It seems to be a common thing for many people my age and younger to call themselves, “spiritual but not religious.” While I can understand why so many people consider it to be appealing, I consider it to be a middle of the road, “I stand for nothing but being nice” kind of thinking.
Despite many Americans saying they don’t have religious convictions it still isn’t really socially acceptable to be an atheist. The idea of atheists suggests someone who is harshly against God. While some people say that science disproves God, that is an unsupportable argument. And most people like the idea that there is some sort of a supernatural being who oversees the universe and cares about us. Take away the idea of God altogether and life itself seems pointless.
However, people don’t want to be “religious” either; especially if “religious” means Christian. Being religious sounds like some combination of: obligation to a human institution, antiquated beliefs from the ignorant past, using faith as a crutch because you are emotionally weak, and probably some mix of patriarchy, misogyny, and nationalism. Plus there is the whole difficulty that religions require commitment. Religions want to be your priority. They want your time, your energy, and of course, your money!
So, “spiritual but not religious” it is. You get the best of all worlds at the lowest possible cost. The spiritual but not religious person gets to go to a spiritual experience when they want it. Otherwise they don’t want to be bothered.
While I want to be respectful of people and their busy lives with many demands, my experience of people who are spiritual but not religious as I look at their faith and their morality, it is this. You’ve probably heard me say this before. What I think they’ve really done is create a god in their own image. And that god is not capable of critiquing their self-made morality. In other words, they create a god and morality that just echo each other. They are never challenged and they are endlessly self-justifying.
There is definitely a belief that a person can be moral without having any religious affiliation. This seems very popular, but it is not true. Most of the morality without religious that I come across is basically just liberal Christianity. It believes that everyone is equal, that everyone should be treated with respect, and that everyone is basically good. While all of that sounds nice, again, it is not some sort of natural law. It is basically ‘Christianity lite.’
Let’s look at Jesus in the wilderness right after his baptism in light of the idea of being spiritual but not religious. First, let’s remember that in the verses immediately prior to the ones we read in our gospel Jesus has been baptized. We are told that he saw the Spirit of God descending upon him like a dove. How lovely. How nice. How “spiritual” an experience for him.
But then…
That same Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tested. Jesus fasts forty days and forty nights. The spiritual person would say, “Why do that, Jesus?” That’s not a nice thing to have to do for God. Surely God wouldn’t want you to do that! That’s the very problem with religion. It may make us hurt. And in the case of 40 days without nourishment, it would put you on the point of death. They’d say, “Jesus, surely you’ve misunderstood the Spirit. God couldn’t really want someone so beloved to suffer for no rational purpose. It’s fine to be out in the wilderness as a spiritual discipline before you start your public ministry, but to not eat is absurd. Jesus, you have the power to get your own food, so get it for yourself!”
Do you see where I’m going with this? The “spiritual but not religious person” can very easily speak for the devil in our gospel reading.
Then the devil takes Jesus to Jerusalem and places him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.” The devil cites scripture – and note that the devil can quote scripture quite effectively too when it suits! The devil says, “He will command his angels concerning you,” and, “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”
Said like that it is clearly not something Jesus should not do. Jesus should not use his Son of God status to perform a spectacle to test it and to get himself attention. Surely doing such a thing would have drawn a crowd and incredible praise. But let’s tweak it just subtly. Let’s say it like this, “Jesus, you have things that make you special, make you stand out. Make use of them for yourself.” Do we not tell ourselves that we should make the most of ourselves? I can easily find myself saying something like, “Fulfillment in life will come from using your abilities to the fullest.” Don’t we encourage people to develop their talents to the fullest? Don’t we encourage people with music or artistic talents to go to school to develop them as fully as they can? Don’t we tell smart people they should go to college and become scientists and engineers? Don’t we encourage kids with athletic skills to be the best athletes they can be, possibly getting an athletic scholarship or going to the Olympics? Don’t the Army have the advertising slogan, “Be all you can be in the Army.” We say we should use what makes us unique to better ourselves the most, and then also bring about the most to society.
A spiritual but not religious person would be offended if a person had abilities but didn’t use them because God or some religious organization told them not to.
Jesus knew it was God’s will that he be in the wilderness and famished. He knew it was God’s will for him not to use his special status for any ends other than what God wanted them to be used for. When Jesus is in the wilderness there is no logical reason for Jesus to do what he does. The words of the devil are precisely what human logic would conclude. They are precisely what a spiritual but not religious person would conclude.
The third test. Jesus is shown all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. They can all be his if he just falls down and worships the devil. Said like that it is pretty clear that it is wrong. But let’s say the same things a little differently. “Jesus, just play by the rules of the world. Think critically. Use what you have to get a good life for yourself. Make yourself comfortable. Make life easy. You don’t have to be a glutton. Just be reasonable. Why suffer when you don’t have to?”
