Why I Love Jesus, Like Religion, and Have Mixed Feelings About This Video

So I'm supposed to be writing a scholarship essay...but of course, I needed a break. So I took one and I watched that new Jesus video that's caused such a stir on my friendly neighborhood social networking sites...

Here it is if you happen to live in a cave and have therefore missed out on it...

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this video...(and of course, I felt the need to go public with them!)

On the one hand he makes some admirable points...

• The Republican party is not GOD's chosen party.
• The church should focus more on helping the poor than on promoting their building fund.
• GOD loves sinners and He wants to extend His grace to them.

There are some things about this video that don't really sit well with me though...

It kind of leaves one with the idea that you can have Jesus and grace and all that good stuff without ever having to bother with church. Now, I'm not saying that you have to go to church in order to be saved...but don't you think that fellowship with people who believe the same things as you do is important? Even if they are hypocrites? Even if you're a hypocrite?

I've recently become a Dallas Cowboys fan. It was a big step for me, but I finally decided that I need my own sports team to support. Don't you think it would be ridiculous for me to run around saying, "I love the Dallas Cowboys, but man do I hate all of the other fans of their team. They're different from me. They don't love the Cowboys the way that I do. They don't own as much NFL gear as I do. They don't 'like' the Cowboys facebook page."

See, the thing is, everyone says one thing and does another. No one is perfect and no one's relationship with Christ is even remotely spotless. And if you're not perfect, then how dare you look down on your fellow Christians for not being perfect?

I've heard a lot of people talk about how much they love Jesus but hate church, and quite frankly, I'm sick of it. The church is Jesus' bride. You can't love Jesus and hate his wife. It doesn't work that way. As Christians, we need fellowship with other Christians. We should be as excited about meeting other believers as I am when I find a fellow Cowboys fan.

I also am afraid that people are going to become even more legalistic about believing other people are legalistic. I think it's sad how often people are looked down on just because they prefer a more traditional form of worship. There's nothing wrong with praying from a Book of Common Prayer, or taking part in the various traditions handed down from church fathers. When we as Christians take part in communion, or worship, or prayer, maybe we ought to be more appreciative of tradition...

Now then...I don't think that the guy who made this video was saying that he hates church. I think he was making a very accurate statement about the love and grace of Christ. However, I see several  ways in which this video leaves things open for misinterpretation and I think that everything he says should be carefully thought through...as with any material a person comes across.