Understanding of a Viewpoint

Coming to Antioch about 10 months ago, I began hearing the phrase “Spirit of Religion” a lot. While I had heard such things in the past, I hadn’t run into nearly the volume of it until joining this community. It is used to describe (or label… ; ) a way of “doing” church which is all about the rules and traditions. People that live under a ‘Spirit of Religion” feel compelled to live and act a certain way because they believe that following a certain set of rules and rituals are what God wants. To sum it up, go to church, read your bible because God told you to, and maybe throw a couple bucks in the offering plate to appease the wrath of the Almighty.

Many people associate a “spirit of religion” with traditional churches. At least those people I’m around. This frustrated me for the longest time. I felt like it was “bash the church” time. Seminary and tradition were words that were almost venomously spewed from the mouths of my brothers and sisters. I was frustrated. For me, tradition held a richness and depth that I found comforting and powerful. I grew up thinking of seminary as a place to go learn more about God and the bible all for the sake of drawing closer to the Lord and being better equipped for ministry. I had few of the strong negative connotations attached to such things. Thus my frustration with those around me who just couldn’t see that Jesus could be found, worshiped, and exalted in those settings.

While I understood the direction much of this negativity came from, I could never get my head wrapped around why the depth of such negativity existed. Even though I was raised in a traditional church, having a father with a Masters of Divinity (a degree you go to seminary for), everything was about Jesus. When I asked questions of our beliefs, my parents always told me what they believed and why. It was the same with the traditions in the church. They always explained the background of many of the things, and told of what the traditions meant to them personally. I grew up seeing how seminary had drawn my father and mother closer to the Lord, and how traditions were things with rich history that drew us into the presence of God.

Recently God has been opening my eyes to the point of view that many of my spiritual family are coming from. After having interacted with a couple of different ministries in Norman, I have been amazed at the legalism and “Spirit of Religion” if you will, that is present in some members of these groups. I get the feeling from some of these ministries that they want to read a book and learn and memorize rules instead of deepening a relationship with the all powerful God of the universe. This is called Bible Deism, when we end up worshiping the Bible and its words, instead of worshiping the God that is spoken of in the Bible.

I cannot imagine growing up in such an environment. I have realized the viewpoint of my peers. The viewpoint that seminary is all intellect and no heart, and that tradition is all about rules and rituals instead of about Jesus. If I had been raised in such an environment, and then encountered the rich, freeing presence of an alive, vivacious, and engaging God, I think my tune would be singing a little differently as well. It makes me even more thankful for the parents I have. Parents that have a sincere and full heart for Jesus. I pray for healing for my friends and others who have been hurt and oppressed by such a “Spirit of Religion”. I pray that they will begin to see what life can and does exist in those settings. That we may all be encouragers to what life is there, and work to fan the flame of Christ centered passion that exists in the hearts around us even if it looks a little different than our own.