Let’s make it even more subtle, “Jesus, you have great morality. You’re for: fairness, equity, inclusion, justice, and love. So use the moral high ground you naturally have in order to be an example that people will praise and look up to. Jesus, be the moral example the world wants and people will remember you and think highly of your forever for it.”
It sounds great when I put it like that, doesn’t it? It all sounds selfless and kind and righteous without being judgmental at all.
But it is wrong.
While I certainly think we should be moral. And I certainly think we should be for fairness, equity, inclusion, justice, and love, we then still have to ask ourselves why? Why would we do it? Would we do it so that we fit in with the current trends to be a socially acceptable enlightened person? Would we do it so that we can claim the moral high ground for ourselves?
It is so easy in our current political and economic situation to claim superior morality or logic for ourselves and our point of view. We associate with people like ourselves and look down upon others as ignorant or foolish. Perhaps you’re better than that, but I certainly catch myself doing it plenty.
The Spirit of God led the Son of God into the wilderness for intense testing before he began his public ministry. Would Jesus stay true to what God wanted him to do, and only what God wanted him to do, or would he be swayed by public opinion, fitting in, and making a comfortable life for himself?
We know that the testing of Jesus in the wilderness was hard for Jesus. But it was nothing compared to how hard the crucifixion was. How can letting yourself be captured and arrested, then tried and beaten, and ultimately executed in humiliation be God’s will?
No ”spiritual but not religious” person would do it. The spiritual but not religious person is ultimately out for themselves. They’ve collected what suits them for life and rejected anything that inconveniences them. Perhaps I’m being overly harsh. I don’t mean it to be condemnatory or judgmental. But for the most part I find it to be a self-serving way to live. It is the belief that humans can find fulfillment within themselves.
I make you no promises about longevity, ease of life, or even a sense of fulfillment if you are a truly committed Christian. But I do promise that, apart from God’s will, nothing that this world values is of any real consequence. This world will convince us that we are good people apart from God. God’s grace says that before you can be amazed at how wonderful God is, you must first realize that apart from God you cannot be a good person.
Religions aren’t perfect. Christianity certainly isn’t. Many people have valid complaints. So the spiritual but not religious perspective has some legitimate criticism to offer. But Christianity as a religion shows us the truth of our fallacies. Christianity reminds us that we are fundamentally flawed and sinful beings. That is not to be mean. It is just reality. It gives us genuine humility. And that with discipline, commitment, prayer, and discernment we seek the will of God. Sometimes God’s will makes sense. Sometimes it doesn’t. But following it draws us closer to God and keeps us from going astray into meaninglessness.
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
January 4, 2023 John the Baptist Matthew 3
Only a few days ago were wishing each other, “Happy New Year!” The new year is a time for fresh beginnings. People make resolutions to improve. Putting effort into self improvement is usually a good thing. And perhaps it is a bit jarring, or perhaps it fits, to then come to worship and hear the message of John the Baptist as he says, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
I believe John’s repentance message can put us on the right track for the new year. I don’t mean a simple change of practice. I mean a genuine wrestling with the dynamics of our hearts. I think we can get at that by looking at a very famous person this time of year, although a fictional person, Ebenezer Scrooge. He is certainly an example of repentance. But it is important that we understand the true nature of his repentance.
Here is what it is not. This is a Facebook post by Daniel Williams that went around a few years ago. He writes:
"Every single major life trauma to happen to Ebenezer Scrooge happened at Christmas time: his parents abandoned him at boarding school, his fiance left him, his beloved sister died. It's not like Ebenezer just woke up one day hating Christmas - it's painful for him, and so he does what a lot of us do: he ignores the pain, he tries to keep the painful reminders of his own loss at bay. So of course he gets upset and lashes out when other people (unknowingly) insist on reminding him of his trauma by telling him he should be in the Christmas spirit. Then what happens? An old friend recognizes his maladaptive strategy and forces him to get help from experts who allow him to: first, confront his past traumas; second, recognize other, healthier ways of coping with them; and, finally, understand the probable consequences of continuing with destructive strategies designed to avoid hurt by avoiding human relationships.
"A Christmas Carol isn't a story about how you're so much better than the mean rich person. It's a story about how anyone, even the rich and powerful, can struggle with trauma."
Um, no. Wrong. If it’s been a long time since you’ve read Charles Dickens’ book, A Christmas Carol, or if you’ve never read it at all, I encourage you to do so. It’s relatively short. Lots of interpretations and adaptations have been made to it. I think if Daniel Williams reread the original story and paid attention to it that he’d realize just how wrong he is. It is the right interpretation of the story that gets us to where John the Baptist is.
