If you don't know what I'm talking about because you live under a rock or something, here is the video in question:
My interest is in the conversation surrounding this poem that I believe can be as (or even more) encouraging as the video itself. The author/performer Jefferson Bethke has some great things to say, but some of his statements have theological implications perhaps he (and many viewers) aren't aware of. Like I said, there is too much going on here to allow this video to exist in a vacuum, there needs to be thoughtful responses. The Gospel Coalition provided a great response you can find here. Kevin DeYoung's essay led to a conversation between himself and Jefferson Bethke that is an encouraging example of how to respond to such a critique.
I wanted to write my own response but before I could I found one of my closest friends (and he is the guy who convinced me to major in historical theology so if you've ever heard me talk about Luther, Calvin, Kierkegaard, Augustine, Moody, or anyone else in Church history you can thank him) had written a response that hit on every one of my points and added a few more, and all more eloquently than I would have. To not think critically about such things is to become consumers of Christian culture and theology, rather than an active participant. Here's to hoping believers are pointed to a deeper love and devotion to Christ and the Church as a result of the poem and the responses it's inspired. So here is my friend Tom's entire essay, which I have nothing to add to beyond a resounding "ditto!"
Why I Love Religion and Jesus (but for different reasons!) A Brief Response to Spoken Word
By Tom Breimaier
I love Jesus and religion. There, I said it. This video, gone viral across the global canvas of Facebook this past week, crafted by Spoken Word author/rapper Jefferson Benthke, has hit my newsfeed multiple times across this past week. Many of my friends have suggested how it resonated with their experience..., while others just seem to be intrigued by its overall message. I should begin by saying two things: First, I understand what he is trying to say in his message, specifically the Gospel message that salvation is a free gift of God that cannot be affected by your own works. I agree with this, I agree wholeheartedly. If you posted this video or enjoyed it please don't think you've been placed on my list of naughty theologians. Second, my quarrel with this video is about the language Benthke uses to get his point across. To be a Christian and hate religion is a rather untenable position. Saying that "Jesus and religion are on opposite spectrums" is somewhat implausible. What Benthke is trying to say (at least what I hope he's trying to say) is that he hates legalism and the "ritual" element of Christianity. That is to say that the act of going to church, hanging out with other Christians, taking communion, and worshiping on Sundays does not make you any more right with God than anybody else. Getting right with God requires, per the words of Christ himself and subsequent Epistles, repentance and belief. More specifically, repenting of the sin that so easily entangles and has characterized your life, and belief that in the perfect life and substitutionary death of Christ you can be put right with God. In case you're new to this conversation, this is essentially Christianity 101.
I should also say that I do agree with his critique of legalism in the church. Let's be clear, however, that legalism and religion are not synonymous, and if your church teaches or tolerates legalism, its time to find a new church. This also goes against those who sit in the pews week by week who are there out of routine or habit. If you genuinely believe that church attendance will make you a Christian, it is also time to find a new church, or at the very least start paying more attention at the one you are attending!
My ultimate frustration with this video is the disrespect with which Mr. Benthke throws the Church under the bus, I don't think he's being particularly fair or honest here. For the record, him saying "Don't get me wrong, I love the church," in my mind, is not a justification for the rest of his statements. I suggest we think of it this way: the Gospel is the love of God come down to earth in the form of Jesus Christ. Religion is one form of humanity's expression of our own love returned to God. You can't read the Bible very far without encountering examples of religion. When God asked for sacrifices in the Old Testament, those burnt offerings (and the accompanying services) were an exercise of religion. The construction of the tabernacle and temples throughout the history of Israel, again, religion. When Christ himself received circumcision, baptism, celebrated Jewish festivals, they were him practicing religion! This makes it somewhat difficult to make the blanket statement that "Jesus hated religion." Christianity stands on the shoulders of Judaism as it rises in corporate worship each week to learn the Word of God, partake in the sacraments, and most importantly, worship the Triune God. To call religion a "man-made invention" is, well, wrong. Anyone reading the Bible can see that God spends the pages of Scripture (and the rest of history) calling people to Himself, and instructing them to come together to worship Him. Who created and built Israel? God. Who is the Lord of the Church, the author and finisher of faith? God. It is rather easy to be an armchair theologian in America and call religion an "infection," but I feel as if the scores of martyrs in the global church who gather together to worship, at the very significant risk of being caught in a hail of bullets from assault rifles, would largely disagree with this sentiment, and I'd gladly stand with them in that conviction.
To wrap this up, I'm pretty sure that if I sat down with Jefferson Benthke, we would probably agree on most aspects of the faith. That said, both he and I have the same responsibility to be careful with the words we use. To say that religion is "like spraying perfume on a casket" is a rather significant insult on the men and women who day in and day out lead a group of converted sinners to the foot of the Cross and to worship their Savior in spirit and in truth. Furthermore, in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul and other go to great lengths to suggest that the people of God are to live and worship together as a community (see the book of Acts) while they perform the rites of communion, baptism, and public worship. Multiple sections of Paul’s letters are very likely hymns that the early Church would have sung. The idea of public worship being primarily evangelistic also goes back to the Old Testament, where the Israelites under captivity would meet together to sing in corporate worship, to sing aloud that “the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” In their act of public worship they proclaimed the One God, all while located in cities that worshiped a plurality of deities. It is also a bit ironic that he uses the perfume analogy, as Jews and Christians have, for millennia, burned incense as a symbol of anointing the prayers of the faithful. It was also perfume that Mary poured out on the feet of Christ at great expense to her, but symbolic of her devotion to her Lord. I love Jesus for what He did on my behalf, something I will never deserve or be able to earn on my own. I love religion because it is the context in which I can do the work that my reawakened life in Christ called me to do. Again, I am not calling Jefferson out, these are not "fightin' words," but I do believe that we will all stand accountable for what we say, and I take this equally seriously myself. I simply hope that in the future he (and all of us) might strive for clarity over controversy, particularly in our proclamation of the Gospel.
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