"It's not a religion. It's a relationship." How many times have we heard that declaration describing one's faith. I understand the rationale behind it. "Religion" is the disparaging word used to describe either heartless nominalism or brittle legalism--both forms of godliness that lack power. I agree that we need to draw a distinction between religious activity and authentic relational faith, but that's not always how it comes across. Instead, we use the phrase to create a class of hyper-spiritual-mega-strike-force Christians, infinitely more real than those dry, stick-in-the-mud Methodists and Presbyterians who just care about religion.
In a recent interview on CNN, a proponent of the "laughing revival" suggested that religion is "like a drug." "It wants to beat you down and make you dependent upon it," he explained. "If I can make you feel guilty, you'll come back next week." Ironically, he didn't seem to notice the similarity in the throngs of people who travel thousands of miles and attend weekly for a sip of the self-described "Holy Ghost Bartender's" addictive brew.
For me, it's just the opposite. Religion is what reminds me that being a follower of Christ is not merely about showing up on Sunday for a Holy Ghost fix. Religion is what I do Monday through Saturday. Like marriage is to my relationship with my wife, religion is to my relationship with my God.
Since we're on the marriage parallel, imagine a husband telling his wife, "It's not about marriage, Baby. It's about the relationship."
Uh ... good luck with that, buddy.
No, marriage (like religion) is the sum total of the commitments, words, thoughts and actions that reveal that there is in fact a relationship. Religion isn't a dirty word; it's the way we live out our relationship with God--the sum total of prayer, study, fellowship, worship, evangelism and social action that give dynamic shape to an otherwise ethereal concept. This is probably what James [a man so religious, his knees were purported to be calloused like that of a camel from the time he spent in prayer] was thinking of when he described "pure religion" as both personal piety and social engagement.
Whether the solemn reflection of the eucharist or the ecstatic exuberance of holy laughter, both are religious experiences that may--or may not--reflect an authentic relationship. Sure, the word religion may have fallen upon hard times, but that doesn't mean it's time to discard it. Let's redefine it, teach it, model it and reclaim its true significance in a world where the "pure religion" James talks about has all but lost its meaning.
by Matt Green
from The Ministry Report
