Giving Faith ‘Another’ Bad Name
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2
It’s Not a Religion!
Yes it is.
I’ll explain. In the original Greek, the word religion is ‘threskeia’ and it refers primarily to an external worship of our Lord that consists of ceremonies such as baptism, communion, holy matrimony, discipleship, not to mention the internal aspect of our faith as well. The Greek root (threskos) for our word ‘religion’ means to fear or worship God.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant. Psalm 19:9; 22:23; 25:14
Why We Say, “It’s Not a Religion, It’s a Relationship”
What do you think of when I say the word gay? There’s your answer. Christians don’t use the word religion (properly) for the same reason we don’t use other words. Through the years certain words have become defiled and man has taken it upon himself, without any authority, to change the definitions. And rather than reclaim the language; rather than redeem the words; we toss them aside and create new ones. As a result if you choose to use the religious (or gay) designation, you will be erroneously labeled and cast aside as well.
The Other Reason…
The other reason we have tossed aside the ‘R’ word is because of the ‘seeker-friendly church’ movement whose major theme essentially is to not offend people and, as we are painfully aware, people are offended by what the word religion has become. So instead of discipling these new-believers, bringing about understanding through clarification, we tossed our hands in the air and proclaimed, “You’re right! Religion is a four-letter word, but we’re not about religion here, we’re about relationship!”
Liars
“Oh, you’re not about external worship of our Lord that consists of, but is not limited to ceremonies such as baptism, communion, holy matrimony, discipleship, etc.”
“Oh no, ” we tell the newbies, “We’re all about that stuff, we just don’t call it ‘religion’ anymore because; well you’re not going to believe this, but sinful man messed up the word.”
And they continue…
“And we know that you probably know a religious person who sinned and gave the word a bad name, so we don’t call it religion anymore, we call it a ‘relationship.’ ”
“So you’re all ‘relationists’ now?”
“No!?! Actually, we’re all followers of Jesus Christ!”
“Oh, Ok, you’re Christians”
“Umm…Well you see, we don’t really use the word Christian any longer. Some of us still do, but that word is on the way out.”
“Why?”
“Pretty much the same reason why we don’t use the word ‘religion’ anymore. In fact, we’re already working on a new word because we have noticed that there are some people giving ‘followers of Christ’ a bad name.”
Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1-2
I Know Tiger Woods and You’re No Tiger Woods
If you ever saw me play golf you could rightly say that what I was doing was not golf. The fact of the matter is that if you were somehow able to observe all golfers, you could proclaim of at least ninety percent of them that what they were doing was not golf either. However, what you could not declare based on your observations is that because most people have given golf a bad name, “We’re no longer golfers—we are now called, ‘followers of a funny looking ball.’ ”
That’s absurdity and that’s exactly what we’re doing now. Yesterday we tossed out the word religion and soon we will toss aside the label Christian (people have already begun doing it), and trust me, as soon as we give ‘followers of Jesus’ a bad name we will toss that tag aside as well. It’s time to stop the lunacy.
I am proud to say that I ascribe to a religion that worships my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Aside from ‘belief’, there is nothing within the bounds of my religion that I have to do, but praise the Lord, there’s a whole bunch of stuff that I get to do. If my being religious offends you, then you have likely accredited a worldly definition to a most wonderful word. Almost forgot to mention, I have a wonderful relationship with Jesus.
The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. Proverbs 29:25
Give me that old time religion…
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🙂 There ya go Gary!
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I confess that I’m having trouble understanding what the fuss is about over words. If using terms like “Christ-follower” or “believer” will give us a moment in time–maybe longer–in which to encourage dialog with someone who reacts to the old terms, “religion/religious” or “Christian,” aren’t we following Paul’s example, in I Cor. 9:
“19) Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20) To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21) To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22) To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23) I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”
I am not saying, and Paul was not saying, that we should become “like the world” in culture, attitude or behavior. But if, by modifying our language, we gain a hearing that we would lose by clinging tightly to language that has turned someone off, why would we not do that? What is the most important point of the conversation? To reclaim language, or to, “by all possible means,…save some”?
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In that sense Vicki I would agree with you, but I suppose one point I was trying to make revolves around the spiritual benefit of correction over change.
I don’t have a problem with a believer calling himself whatever he likes. The real issue is why he opted to change the name. There is real value in having that discussion with a person, identifying the problem and correcting it.
Granted, it is so much easier to change the name, but [I believe] there is very little growth that way. Meanwhile, we have folks running around calling themselves things whose definitions could very well be works of the flesh.
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I’ve been gone all day, Vicki – but I want to respond to your post!
There are many reasons there is a problem with it. Words do matter. Words both instruct, deepen and edify our faith or they tear it down and minimalize it. Sometimes incorrect words distort our faith and skew it into something unrecognizable.
