Give me Jesus…But Not SBNR

I write each week for the Faith in Memphis panel associated with the Commercial Appeal.  Recently we were asked to comment on the growing trend of people wanting to be “spiritual but not religious” (SBNR).  Here’s my piece:

A mechanic tried to sell me a car battery for twice what I would have paid at AutoZone.

So I gave up on all mechanics.

A driver nearly wrecked the school bus on which I rode as a third grader.

So I gave up on all school buses.

A teacher in college gave me a semester-grade I didn’t deserve.

So I abandoned all colleges.

Reactionary and rash, this is the response of many today regarding religion.  Offended by one Christian, they write off all Christians.  Injured by one church, they renounce all churches.

People forsake organized religion and flee to the temple of SBNR (spiritual but not religious).  Sunday worship is replaced with a walk on the mountain.  Listening to sermons is swapped for watching a sunset.  SBNR becomes the only safe way to practice faith.

I don’t mean to minimize anyone’s pain.  Certain Christians have maliciously hurt others throughout history.  I can’t blame the wounded for bolting.

And I don’t intend to venerate anyone’s church.  Cathedrals and congregations are often child-like doodles when compared to the breath-taking masterpieces they were meant to be.

But are we really better off with SBNR?  Sure it’s safe.  But who’s satisfied with safe?  In the long run, I think what most of us want is a life-shaking and world-changing experience that’s risky and unpredictable.  And that’s far more likely to happen among a Christian community than alone on a mountain.

Lillian Daniel put it this way:[i] “Being privately spiritual but not religious just doesn’t interest me. There is nothing challenging about having deep thoughts all by oneself. What is interesting is doing this work in community, where other people might call you on stuff, or heaven forbid, disagree with you. Where life with God gets rich and provocative is when you dig deeply into a tradition that you did not invent all for yourself.”

Organized religion nailed Jesus to a cross.  But organized religion also started hospitals, planted schools, fed the poor, wrote the symphonies and painted the art that inspired the world—all in the name of Christ.

Just this week friends of mine celebrated the life of a boy literally saved by religion.  Years ago our church met him at a VBS we conducted in Belize.  He had a lethal condition and a depressing diagnosis.  So our church rallied resources, brought him to Memphis and orchestrated the life-saving surgery he needed.  Days ago church members from Memphis travelled to Belize and reveled at his birthday party.  These are the kinds of things born through the frustrating yet fulfilling community called church.

So give me Jesus…but not SBNR.