Spiritual but Not Religious

The title here (I may have used it before) is a popular phrase today, and recently inspired a U-Tube video poem (rap) by Jeff Bethke. His beginning shock phrase for the poem is, “Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus.” Jeff is a 20 year old who attends a mega church and has a huge following, popular at high schools, appeared on CBS This Morning and ABC’s Nightline and his video is viral. He obviously hits a sympathetic note with a lot of people, particularly the young.

One Michigan pastor took his poem apart word by word and verse by verse pointing out inaccuracies, which Jeff took seriously and humbly. As for myself, I rather enjoyed his poem which was well photographed and presented; but I also found it youthful and naïve. Why not, he is only 20 after all even though he seems to experienced a lot of stuff.

In truth, most of us have had a love-hate relationship with the church; I know I have even though I served that institution for most of my adult life. The young are often quick to point out the hypocrisy of the church, saying one thing and doing another. They become aware of the incredible evil the church has done over the ages and are often forgetful or just don’t know the good it has done. From my cynical viewpoint I’m often more surprised when I see the church doing good rather than acting badly; but I see both constantly.

One of the things I love about Christianity is its embrace of paradox. We believe that Jesus was totally God and totally man (we theologian types call that the hypostatic union because we like big words.) The church is a paradox; it is a human institution with all the limits and foibles of human institutions while also is the visible embodiment of the invisible body of Christ. So why should we be so befuddled when churches or members of churches act like evil idiots? The church is not for “good” folk, it is for people who realize they are not so good and need outside help, God’s help, grace. And when grace takes place in the church it is wonderful.

The church is responsible for the teachings of Jesus even when we get them all screwed up and members of the church draw opposite conclusions of what Jesus taught. But it this is the greatest treasury of the teachings and biblical interpretation. Human beings need to work in groups to get what Jesus taught to get things as best they can. We need Christian community and that is the main problem I have with folk who proclaim they are spiritual but not religious. They believe they can do it, have a relationship with God all by themselves better than they can in a group and that just goes against what Jesus taught. Where we gather together in his name Jesus is there is what he taught. I know if I don’t regularly attend church, worship with other folk struggling to be disciples of Jesus, my life doesn’t work well. I need to worship God to keep myself in perspective and I need others to help me do that.

Jeff Bethke, keep on writing poems, attending church, and reflecting upon Jesus and the church. Or in the vernacular, keep trying to get your spiritual shit together. But also realize, you never will, it is a life long process.