Let me interject something here before I finish addressing your question. Unlike Kenneth, I do believe that dogma is important (the historic dogma/creeds/confessions that have been handed down through the centuries.) During the Reformation, during all of the turmoil and abuse of the Roman Catholic Church, Reformers diligently laid down the tenets of the faith in a way that people could memorize them and teach them to their children. That is the point of “catechizing” your children…to teach them well and soundly so they will not be led astray. Many of these are in question/answer form for easy memorization.
The word dogma is not a bad word, yet in this generation, it has encountered the same problem that “religion” has encountered. Dogma takes all the doctrines of our faith – the core principles that are found running through the entire Bible – and puts them in a form that is easily understood but the masses. They help to avoid the error of pulling out one verse, claiming it, without seeing it in context with the whole Bible.
The Canons of Dort, the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechsim, Westminster Confession, Apostle’s Creed, Athanasian Creed, Nicene Creed, etc…….all of these were important creeds and confessions which protected the doctrine of our Christian faith. They are not evil. Mighty men of God assembled to protect our faith from error and I am grateful to them for their work. They simply declared to the world that this is what a Christian believes to be true.
To continue about words: Think about it this way. Let’s say the word “Christian” vanishes from our vocabulary because today’s culture thinks it is irrelevant. Let’s say Christ-follower becomes the standard for this generation. 50 years later, Christ-follower feels archaic to the that generation so Christians decide they should be called Jesus Freaks 🙂 or God-Flowers or Spiritual Puffballs. (OK, I know it sounds silly, but I hope it makes my point.)
The verse you quoted above basically says that Paul made himself available to everyone. He wasn’t saying he did the things they did in order to be culturally relevant to them, nor did he join with them to believe what they believed. Paul absolutely did not lower his doctrinal standards.
In the newly planted churches he visited on his many travels, he was constantly confronted with doctrinal error and bad behavior. He always confronted these issues in God’s church head on. He said things like, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers…therefore, go out from their midst and be separate from them.” 1 Peter reminds us that “…do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all of your conduct. You shall be holy, for I am holy.” Jesus reminds us that he will “separate the goals from the sheep my name is holy.” We – Christians – are not to be of the world. However, we are to be accessible to the world.
Yes, Paul met them in their environment – in the streets and marketplaces. He became friends with them. Yes, he encouraged them to hear the gospel and to listen in hopes that they would accept the gospel. But regarding the doctrines presented in the gospels (by Jesus), Paul did not compromise. He often used very strong words like 1 Cor. 14:2- “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.”
So the point of all of this is: we are not to be like the world. We are to be available to those who want to hear the good news of Christ and we are to share that good news. However, we are to crave the deep things of God. We are to desire to grow in the knowledge and understanding of our Lord and not remain as infants.
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I have no problem with Religion when it comes to dealing with Christianity. It is my way of saying I’m a Christian, I belong to a certain denomination, I belong to a family of believers who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. I do have very serious problems with Dogma. This is the tool Christians use to stab each other in the back with to tell one religion that the other persons religion is better than theirs or even worse that God does not accept them. It keeps the Christian Community apart. Until Christians unite and accept each other, then there will be no revival and we are like fish in a barrel for satan to take aim and attack. Remember, God created and gave His only begotten Son, man did not.
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Amen Ken. There are core principles that must be upheld and others that are not fundamental towards faith in Christ Jesus. I am so glad you raised that point because that is the true basis of the discussion! To often we ascribe ourselves to words without giving any (or little) consideration to their definitions. My hope is that by clinging to that which is good will serve to bring all Christians together as Christ has intended.
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Sadly, I have to agree with much of what you said here. I left a church that refused to say the word Christian. They would only say ‘Christ-follower.’ They set themselves up on a purpose-driven pedestal and loudly proclaimed their culturally-relevant version of Christianity, which sadly doesn’t gel completely with the historic Christian faith.
Semantics….trying to be different….when will people just read the book and believe the truth contained within? It is so simple, really. Why must we play around with words and self-created definitions?
Often, people even misconstrue the word “relationship.” They seem to believe that a relationship with God is something we choose to have (on our terms), and yet, it is only by God’s grace that it is even possible to have a relationship with him. It’s only because He chose to love us and offer mercy to us that a relationship can even exist for us with God. He alone purged us of our guilt and made us clean. He alone draws us to Him. He alone defines our relationship.
Our Americanized worldview has tainted our view of God. It has tainted many cultures. Yet, God is clearly seen! He has already shown us in the Bible what we need to know about him, thus he has defined himself. Instead, we allow our secular worldview to mold our church culture and shout to the world that the god (little g) we created is the one which is culturally relevant to our day and time. It is not necessarily the same god…
In contrast, we should look to God’s word to understand the nature and character of God.
