Jesus v. Religion: Are We Missing the Point?

I have a feeling that some who read this are going to walk away disagreeing with me or even being upset by my standpoint, and that's okay. I do ask, however, that even if you get upset or don't want to finish this blog, at least watch the link at the end of this post. I think it puts the original Why I Hate Religion clip in better context. Over 15.5 million people have watched "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus" clip, but less than 400,000 have watched him give his testimony. I think you can better understand his point if you watch the testimony video. And beside that, the analogy at the end is pretty boss.

In the past few weeks a video has made the rounds on facebook. The video is called "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus". Every time I log in I see people either sharing it because it touched them, or debating its merits. Basically, it is a poem written by Jefferson Bethke, a young man, in which he states that Jesus came to abolish religion, and proceeds to describe the problems with religion and how it is different from a relationship with Jesus. I'm going to write this blog with the assumption that you have viewed it. I'm not going to argue for or against the points he makes because although there are things in it I don't agree with and there are some things I completely endorse, I really don't want to focus on his words, I want to focus on his intent.

I have heard people argue that he takes cheap shots at Republicans because he mentions them, but not Democrats. I have heard people debate the line "if religion is so great then why has it started so many wars?" (which, by the way, he doesn't specify which religions start wars. And fact is, a lot of wars in history have been fought in the name of religion, all types of relgion. There are even ties between Hitler and false religions, but I'll save that for another day.) And I've heard people say that he is unnecisarily critical of churches when he says "why does it build huge churches but fails to feed the poor." But in so many of these criticisms that I have read on facebook statuses and in blogs, the thing that stands out the most is that very few critics a rejoicing for what God did in this young man's life.

Here is a young man who has now told over 15 million strangers that he was addicted to pornography and only cared about sex and partying and instead of rejoicing over the change God's love has had in his life, we are criticizing his method. The ironic part is that this young man is speaking out against hypocrisy and modern-day pharisees, and his testimony was met with such disdain. People are arguing and tearing apart every word and missing the big picture, the young person is trying to tell people about a God who loved him when religion failed him. Most of these critics are proving his point.

I'm not asking you to accept every word he said, but I'm asking you to listen with your spiritual ears to what his point was. I have attached the link to his testimony. He was a young man abandoned by his father, and forced to go to church by his mother even though she was not a believer. He spent his days and nights pursing lustful desires, but made sure that he carried the facade on the outside that he had learned at church until he had a real encounter with a God who loves him. Religion failed to make him whole, but Jesus restored him and he could not stay silent. I applaud his courage. Most young people today can't formulate a testimony to save their life and even if they did, they are not bold enough to share it. He is shining a light on serious issues amongst "church kids".

Maybe the reason people are so critical of this video is because they don't want to admit that he is right about hypocrisy in the church. I've said before and I'll say again, young people always want to say those older than us are hypocrites, but you can be a young hypocrite just like you can be an old one. We see the bible verses on Sunday morning being posted on facebook, but we also see where they spent their Saturday nights. I especially appreciate the fact that Bethke admitted to a sin that is eating young people (even in the church) alive, pornography addictions. That is a sin that is easily hidden, and he could have kept it a secret, but he was open about it and how God delivered him from it. Even if that was all he said, I would have loved him for sharing it.

The line that probably touched me the most was "I love the church, I love the bible, and yes, I believe in sin, but if Jesus came to your church would they actually let them in?" Which was a fair question and maybe another reason people have such strong emotions about the poem. I have absolutely seen people be shut out from church because they didn't look, act, or dress right. I saw it and did nothing, so I am just as guilty as those who rejected these people. This young man is not trying to tear the church down, he is trying to open our eyes to truth. Religion failed him and left him in the dark for too long, but Christ set him free. When is the last time you came across a young person who was so passionate about the change in himself that he could not be silent, even in the face of ridicule? What are we teaching young people when one of them shares his heart and is met with 5 page essays breaking down every syllable and tearing him down? I choose to affirm his words. I choose to support those who share the Gospel in creative ways. Even if his words were controversial, over 15 million people watched a video with the line "When He was dangling on that cross, He was thinking of you." He reached more people than I ever can, and I choose to lift him up in prayer, praise God for his transformation, and pray that God would continue to raise up young people who will be bold enough to share their testimonies.


This is Jefferson Bethke's testimony, given at a FCA meeting. His candidness with these students touched me, please watch and see if this doesn't put his poem in a different context for you.