Why I Hate Trendy Gimmicks and Love True Religion.

It seems religion has fallen on hard times lately. At least that’s the word on web, following a video that went viral this week, titled, “Why I Hate Religion but Love Jesus.” Funny thing, too, because the word religion, as it has been defined for centuries, simply means beliefs shared by two or more people about deity, origins, morals, and purpose. Not so bad, huh? But verbal baggage has caused many to dislike the word to the point that it is now fashionable to disown it, even hate it.

If people would think more about the words they choose, they might realize the angst we feel toward religion, per se, is better directed toward error and hypocrisy. I say this because, at its core, religion is nothing more than the mutual faith of a community. The apostle James says there is even such a thing as ‘true religion’ which serves the needs of others as a result of having heartfelt faith held in common with others. [James 1:26-27]

I can’t help but wonder, however, if some of the millions who love this video really do hate religion—shared beliefs about God and our relation to him. Look around our culture. The vogue of our day, more than any previous age, is to be individualistic. Everyone wants to define truth according to his or her own instincts and feelings, without accountability to the perspectives of others who may possess greater expertise or experience. We wish instead to fashion reality after our image, with all the self-referential control of a personal profile page, ticking preferences about what constitutes truth, beauty, and goodness, and imagining somehow it so in real life. The lure of commercialism is to have things just the way we want, and technology feeds our belief that somehow this is possible.

Spirituality is not exempt from the influence of popular trends, including extreme forms of individualism. I expect many who profess faith in Christ nevertheless seek to live apart from the community he instituted. Yet to have spiritual beliefs only as individual, not holding one’s faith in common with others, is not only to be without true religion but to be without the church. The bible teaches believers are part of the greater body of Christ, a body which we are each dependent upon and necessary members of. From ancient times Christians referred to the true church as catholic, or universal. They did so because, despite geographic and ethnic boundaries, the community of Christ was one organism and held certain ideas and practices in common everywhere.

It is more important than ever to be careful when choosing our words, because they spread faster than ever. Christians who dislike the word religion should remember faith plants us into a community with certain essential beliefs and institutions, and that is really what the word means. Instead, they should call out hypocrisy and false doctrine. But to those who still dislike religion, I say being part of a spiritual community means subjecting one’s beliefs to the scrutiny of others, so I am not surprised when some strive against corporate expressions of faith. Usually they are avoiding God-ordained elders to whom they would be held accountable for their ideas and actions. Simply put, you can’t love the Jesus of the bible and hate religion. But of course we already know this if we are developing our theology at the feet of qualified elders more than from hipstianity lessons on YouTube.

By Michael Spotts:. www.michaelspotts.com
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