DEVOTED: Spoken Word Speaks Against Religion

By Kaitlin Schluter, editor-in-chief | Journalism major

Jefferson Bethke is redefining his relationship with religion.

His YouTube video “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus” went viral since it first released two weeks ago, accruing over 16 million hits. Bethke, a contributor to the online blog Chisel Season, is known for his spoken word homilies that concern controversial topics among Christians. This includes a past video on sexual struggles called “Sexual Healing.”

In his latest work, the 22-year-old explains how “Jesus and religion are on opposite spectrums.” Religion starts wars, according to Bethke, and puts people in bondage. Religion preaches grace, but doesn’t practice it. And while standing before a building as impressive as his message, Bethke raps: “See, one’s the work of God and one’s a man-made invention.”

Bethke touches on other topics throughout the four-minute clip. He further comments on the ways “religion” has responded to issues like poverty and divorce. He also speaks against those who label themselves “Christians” on Facebook, but don’t play the part.

But in response, not everyone is snapping.

The video has spurred much debate about the intended meaning of “religion,” especially in relation to the “Church.” This includes a verse-by-verse critique by a Michigan pastor named Kevin DeYoung on the blog, “The Gospel Coalition.” The post caught the eye of major faith-based media players, like Christianity Today, and the artist himself.

DeYoung argues that this piece reflects the frustration and confusion of most young believers today. The definition of “Church” offers a rigid dichotomy between “institution” and “body of believers.” From this standpoint, DeYoung sees the poem as holding both truth and falsity.

“Jesus didn’t hate religion,” writes DeYoung. He points to passages where Jesus creates the church (Matt. 16:18) and creates church discipline (Matt. 18:15-20). Religion can be bad when it is self-made (Col. 2:23), but DeYoung doesn’t see a biblical basis that polarizes religion and the Son of God. The religion portrayed here is subjective to the poet’s experience.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Bethke later justified that his video wasn’t meant to ridicule all religion. His purpose was rather to “write a poem against legalism, self righteousness, self-justification, and hypocrisy.” All of which are true, but the video keeps bringing me back to Ephesians 5:22-33. Here, the capital ‘C’ church is described as the bride of Christ. In verse 25, the passage relays that Christ loved the Church, offering His own body for the renewal of His bride. That doesn’t sound much like hating the church.

Bethke noted the same three days later on his Facebook wall, writing: “If a normal dude has [the] right to get pissed when you bash His wife, it makes me tremble to think how great the weight is when we do it to Jesus’ wife.”  The problem lies in a matter of word choice. But overall, Bethke’s spoken word offers a humbling opportunity for congregations to reflect on the ways they model this bride.

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