R. C. Sproul (www.ligonier.org) has a series called Fear and Trembling. He makes the statement that we have lost sight of the awe, majesty, holiness and sovereignty of God. If you want to hear some of the talks, I have them on a podcast and could try to send it to you. He has another great series called Hath God Said – one talk which is called “What is the Standard of Truth?” Excellent. His Chosen by God series is free online to listen to and it’s also excellent.
When God spoke to Moses at the foot of Mt. Sinai and said, “I am who I am – Yahweh – it means that God defined Himself – we should not attempt to relevatize God. (OK, I made up that word!)
In the Lord’s Prayer, the first thing we see is “Hallowed be thy name.” We have lost sight of the holiness of God. Our relationship is not a friendship in the way we view it. It is a holy union between God and man with God calling the shots.
I don’t know what I would do without the teaching of Sproul. I believe that much of what goes on in the church today is a lack of accurate and truthful teaching about our faith. People don’t understand even the basic doctrines of the faith. Thus, they create a secular faith which suits them instead of understanding and proclaiming the historic Christian faith.
Michael Horton, in his book, Christless Christianity, also makes some great points about where the Christian faith is headed……
Have a great day, David
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Kathy, you nailed it!
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Not to diminish the Holiness of God and the reverence we have for Him, but Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount that our relationship with Him, which He brings us into, is an intimate and loving fellowship with God as our Father. Notice how many times He says “Your Father…” and in the Lord’s Prayer, when you pray say “Our Father”
We were created by God and for God to enjoy a warm and loving fellowship with Him, through the death of Jesus Christ, through faith in Him, we have been restored to that, reconciled to God.
I enjoy an intimate, loving relationship with Him that goes beyond the external trappings of religion, which historically has served to put barriers between man and God. Jesus had it out more than once with the religious leaders of His day.
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Absolutely! The point I was making is that this intimacy was initiated by the Father. So many people think we are in control of this relationship – just as they think they are in control of defining God (per David’s post above.)
God’s covenant with us has a special character, being initiated by God alone in sovereign grace. We have been formed in relationship with God, and this intimate relationship is upheld by God’s promise. All believers stand in direct relationship and communion with God through the Holy Spirit, and are called to experience God’s grace regularly conveyed in the preaching of the Word and administration of the sacraments.
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I’m curious; for you, what are specifically the external trappings of religion?
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The external trappings of religion are the rituals, ceremonies, and traditions of men. The outward forms of religion which have an appearance of spirituality, but do not touch the heart.
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I can split this one down the middle with you Gary. If by ‘rituals, ceremonies, and traditions’ you mean:
Confession
Penance
Last Rites
Canonization and Veneration of Saints
Devotion to Mary
Praying the Rosary
Stations of the Cross
Icons
Ordination to Religious Orders
Monastic Life
Prosperity Prayers and tithing
I would agree with you. These things reek of legalism. However, those aren’t the components of acceptable religion. While the former are ‘things’ that you must do (according to that tradition), these are the things I get to do and look forward to doing (and therein lies the major difference):
Baptism
Communion
Church Services
Prayer
Bible Study
Meditation
Evangelism and Missions
Marriage
Healing
Funerals
The Altar Call
Speaking in Tongues
Spirit-Led Worship
The truth of the matter is if I don’t do any of these things (but just believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior), I am good to go!
Now I’ll admit that ANYONE can be guilty of practicing outward forms of religion having an appearance of spirituality, but that my friend is a whole other bag of donuts.
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I understand your point about the meaning of “religion”, however, in our day it doesn’t mean that. This is how it is with languages, the meanings of words change with usage over time.
I would not call my relationship with Jesus Christ “Religion”, but I might use what you are saying here as a teaching point when defining what that relationship means and how it differs from what we understand today as religion.
“I’m not religious, I just love the Lord!”
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Thanx Gary, you confirmed my point. My hope is that folks my recognize the importance of not allowing that to occur.
I am religious, but not in a 21st century, legalistic kind of way.
I consider myself privileged that I ‘get to’ pray, go to church, read my Bible and meditate on His word, take communion, and enjoy Christian fellowship. These are things I do religiously.
I don’t think it ironic that the majority of the Christians I know [who abhor the word religion] come from a Catholic back ground. To them I would say, “I’m sorry Sister Mary beat the snot our of you with a ruler, but you can’t change the language because somebody exercised the wrong definition.”
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I don’t think this is tied at all only to Catholics. I think it is our contemporary secular culture – the one that ruffles when you say the word religion.
And frankly, it’s sad that we have lost the richness of our language by dumbing it down 😦
And I would also say — “he loved me first.” 🙂
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You’re absolutely correct Kathy; the problem has been plaguing the faith since the church began and we do not have to go beyond the corrective Epistles to see it. The Apostle Paul has set the bar high for us and as Christians we are not to accept the redefining of the language associated with our faith. Our proper course of action is to lovingly say, “Pardon me, your definition (and/or your behavior) is wrong.”
