THE CURSE OF RELIGION

Christianity Today reported that Jefferson Bethke's YouTube Christian rap video has had a phenomenal number of plays-–over 10 million. It's titled, "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus." His intention is to contrast the Gospel with formalism and self-righteous attempts at justification.

Here is a poem I penned a while back on this subject :

THE CURSE OF RELIGION

The Pilgrims came to our shores
On a quest to worship God;
The government that was established
Freed them from the path they'd trod.

They looked to Providence for their needs
And were thankful for His supply—
With government to protect their freedom,
And not their rights to deny.

With the nation founded on God,
He allowed their works to flourish;
As He was honored in their pursuits,
The new republic He did nourish.

As generations have come and gone,
Almighty God has been neglected;
Taking credit for God's protection,
Monuments to self have been erected.

Getting away from scriptural principles,
Politics has taken center stage;
Self has come into prominence,
Now that it has come of age.

Politics is now an end, not a means,
With power and corruption a given;
A government for the common good
Is lost, as the parties have striven.

Each does what's right in his own eyes,
With no absolutes for a guide;
God's protection has been withdrawn,
With gates for the Enemy opened wide.

With freedom of religion aborted,
We have abandoned our first love;
With self in the ascendancy,
There's no reference to God above.

Sinful behaviors are accepted,
With toleration mandated by all;
Political correctness is the watchword,
With irresponsibility to be our downfall.

Alien religions are given preference,
With traditional values subverted;
One who would point out error
Finds his goals are to be averted.

While the Church has the only answer,
Self has come to the fore there, too;
Unless it returns to its first love,
The loss of freedom it will rue.

With the goal of alien religions
To destroy our way of life,
The government is giving protection
To a religion based on strife.

It is opposed to the common good
With the intent of world domination;
Unless we curb its relentless march,
Religion will be our ruination.

God's Church is the only answer,
But it must get back to the Cross; (Gal. 2:20, Rom. 6)
A works-based Church is powerless
To reverse its decades of loss.

Preaching the Cross is the power of God (1 Cor. 1:18)
To which the Church must return;
Refusing to forsake our substitutes, (Gal. 3:3)
We the power of God do spurn.

Preaching the Cross will transform lives
As we lose our lives to save them; (Luke 9:24)
The watching world will gain respect
As love counteracts its mayhem.

- C. R. Solomon