Why I Don’t Hate “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus”

January 19, 2012November 25, 2017Kirk E. Miller

On January 13th I published a post analyzing and critiquing the viral video by Jefferson Bethke entitled, “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus” (see my earlier post here). This post got lit up with lots of attention and traffic–far more than I expected. I got plenty of feedback from plenty of people, some positive, so not so positive. Among those who responded more negatively, some seemed to have the impression that I did not see any value or benefits in the video (on the contrary, I was simply presenting a caution). Due to this, I’ve decided to write a “part 2” on the strengths/benefits of Bethke’s “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus.” By doing so, I want it to be clear that I am not attempting to retract my initial criticisms/cautions. However, I am presenting a balanced perspective that probably should be taken.
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A Scriptural Evaluation on the NT Believer’s Use of Tattoos and Body Piercings

January 18, 2012December 18, 2013Kirk E. Miller

Brian "Head" Welch - Christian, ex-guitarist of Korn, author of Save Me From Myself, and Christian musician.

Last semester, (fall semester of my senior year at Maranatha Baptist Bible College), I finally got around to taking Ethics class. In this course, every student was required to write two position papers on a specific moral issue. For my second paper I decided to tackle the issue of the morality the New Testament believer’s use of body piercings and tattoos, which is highly debated within certain Christian circles. My goal in this paper was to analyze the issue strictly from a Biblical perspective.
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The Depravity of Being Good

January 16, 2012December 18, 2013Kirk E. Miller

Talking about the film “Courageous,” Andy Naselli stated, “some may embrace moralism and feel good about themselves as they try to earn God’s favor by being good dads. This is not the fault of the film but more a comment about how in our depravity we can be very, very bad by being very, very “good.” We can make an idol out of just about anything—even family.”^[1] This is a perspective of depravity we don’t often think of, but it is very true.
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“In Evil Long I Took Delight” by John Newton

January 15, 2012December 18, 2013Kirk E. Miller

I ran across this hymn a few weeks ago, although I have been acquainted with it before. I decided it was definitely worth sharing. This hymn is certainly not as popular as John Newton’s famous hymn, “Amazing Grace,” but I certainly recommend reading through the words and meditating on their truth. From a man who understood grace extremely well in light of who he was as a depraved, wicked, detestable man in need of saving, “In Evil Long I Took Delight”:

In evil long I took delight,
Unawed by shame or fear,
Till a new object struck my sight,
And stopp’d my wild career:
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“Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus” Analysis and Critique

January 13, 2012November 25, 2017Kirk E. Miller

This week I saw my Facebook flooded with a certain video, so I watched it. I knew where Jefferson Bethke (the author of the poem and individual in the video) was coming from and what he meant by his words, yet I was a little unsettled by this video.

Many individuals, evangelical in disposition, seem to be rejoicing in this video (even “The Resurgence” posted it on their site, see here). On the other hand, I’ve noticed a much different reaction from the Catholic crowd (i.e., various Catholic facebook friends of mine as well as various Catholic blogs that have written critiques, such as what I am now doing), as one might expect. And to be honest, in many regards, I agree with these Catholics in their criticisms. Allow me to share some of my brief thoughts on the video.
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