Do I really care about the word ‘religion’? No, not really. What I do care about is the subtle corrosion; the delicate chipping away of the tenets of our faith. I spoke with a guy the other day who (as a Christian) believes that the name Jesus is akin to Buddha or Mohammed; the idea (in his head) being as long as you believe in something the ‘name doesn’t matter’. That’s frightening to me.
Do you want to know what’s even more frightening? Go back 20 years and I believed the same garbage! What changed? Two things: somebody told me the truth and I listened.
The ‘R’ word is just the tip of the iceberg and the word I used to get the discussion going. Religion today a four letter word and the next word on the chopping block is Christian. After all, what true follower of Christ wants to be associated with the likes of say a Westboro Baptist Church.
What would the Apostle Paul do: accept their conduct and throw out the word or correct the behavior and keep the word? Paul was a good disciple of Jesus and we know exactly what he would do.
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I can go along with that. Asking them why they hate “religion” or what that word means to them could start some good dialog.
I’ve enjoyed our discussion, brother Dave!
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“In the Jesus-relationship that bond is religion” – hmmm…. All my innards recoil at that. So much of religion is form, which is so easy to master, without faith–believing that Jesus is who He said He is.
I remember an expansion from the Parallel New Testament of more than 35 years ago. Whenever the phrase “believe in” was used, the parenthetical expansion appeared: “trust in, rely on, adhere to.” That is where I think the bond is, in the Jesus relationship. I can do all forms of religion without trusting in, rely on, or adhering to Him.
I have personally reclaimed the word “Christian” since I’ve been involved with Compassion. This wonderful ministry is a “Christian holistic child-development organization….” I decided early on that I must represent Compassion with integrity, not watering down the Jesus connection. I’ve become bolder–not in-your-face obnoxious about it, but unapologetic, unabashed, un-fearful about saying it, knowing that, in so labeling Compassion, I take the label on myself. It’s about time.
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Well you’re right–we should recoil from what religion has become and reclaim what religion was meant to be. You’re also correct in saying that religion is not the bond–I stand corrected, the components of our religion is what bonds us to Christ, remembering that we have chosen to be bonded to Him. I did originally cite that faith (belief) is the only necessity.
What are some of those components of religion (the things we get to do)? Fellowship, prayer, meditation, being in the Word, worship, to name a few. Those who despise religion are those who have had faith forced upon them and have been told that these are things you must do to be saved. Obviously that is hogwash.
Our duty is to not change the vocabulary thus conforming to the world, but to allow God (through us) to change hearts. Think about it, when we say “It’s not a religion, it’s a relationship,” have we changed any of the components of true religion? No. We have merely slapped a new name on an old package, which is a demonstration of salesmanship, not stewardship.
I propose that when someone says they hate religion, we ask them why (for the purpose of correcting the inaccuracies), rather then tell them we don’t use that word anymore. The bottom line is that we can call the components (we choose to practice) anything we want to, but all together they are still comprise our religion and we still adhere to them.
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Good post, David.
I stopped applying the word “religious” to myself a few decades ago, but I’ll rethink it. I’m not sure whether that will lead to my using it, again, but I’ll reconsider it.
The “R” word became dirty, for me, early on, as it seemed to apply more to people like “the Robes” (Pharisees, et al.) who were big on rules, reg’s and forms and not so big on love, grace and mercy. And there were so many of those in the churches of my childhood and youth (not to mention family) that it really did get badly soiled.
I know, too, that words often morph’ from their original meanings to something else. Take your other example, “gay.” It’s current meaning is very, very different from what it meant, when I was growing up. Ever hear the song with the phrase, “Oh, I feel so gay / in a melancholy way / that it might as well be / Spring…”?
So…should we try redeem the R word, or focus on loving people to Jesus, without using language that turns them off–?
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“So…should we try redeem the R word, or focus on loving people to Jesus, without using language that turns them off–? “
And that I suppose is the bigger issue, after all, it’s only a word. But where does it stop? Like I already pointed out we have stopped, or are in the process of stopping, using the word Christian. Why? Because it offends people.
I believe it’s more loving to take the time to explain the truth and debunk the fallacies by taking folks back to the Bible (when did we become in such a rush). “Religion,” we tell them, “is not all this other nonsense you have seen people do, nor is it the means by which we work our way into Heaven.” Then we tell them what God-breathed religion is.
In any relationship there is a bond between the two people involved. In the Jesus-relationship that bond is religion, those external and internal forms of worship we have chosen to do, not because we have to, but because to do so brings us closer to Jesus.
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