienced in both religion and relationship. But it's not about either. Only the Gospel occupies that central place. The Gospel is not merely an initiation for new converts but the foundation for everyone. The Gospel - in all its depth, riches, and fullness - must be repeatedly proclaimed to believer and unbeliever, churched and unchurched alike.

Thought #2 - There needs to be a shift from compartmentalizing faith to full life engagement.

Many churches or campus/peer ministries believe they are adequately equipping students to live out their faith. However, too many of us focus only on private spiritual disciplines. While teaching these things is a must, missional ministry realizes that Christians must be equipped to think and live Christianly in every sphere of life. This means calling believers to whole person transformation - mind, body, and spirit - through the Gospel, a transformation that begins through the renewing of their minds (Romans 12:2). Grove City College did this so well! I attended college there for two years and we were required to take this Humanities core that was all about the Gospel and how it applied to history, art, music, literature, and most importantly, how it should shape our entire worldview.

Missional ministry constantly helps believers make sense of their lives from a deeply Christian perspective. Believers are helped to view relationships, work, school, money, entertainment, justice - and many other issues - from this Christian perspective. Missional outreach is familiar with and engages the various "gospels" proclaimed in culture, particularly through movies, music, TV, and the internet. This takes wisdom and discernment, as well as a deep awareness (and appreciation) of both the biblical and cultural narratives.

So there's definitely a lot more I could say, but I tried to be as concise as possible. If you know anything about me, then you probably know that this post itself took like 6 drafts and multiple publishing attempts. The "What has God been teaching you lately?" question, is an interesting one, because most of the time God's teaching me a lesson on one thing in so many different ways, either because I'm just not getting it, or it's an eternal lesson with so much depth and richness. God's mystery is part of His beauty, but I'm also so thankful that He's made Himself known to me, in whatever way my feeble human mind can comprehend.

Blessings,
-Adina