Jesus > Religion: Why He Is So Much Better Than Trying Harder, Doing More, and Being Good Enough by Jefferson Bethke (Author), Lecrae (Foreword)

 

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A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Abandon dead, dry, rule-keeping and
embrace the promise of being truly known and deeply loved. 

Jefferson
Bethke burst into the cultural conversation in 2012 with a passionate,
provocative poem titled “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus.” The 4-minute
video literally became an overnight sensation, with 7 million YouTube views in
its first 48 hours (and 23+ million in a year). The message blew up on
social-media, triggering an avalanche of responses running the gamut from encouraged
to enraged.

In Jesus > Religion, Bethke unpacks similar
contrasts that he drew in the poem—highlighting the difference between teeth
gritting and grace, law and love, performance and peace, despair and hope. With
refreshing candor he delves into the motivation behind his message, beginning with
the unvarnished tale of his own plunge from the pinnacle of a works-based,
fake-smile existence that sapped his strength and led him down a path of
destructive behavior.
Bethke is quick to acknowledge that he’s not a
pastor or theologian, but simply a regular, twenty-something who cried out for
a life greater than the one for which he had settled. Along his journey, Bethke
discovered the real Jesus, who
beckoned him beyond the props of false religion.