With so much going on in the church world, many people are becoming discontent with churches. Below is a video of one young man, Jefferson Bethke, who put how he felt about the whole church scene. Some people didn’t appreciate what he said and some did.
Below the video are the words of the poem in case you prefer to read them verses listening to him. Let me know what you think after you’ve viewed it.
Spoken Word Video
Words to Poem
What if I told you, Jesus came to abolish religion?
What if I told you getting you to vote republican, really wasn’t his mission?
Because republican doesn’t automatically mean Christian,
And just because you call some people blind, doesn’t automatically give you vision.
If religion is so great, why has it started so many wars?
Why does it build huge churches, but fails to feed the poor?
Tells single moms God doesn’t love them if they’ve ever been divorced
Yet God in the Old Testament actually calls the religious people whores
Religion preaches grace, but another thing they practice,
Tend to ridicule God’s people; they did it to John the Baptist,
Can’t fix their problems, so they try to mask it,
Not realizing that’s just like sprayin’ perfume on a casket
Because the problem with religion is that it never gets to the core,
It’s just behavior modification, like a long list of chores.
Let’s dress up the outside, make things look nice and neat,
It’s funny that’s what they do to mummies, while the corpse rots underneath,
Now I ain’t judging I’m just saying be careful of putting on a fake look,
Because there’s a problem if people only know that you’re a Christian by that little section on your Facebook
In every other aspect of life you know that logics unworthy
It’s like saying you play for the Lakers just because you bought a jersey
But see I played this game too; no one seemed to be on to me,
I was acting like church kid, while addicted to pornography.
I’d go to church on Sunday, but on Saturday getting faded,
Acting as if I was simply created to have sex and get wasted.
Spend my whole life putting on this façade of neatness,
But now that I know Jesus, I boast in my weakness.
If grace is water, then the church should be an ocean,
Cuz it’s not a museum for good people, it’s a hospital for the broken
I no longer have to hide my failures I don’t have to hide my sin,
Because my salvation doesn’t depend on me, it depends on him.
Because when I was Gods enemy and certainly not a fan,
God looked down on me and said, “I want that man!”
Which is so different from religious people, and why Jesus called ’em fools?
Don’t you see he’s so much better than just following some rules?
Now let me clarify, I love the church, I love the bible, and I believe in sin
But my question is, if Jesus were here today, would your church let Him in?
Remember He was called a drunkard and a glutton by “religious men”
The Son of God not supported self-righteousness, not now, not then.
Now back to the topic, one thing I think is vital to mention,
How Jesus and religion are on opposite spectrums,
One is the work of God one is a man made invention,
One is the cure and one is the infection.
Because Religion says do, Jesus says done.
Religion says slave, Jesus says son,
Religion puts you in shackles but Jesus sets you free.
Religion makes you blind, but Jesus lets you see.
This is what makes religion and Jesus two different clans,
Religion is man searching for God, but Christianity is God searching for man.
Which is why salvation is freely mine, forgiveness is my own,
Not based on my efforts, but Christ’s obedience alone.
Because he took the crown of thorns, and blood that dripped down his face
He took what we all deserved, that’s why we call it grace.
While being murdered he yelled “father forgive them, they know not what they do”,
Because when he was dangling on that cross, he was thinking of you
He paid for all your sin, and then buried it in the tomb,
Which is why I’m kneeling at the cross, now saying, “Come on there’s room.”
So know I hate religion, in fact I literally resent it,
Because when Jesus cried, “It is finished,” I believe He meant it.
My Opinion
Personally, I enjoyed the video and understood where he was coming from. I have also had some of the same experiences as him. I don’t believe every church is bad or the leaders are only out for themselves. However, I have seen things in churches that I can definitely say, “Did anyone read the Bible? Does it really say that (whatever that is) or is this a new commandment (as in – the leader just made this up)?” So, I don’t think Bethke was hating on God’s people like some of his critics say. I thought he was clear in what he said, how he said, and what he meant.
What do you think? What has been your experience with your church? Hopefully, I’ll get a lot of good experiences from you all.
