I’ve seen a lot of my friends post links to the YouTube video of the guy bustin rhymes about how he Loves Jesus but hates Religion.
My very first thought on seeing the video’s title the first time was “that’s like loving money but hating work.” I mean, come on! “Jesus” is the cool and cozy and lovable, likeable rebel for reform. Loving Jesus isn’t (for many people) a huge stretch. If you entertain thoughts of Christianity, Jesus is generally the big draw.
But Religion? When people hear “religion” nowadays they muddle it up in their head with thoughts of the Inquisition, The Crusades, bombs in the U.K. They confuse Religion with Dogma and Legalism and politicized moral issues. I daresay that these are things that by turns embarrass, shame, anger, frustrate and confuse most people–Christian or not.
Religion in its most basic form, however, is to Jesus exactly what work is to money. Religion is how you Get Jesus. It is the set of processes one goes through to become more Christlike.
Religion is
–prayer
–Bible study
–Fellowship with believers
–Worship
–Acts of Devotion
If you want to grow closer to what God has asked of you in exchange for Grace, these are the steps you take.
Now I know that one of the reasons this video is so popular is because there is a growing discontent with the function of Sundaychurch in America. People no longer find the traditional churches satisfactory because of sociological, political or cultural difference with what Sundaychurch has become. Dogmatic wrangling overshadows the benefits and more and more people are choosing to go without.
Is this a good thing? I’m really not quite sure. I know without a doubt that one can find all five necessary facets for the practice of Religion outside of a church setting. I know many who do, seeking fellowship in small accountability groups and performing Acts of Devotion in the larger community.
But my concern is that there is an insidiousness to saying we Love Jesus but Hate Religion. By throwing the wheat out with the chaff we may just starve our souls.
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I wrote this post on the iPhone and didn’t have a handy way to get to the video and the other links I think are great to look at alongside it.
–The Original Video
–Kevin DeYoung’s excellent rebuttal
–Kevin DeYoung’s follow-up exchange with the guy in the video after DeYoung’s rebuttal went wide.
Religion to many is attendance at church on Sunday. Monday thru Saturday is put aside for the world. Satan believes in religion, Jesus, and allowing those who place their faith in works and Sunday attendance to condemn themselves to hell. Salvation is only found through realization that you are a sinner, that your sin deserves judgment, that Jesus died for your sins, was buried, resurrected and lives at the right hand of God in heaven. The Holy Bible says that is the only way to salvation. I believe that is right. But salvation is only the beginning. In your walk with Christ you study the word, pray, and grow as a Christian. If you do this you will seek other Christians to fellowship with. Worshiping Jesus and fellowshiping with other Christians is not dogma. That is simply the result of salvation. But remember attendance in church on Sunday alone is a straight route to hell.
Started to watch it but I turned it off ’cause I’ve heard it all before.
Christianity is ultimately relational: with God, with ourselves, with others. It’s sterile theology until it’s lived out in context of other people.
Like it or not, Jesus founded His church – communities of folks “called out” to be like-minded, like-hearted in their devotion to reflect Him and His Kingdom.
It’s flaccid thinking to separate Him from His church, and the (dare I use the term) definite Doctrines (read “Dogma”) He embodied. Follow that divorce-logic through and it winds up betraying everything Jesus stood, died and rose again for.
Brother Rapper needs to stop thinking so highly of himself and keep looking for a good church. They are out there.
Well, other than separating Doctrine from Dogma (to my mind there’s a difference), it seems like we’re saying the same thing but you’re able to say it more succinctly.
I _do_ think there is room to find different ways of being churched; as a Mennonite I am quite fond of the home meeting and outward Acts of Devotion. Not to rip off Calvin and his five points, though, I really believe that those five things I listed are part of the necessary growth of being a Christian.
It took me awhile to watch the video because I was pretty sure that I knew what the guy was going to say. (I love how people think they are the first to have an idea just because they’ve never heard it before.) I ended up watching it because I started seeing it being posted by more older, more traditional folk and figured if it has that much reach I need to know precisely what was said and how it was said so that I could talk about it. I think the poet was very sincere and mostly goodhearted. I got that he was trying to stress love and grace. It’s just unfortunate that he felt he had to insult some people to do it.
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I know this is probably a more Roman Catholic way to look at it, but I’ve always understood that Doctrine is what we have from the Bible and Dogma includes not only Doctrines but how a particular church has interpreted those Doctrines. A good example is Baptism. The idea of Baptism itself is a Doctrine. But Believer’s Baptism–that one must be an adult of free will and choosing to be baptised–is a Dogma.
I’ve been reading Dorothy Sayers lately, so her use of the word “Dogma” is sticking with me. (Although under your definition I hold free-will baptism to a Doctrine but regard foolishness like Damnation of Unbaptized Infants to be Dogma. Really, really vile dogma.)
I did watch the entire video and I agree his demeanor and criticism is far more creative, articulate, and good-natured than many others I’ve encountered.
My point stands however. There are good churches, grace-driven ministries, and good Christians out there. To quote Ghandi at him. “Be the change in the world you wish to see.”
