Jefferson Bethke is back, and this time with a more controversial poetry video. His “Jesus is Greater than Religion” has gone viral, posted I don’t know how many times on my facebook page. I have noticed an interesting element of these re-postings, however. One group of postings comes from a more evangelical leaning group from Southern Baptist circles, while my more reformed friends and those from Catholic and Orthodox denomination repost it with critiques in mind. Bethke certainly reveals his West coast Christianity concerned with social justice. He critiques the church generally, however, for not being concerned with issues of social justice.
This past week I read, for the first time, Dorothy Sayers’ classic essay “The Lost Tools of Learning,” and this essay from the 1940s has some implications for Bethke. Sayers’ wrote,
This past week I read, for the first time, Dorothy Sayers’ classic essay “The Lost Tools of Learning,” and this essay from the 1940s has some implications for Bethke. Sayers’ wrote,
Have you ever followed a discussion in the newspapers or elsewhere and noticed how frequently writers fail to define the terms they use? Or how often, if one man does define his terms, another will assume in his reply that he was using the terms in precisely the opposite sense to that in which he has already defined them? Have you ever been faintly troubled by the amount of slipshod syntax going about? And, if so, are you troubled because it is inelegant or because it may lead to dangerous misunderstanding?
Throughout his rapping/speaking/poetry, Bethke uses the word religion. Not once does he offer a definition of this term. In his Road to Emmaus blog post, Father Demack explains “ that religion is actually a rather great word, once you look inside it. It’s from Latin, and (at least in its etymological parts) it literally (and yes, I mean literally literally) means “reconnection” (re + ligio). Is that what you mean Jesus came to abolish? I had gotten the impression that reconnection was actually the purpose of His coming.” Father Demack has written a thorough critique of this video from both a literary and theological standpoint.
Bethke’s approach to religion has become increasingly popular, and is one reason for the popularity of his poor poetry. Religion has become a dirty word within emergent and seeker friendly church circles. Where Christians of previous generations understood their religion as way of understanding their duties to God owed out of gratitude for their salvation, today many hear “religion” and think of Pharisees and legalism. The danger of Bethke’s message lies in its lack of definition. If he used hypocrisy when he means hypocrisy, fine. By using religion indiscriminately, Bethke permits his viewers to quickly interpret his message as an attack on the institutional church. While he protests that he loves the church, his lack of definition and overall tone work to tear down the church he claims to love.
My father, Phillip Herring, preached a sermon related to this topic on New Year’s day, 2012. Entitled “The Church in 2012: Value and Identity,” he worked from Ephesians 5 and Romans 12, addressing the value of the church and the literal impossibility of claiming to love Jesus while refusing to value the very things He values. Christ died for the Church, and is returning for her. Christians should love the church, and consequently the religion which the church teaches. Christians should not be the first to criticize the church’s failings but rather jump to her defense.
Christianity is a religion. It has specific teachings based in a written text which are espoused by a global institution, the church. Bethke attempts to separate Jesus from the religion, but the things he criticizes do not belong to religion, but rather to sinful humanity living in hypocrisy. While on first hearing, his poetry seems to cater to Christians seeking a humble recognition of sin within the church, it actually lends itself to an attack on the Bride of Christ.
Having just married my bride less than a month ago, I can hardly imagine my listening to similar remarks about marriage and specifically my new wife without coming to her defense personally and to a greater degree to the defense of the institution of marriage. Criticism comes easy for all, however well thought out reasoned defense for the church today requires greater thought and time. How does this video edify and build up the body of Christ? Maybe a better video would be “Saved is Better than Lost” of “Life is Better than Death.” Now that’s a statement I could support!
While clarification is good and definition is helpful, you have served to soften the blows that his message has so deservedly inflicted. I don't know what your background is, but you see, Jefferson hit home with me and hit every note he should have hit.
ReplyDeleteNow I didn't go back to the Latin word for "religion". I just went to the English dictionary and this is what I found:
A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, USUALLY INVOLVING DEVOTIONAL AND RITUAL OBSERVANCES and often containing a MORAL CODE governing the conduct of human affairs. (emphasis added)
Now I doubt many people (the average facbook user) would watch the video and be like "he's talking about the latin rooted “reconnection” (re + ligio) and he wants to bash the bride of Christ! I think most of us have a different connection to the word "Religion".
Religion was the reason I didn't wear hair gel for half of my high school years. It was the reason I got rid of Christian rock albums. It was a code of conduct, and those that practiced it the best were able to avoid a "watered down faith" and could become closer to God. Did you see that? I PRACTICED things to be come CLOSER TO GOD.
Gal 3:5 "Answer this question: Does the God who lavishly provides you with his own presence, his Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does he do these things because of your strenuous moral striving or because you trust him to do them in you?"
I believe the definition of "religion" that you provided was erroneous and not needed here. I believe the common person perceives "religion" as "rituals and moral striving" and what Jefferson said was something I could hear a thousand times and not become sick of. Because in honesty, religion...moral striving is a disease and once you've become ensnared, it seems to be something you have to constantly shove down. I appreciate Jefferson for giving me the ammo to fight against feeling better about myself through self suffering, and I love that others feel the same...and with that said, I don't feel it is fitting to discourage it.