The Face of Religion

by Eric Novak on January 14, 2012

I’m gay.* You’re probably surprised by this and I guarantee that you didn’t see it coming. I’m sitting here, writing this article, and I’m gay. The thing is, I’m not homosexual, I’m just happy. If you ask the culture 50 years ago what the word, “gay” meant, it would most definitely be, “merry, cheerful, jolly and joyful.” The word didn’t pick up sexual innuendo until the late 20th century. These days most people wouldn’t dream of using the word out of the context of homosexuality, though the original meaning still remains true.  *I’m straight.

In the same way, the word, “religion” has a double meaning, yet our reaction to that double meaning may not be necessary. Lets define “religion” with the Encarta World English Dictionary:

1). People’s beliefs and opinions concerning the existence, nature, and worship of a deity or deities, and divine involvement in the universe and human life. 2). A particular institutionalized or personal system of beliefs and practices relating to the divine. 3). A set of strongly-held beliefs, values, and attitudes that somebody lives by 4). An object, practice, cause, or activity that somebody is completely devoted to or obsessed by.

Christianity is religion just as Buddhism and Catholicism are religions. Yet the assumed definition means something totally different to the average person.

I see religion as a Christian group of people that God has chosen to as His own, given the Holy Spirit and begun conforming to His image. I see them as my family, people who I love and care about. I see them as fellow sinners, covered by the Grace of God. Yet this view is only born of a transformed heart and it is not what a non-christian sees, apart from the work of God (John 3:20-21).

To the non-Christian, religion means Westboro Baptist Church, picketing soldiers graves and waving signs that say, “God Hates America.” Religion means angry preachers on street corners condemning people to hell, gunmen who shoot abortionists, shiny haired preachers who say you just need a little more faith to be rich and famous, republican politicians making false promises, irate protesters of homosexuality and crazy, irrelevant, people passing judgement and hate. That’s what religion looks like in the public eye.

That’s exactly the stereotype that people are struggling with when they watch the now viral video, “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus.” Jefferson Bethke, who has netted almost 8 million views in just a few days, attacks the public view of religion (legalistic moralism), while he still holds fast to the standard definition of religion. But here’s the thing that needs to come across in the video: Religion isn’t the issue. We don’t need to change terms to reach be relevant. In a changing English language, the core of Christianity will always stay the same, even while words morph into different meanings. We don’t need to be concerned about our image, we just need to preach the Gospel and allow God to change hearts. People who hate organized religion aren’t really hating God, they’re hating who they think He is. When those people are hit by the saving grace of the Gospel, Jesus forgives, Jesus equips, Jesus transforms, Jesus changes and as people go about their lives, they are forgiven and redeemed by His blood. As Grace pours into people, thankfulness and righteousness will continue to pour out of them and into other people, bringing glory to God.

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Mark Driscoll, Tim Tebow & Cultural Barriers

by Eric Novak on January 12, 2012

Seattle isn’t a conservative’s paradise, it’s more like a conservative’s hell. In fact, in Seattle, the conservatives are liberal, at least by Bible belt standards. Growing up in Northern Illinois, close to Chicago, I got the best of both worlds – a lukewarm area where people made more than they were worth and poured it into their expensive houses and fancy cars. I was a middle-man, laughing at the antics of extreme right-wing conservatives in Georgia and cringing at the “swearing pastor” in Washington. Who would figure that a few years later, I would be out in Seattle working at the church of a pastor I hated?

It rains a lot here in Seattle as well, but not nearly as much as the locals complain about. There are enough clear days for the poems that people write about Mars Hill to stay stapled to the telephone poles close to the church. On the other hand when it does rain and the soggy poems fall to the ground, the spray-painted sidewalks remain untouched, “No hell below and above us, only the sky” stenciled carefully in white paint, specifically for us intolerant Bible thumpers – just as the taggers on Halloween night left us a note in huge scrawled writing, “Accept people.” However, Seattle isn’t the least churched city in the US anymore and it’s been a while since people actually tried to come and have sex in our public restrooms because of a dare. As bad as all this sounds, Seattle is actually ripe for the picking, if you’re willing to be up front with people, get in their face, show them the Gospel and love them as sinners. This isn’t always comfortable, it isn’t always pleasant, warm and fuzzy. It means talking to the guy who’s on the bus, scratching his crotch, hopped up on heroin and oxeycodine, but it’s just as close to the heart of Gospel as cheering for Tebow after a long day of hard work.

That’s exactly where the Bible belt and the west coast split. Mark Driscoll is faced with conservatives that hates his blunt style and Tim Tebow comes up against the secular and liberal culture. In some ways, Mark Driscoll and Tim Tebow represent two sides of the board in our culture. Driscoll preaches, while Tebow publicly prays during a football game. Both are “Christian” things to do and both are acceptable, both are profitable and yet both are fallible because Driscoll and Tebow are human. Where we need to be cautious, is lifting up Driscoll or Tebow as standards. When they fail as leaders or examples, morally or theologically, we may find that we weren’t worshiping God, but rather worshiping God’s creation. Yet when they do fail, it will be up to us to remain faithful to an unchanging God, who works through our inadequacies.

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