I get what you’re saying but, with this particular video, do you think he’s advocating a church boycott or is it more sloppy language? He does explicitly say that he loves his church (or “the church,” I don’t recall which off the top of my head).
Ugh. I should have been clearer; disadvantage to writing a blog post on the iPhone.
No, the poet isn’t saying “don’t go to church” at all. But that seems to be a part of what a lot of people are taking from it. There’s a modern movement that is anti-church already, and I do understand that…even if I don’t agree with it.
The “problem” is that most churches that have been around longer than 5 minutes is that they become almost–by default–very self-selected and self-limited. The folks that go there tend to be alike on socioeconomic, political and cultural levels–which is WHY they go there. They want a place to worship where they feel comfortable and if they have children they want those children influenced by people they are comfortable with. So you have folks who don’t fit in and who more and more often default to “church is a bad idea.”
I know we’ve talked here several times about why people are sloughing off from the church attendence rolls, and I still believe in all those reasons. This video and the increasingly popular philosophy it espouses* just seems to be giving folks a better, more angelic sounding reason for not being involved in church.
*(I’ve been seeing “Love Jesus, Hate religion” on FB Info Pages under Religion for the last year and a half)
The rapper in question is probably simplifying things, but most Jesus-based religions come with the teachings of his followers, too, some of whom where massive jerks (I’m lookin’ at you, Paul). Find me a church that’s willing to call Paul (and others) out on their anti-Christian ways, and I’ll think about going back.
IMHO the five points you list are inadequate. The most important thing that Jesus demanded was to love others.
This is the one thing that many churches and religions fail to do and why there is this attitude–I mean, do gay people really feel the love of the Southern Baptists?
Acts of Devotion encompasses Loving Others. And Serving Others.
To your point a lot traditional churchgoers sometimes forget that Acts of Devotion are more than working in the nursery or singing in the choir or going to the church workday. But out of our adoration for Christ and gratitude for Grace, we are to love all and serve all. The Bible is quite clear on that.
I think this is a good point though (and I think Kat’s response is valid as well). I see so many Christians who justify their beating of everyone else’s head with a giant rule book (which is the behavior I think this poet is kinda describing as “religion”) by saying they are fulfilling the great commission and “preaching the gospel” but what they seem to forget is that that wasn’t the way Jesus did it. Jesus just loved others, loved them perfectly and unconditionally, and then THEY came to him. Rarely is a disciple made through coercion.
It’s not so much that “religion” is bad but it’s that what is demonstrated as religion to the outside world is often anything but love, and frankly what passes for religion inside many churches is little more than pretense.
Dolphin – no disrespect, but you really need to spend more time reading the New Testament. Jesus loved people, yes, but He most certainly preached, drew definite lines, raised the bar, called individuals to commitment, and was confrontational in no uncertain terms.
The “Moth Theory” of evangelism has to be balanced by the realty of the “Cockroach Theory”. Some are drawn to the light, others run away.
ccglazier – I’ve read the Bible cover to cover several times but it has been awhile and I’m ALWAYS happy to learn more or even rediscover something I’ve forgotten. If you could point out a few specific passages in which Jesus tracked down and berated people who didn’t want to listen to him, I’d appreciate it. Just 3 or 4 to get me started in the right direction would be fine.
I aplogize for the tone of my previous message. I can’t delete it, but I can revisit it and say what I should have said.
ccglazier – While I have read the New Testament rather in depthly, I certainly don’t claim to know everything in it by heart. I agree that Jesus “certainly preached, drew definite lines, raised the bar, called individuals to commitment, and was confrontational in no uncertain terms” however, I don’t believe (even after rereading) that my comment indicated he did not. What my comment states is that Jesus didn’t go bossing people around the way many modern Christians do. He sat down with prostitutes and tax collecters and all manner of people who other religious leaders at the time found too unsavory. And I don’t recall even one instance in those stories where Jesus (unasked) told them they were wrong, or that they needed to change, or what have you. He simply loved them. And it’s that capacity for love that led these people to WANT to learn how they could capture that capacity for themselves. That’s when they asked questions; that’s when people flocked to hear the teachings.
What I’m suggesting is that if your “cockroaches” ran from the light, Jesus never chased them down, he just continued to shine. If you can cite passages to the contrary, I would genuinely like to read them.
Pure and undefiled religion:
http://mypresenttense.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/simple-faith-a-pure-and-undefiled-religion-hate-the-game-not-jesus/
So instead of having any conversation about my post at all you just drop a link to your post? Not sure if you realise this, but that is REALLY bad nettiquette.
Fair enough. I guess I was trying to start dialogue. I’m not really 100% on how you define religion. And, though religion in the right definition means well, I’m sure Jeff (the guy in the video) wasn’t defining religion the same way you are. To me it’s semantics, missing the point.
I love Jesus, he gave me alot of comfortness, but religion and church gave me a lot of sorrows, a lot of tears, far more than anyone else. My parent went on a mission, and this church didnt show any care and appreciations, not even one single phone call. I am desperate and leave church. JESUS is awesome, but this church is hell, many sorrows comes from it and now i am wounded that never will be heal.