Jefferson Bethke

Lately, the Religion vs Christianity topic seems to have picked up steam. Its definitely one of the most often brought up topics on our Periscope ministry . Its very clear that many people have such a cursory knowledge of the topic that misinformation and straight out misunderstandings abound. No joke the subject and explanation are deep, as even s... ociety and government lump all Churches under religious entities. But, we know from scripture, Jesus simply abhorred religion. He attacked the very idea, through the practitioners (pharisees and scribes) constantly . The first hurdle of explaining why religion is not a part of Christianity is identifying the true difference. One of the best all-in-one explanations Ive encountered can be found in Jefferson Bethkes Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus || Spoken Word, found just below the CMI exert below. Nothing, though, can shed light on the subject more than the very words from someone who has lived both Religion and Jesus. The exert below is from Christian Ministries International, about the Carlsons close family friend Lou, when asked to describe the difference between being a Buddhist vs becoming a Christian. When I was a Buddhist I felt like I was in the middle of a large lake. I was drowning and I didnt know how to swim. As I struggled to keep my head above water, I looked out towards the shore and saw Buddha walking up to the edge of the lake. I was going under for the third time, when suddenly Buddha began shouting out instructions to me, teaching me how to swim. Buddha shouted, Kick your legs and paddle your arms. But then Buddha said, Lou, you must make it to shore by yourself. As I desperately struggled to follow the instructions of Buddha, I looked out towards the shore again, but this time I saw Jesus Christ walking towards the edge of the lake. However, Jesus did not stop at the edge of the lake. Jesus dove into the lake and he swam out and rescued me! And once Jesus had brought me safely back to shore, then he taught me how to swim, so that I could go ...Read More