Christians in the U.S. who labeled themselves politically liberal or conservative told researchers Jesus wouldn’t necessarily agree with their social views if he were alive today… The conservatives said Jesus would probably be more against abortion and same-sex marriage than they are, and less opposed to helping illegal immigrants obtain citizenship. Liberals believe Jesus would be tougher than them on morality and more open on questions concerning fellowship.

The online study, conducted by Stanford University’s Lee Ross, addressed how rationalizing is easier in a group than alone (which sounds a bit like Durkheim’s mechanical solidarity, no?). He notes,

Liberals are conceding that they’re deviating from Jesus on their views on moral issues and conservatives are conceding that they are deviating from Jesus on fellowship issues… They differed almost as much in Jesus’s views as their own.’

This study reveals different findings that Scot McKnight, who surveys North Park students during the first day of class on Jesus of Nazareth. He writes,

The first part is about Jesus. It asks students to imagine Jesus’ personality, with questions such as, ‘Does he prefer to go his own way rather than act by the rules?’ and ‘Is he a worrier?’ The second part asks the same questions of the students, but instead of ‘Is he a worrier?’ it asks, ‘Are you a worrier?’ The test is not about right or wrong answers, nor is it designed to help students understand Jesus. Instead, if given to enough people, the test will reveal that we all think Jesus is like us. Introverts think Jesus is introverted, for example, and, on the basis of the same questions, extroverts think Jesus is extroverted.

Spiritual formation experts would love to hear that students in my Jesus class are becoming like Jesus, but the test actually reveals the reverse: Students are fashioning Jesus to be more like themselves. If the test were given to a random sample of adults, the results would be measurably similar. To one degree or another, we all conform Jesus to our own image.

Where’s the difference, then? In asking specific questions regarding political allegiance? Or age? Are college students unable to look at things outside of their particular allegiances?

[Hat tip: The Gospel Coalition]

Indeed, there are two sides to every story. Or, in this case, YouTube video.

Chances are you’re one of the 9,487,981 (and counting) who’s seen the spoken word video “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus” by Jefferson Bethke (aka bball1989).

His YouTube Channel features videos of Mark Driscoll and Acts 29 buddy Matt Chandler as well as a video response to Rob Bell’s Love Wins promo (wherein he steals most of Bell’s material but inserts his own theological perspective here and there, ultimately making his response less than coherent).

I first saw “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus” on Wednesday, I think, when a number of my friends and coworkers shared it on The Facebook, praising it for it’s deconstruction of institutional Christianity, that, as bball1989 states, would rather build churches than feed the hungry. From this perspective, I can agree. And I’m convinced that John Caputo would be proud. Really.

So, yes, in Bethke’s formulation:

Jesus > Religion

Jesus is better than institutional faith. Or, as I recall it from elementary school math, the alligator mouth likes Jesus more than religion, which is a little weird now that I write it down. But you know what I mean, right?

On the other hand, however, Bethke ends up undermining his anti-religion project by arguing for a life lived wholeheartedly after Jesus. To offer an oversimplified response: That is religion. It’s how life is lived. This is why there was no word for religion until the 13th century, when life began to be fragmented between different spheres and a word had to be created to refer to one’s beliefs and pattern of life.

In this sense (which Bethke seems to misunderstand):

Jesus > Religion

“Wait,” you’re thinking, “that’s the same as above.” Yes, but this time, the greater than symbol is not only that, it’s an arrow. Jesus points to a better religion. Recall Jesus’ response to the religious scholars of his day, when asked about the greatest commandment:

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. (Matthew 22.37-40 NIV)

Yes, the religious scholars of Jesus’ day had some things wrong. But that doesn’t make Jesus’ response anti-religious. Quite the opposite.

Tony Jones hits the nail on the head (albeit in a rather snarky manner – but hey, I guess he’s earned it with a PhD from Princeton):

Religion is simply the social and psychological framework by which human beings organize their experience of the Divine…

It’s naïve to think that billions of people will experience the Divine, but they won’t try to organize and categorize that experience. We do, and we find that our experience overlaps with the experience of others. We join with those others, and we find patterns of speech, symbols, and behavior that help us articulate our experiences.

And it’s not bad that we do this. It is, Mr. Bethke, inevitable.

For whatever reason, however, I’m feeling a bit different this year.

Maybe it’s having become a father and all the ways I could be better at it. Maybe it’s a new season of ministry at the church. Maybe it’s a renewed focus on some research I’ve been doing.

For whatever reason, I’m feeling like this New Year is a gift.

I can’t help but think of Daniel Pinchbeck’s mind bending book 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl, in which he describes the Mayan winged-snake being as a unity of heaven and earth. Though I got a little lost in some of his examinations of alien life forms and hallucinogenic drugs, I couldn’t help but appreciate the connection between the ancient Mayans’ hopes for this heavenly/earthly creature and my own understanding of Jesus’ incarnation.

This Quetzalcoatl, it was believed, wouldn’t herald the end of the world as much a new beginning. My own religious commitment causes me to pray and weep for the same:

And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21.5, NASB)

So, I’ll be posting on a few resolutions in the coming days, if only to help myself work out why I’m drawn to them. Until then, Woody Guthrie’s rather commendable resolutions for 1942 (via nevermindthebricolage):

And, of course, Death Cab for Cutie: