I am convinced that it isn’t the Christian faith that is hard to sell, it is the takeover of Christianity by religion. Here’s what religion looks like:
- The belief that if you get it wrong God will kill you, so you’d better and other’s had better be perfect.
- Religion is ultimately serious. Of course spirituality is earnest and important. But religion has always lacked a sense of humor. So many of Jesus’ statements were funny, aimed at being irreligious to the religious crowd. This is usually what people mean in the good sense by irreligious.
- Religion tries to make it as easy as possible. Get a set of rules and you don’t have to think. True spirituality is very hard work and without the Spirit is impossible.
- Religion majors on no’s. True spirituality takes sins of omission more seriously than those of commission.
- Religion majors on the other guy. True spirituality is pretty exhausted by their own sins before they get to the other guy.
- Religion goes nuts with gray. True spirituality lives with tensions and believe that all grays become blood red like the cross when grace is found.
- Religion is driven by fear. True spirituality tries to fight fear and embrace faith.
- Religion has a pretty ticked off God. True spirituality sees God as a friend in your corner.
- Religion is always pessimistic. True spirituality is always optimistic.
- Religion forgets the game and just keeps the score.
- Religion is satanic. I don’t know how this gets missed often.
If we could get religion out of us by some kind of exorcism, people would hate Christianity for all the right reasons. Christ did make it clear that when you connect with him in the Spirit you do create enemies. But if you look much closer at his statements you will find it is those who are deluded religiously who do the killing.
I think Zachaeus is the ultimate patron saint for all seeking true spirituality. He was attracted to Jesus’ rejection of religion. Jesus accepted him. Yet led him to transformation.
It’s real easy to think about all those religious people you know and send them this essay. But the truth is we are the problem. Every one of us is inclined to want to be right so much that we will even embrace religion to prove we are there.
I am religious. I have to fight it. I believe I am better than most often and that is tragic.
I have real trouble believing often that God is my friend. I have been well groomed to fear easier than believe. I am religious. I am most religious when I am mad at religious people.
Bottom line we really need to experience the real Jesus. And love him in everyway at all times, in every place.
Hi Doug,
Nice to see your web presence. It looks really great. I’ve enjoyed reading your posts.
You would remember me as Margot Ferlito. Its been a while but I worked with you and Gary on a church plant in Seattle. My ex, Ron and I and our little guy Niah would drive up from Yelm for Sundays and stay for the radio show. It has to have been at least 10 years ago because Niah is now 12. Time sure flies and takes a lot of un expected turns.
Anyway I have mentioned your consulting work to my pastor, Rob Bryceson. He came to this church about 2 years ago. I have been with the church not quite a year. It is an over 100 year old Covenant Church in down town Spokane. I am part of the church management team. The cool thing we have been doing is a weekly feeding and building relationships with 100-150 homeless and very low income folks in our neighborhood. We opened our doors as a warming center during the cold winter months and have partnered with Gonzaga students who come in on Thursdays and do another meal.
You are one of the best out of the box thinkers I know of and I guess I am wondering what it would take for us to have a phone conference with you.
I’m not sure we can save the church we have about 60 people attending about 30 are members and about 15 of us are working our tails off.
I would like to see us transition to some kind of mission or outreach ministry to the homeless.
We get very mixed messages from the denomination- on one hand they seem interested in the social justice ministry that we are doing and on the other hand it often feels like they are just waiting for us to die so they can sell off any assets.
Anyway thought I would send you a note to say hi and to find out what it takes to consult with you.
My contact info is
Margot Cioccio 509-235-2716
princessmargot@hotmail.com