If you know the story well then you know that early on the ghost of Scrooge’s former business partner comes to Scrooge and warns him that he needs to change is ways or suffer the consequences. Scrooge rejects this notion.
The first ghostly visitor, the Ghost of Christmas Past, shows Scrooge several scenes from his past. We learn that Scrooge was indeed abused by his father and neglected as a child. But we also learn that there were significant improvements in his father. We learn that Scrooge had a fiancé who genuinely loved him and cared for him. In the early days of their relationship Scrooge was loving in return. But over time he began to distance himself from her and went down a path of greed. She only leaves him when she realizes that despite her ongoing love, he has chosen earthly wealth over human relationship.
Then the second ghost comes. It is the Ghost of Christmas Present. The ghost shows Scrooge several scenes about the present day. By the time Scrooge is done with this ghost we realize that Scrooge has had a change of heart. He has decided to change. He has decided to become a better person.
Dickens could have left the story off there. It would indeed be the story of a rich and mean old man who has a change of heart because, as Daniel Williams says, he has seen the probable consequences of continuing with destructive strategies. If that were the case the story would be no different than hundreds of other holiday movies that show up this time of year. If it were that sort of story it would have been forgotten in the dustbin of sentimentality over 150 years ago.
But Dickens continues the story. There is one question remaining. That question is, why has Scrooge changed? If he has changed because he recognizes there will be dire consequences if he does not change, then his change would merely be a strategic move for his own ultimate gain. But if he has changed because he has truly become a better person, then his change will not have a strategic benefit for himself.
This is the part that Daniel Williams, and many people, get completely wrong. Enter the third ghost. As the ghost shows Scrooge horrific things in the future that happen to a dead person, Scrooge eventually comes to realize that the dead person is him. And he asks the ghost repeatedly -he even pleads with the ghost to know- can he, by making changes in his life, change the course of the future.
Now we are at the core of the story. If you know the story well you know that the Ghost of Christmas Future never ever says a word. All it ever does is point. And so as Scrooge pleads for an answer… he never gets one.
This is where the magic of Dickens’ story happens. If Scrooge changes it will be because he has become a fundamentally better person with no desire whatsoever for personal gain. He is not changing in order to give himself a longer and better future. No, he doesn’t know whether that can happen or not. His change means that he will truly be: generous, selfless, loving, and kind; regardless of whether it will better him or not.
You know how the story ends.
This is the ultimate, deep, genuine repentance John the Baptist calls for in our gospel reading. He is like the Joseph Marley character in A Christmas Carol. He is telling people to repent or suffer the consequences. But the repentance is to be absolute and real; not a strategy.
When John is so cruelly harsh to the Pharisees and Sadducees he knows that they fundamentally believe that they are good people. At the beginning of A Christmas Carol Scrooge considers himself to be pragmatic and wise when it comes to the way he treats other people, especially those who are struggling. I want to avoid drawing too strong a parallel between Scrooge and the Pharisees and Sadducees, but there are similarities. If you have convinced yourself that you are good, and if you have surrounded yourself with life dynamics that affirm your goodness, all the while keeping hidden the bad things that result from your life, then you feel no need for repentance.
John the Baptist did not invent the idea of baptism. There are records from Judaism at that time that shows that Jews did have ceremonial washings. But John is the one who elevates baptism to a one-time event meant to bring about serious and permanent life changes. Baptism as John did it predates Christianity, but Christianity adopts it as its own initiation rite.
For most of us living in a generally Christian culture baptism doesn’t really change our lives much. But in those days, being baptized into Christianity meant a serious life change. It may mean many life changes. It may mean stopping doing all sort of things. It may mean changing one’s friends. It may even mean being ostracized from your family.
And central to that is what John the Baptist had in mind – a genuine, authentic, enduring, fundamental change of heart and life direction. No longer would a person live strategically for themselves. No. Now, it would be a life of genuine love and giving for the sake of God’s kingdom.
John the Baptist’s core message was, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” When John is arrested and goes off stage Jesus picks up the identical message, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
The kingdom of heaven is when people genuinely live that life direction.
The Pharisees and Sadducees probably thought their lives just needed a little bit of a tune-up when they came to John to be baptized. He felt they really needed a major change in life priorities.
If you are driven to being kind and giving because it is a strategy to avoid negative consequences, well, I suppose that works. But understand that your life is one of calculation and a constant subtle cost/benefit analysis. If your life is one of constant cost/benefit analysis then joy will at best be fleeting, and you will live a half life of anxiety and exhaustion. You will question your purpose, meaning, and direction in life.
If you are driven to being kind and giving because it is a natural flow from the love and goodness God has for you, then I make no promises as to how your life will go. Remember, Scrooge received no promises from the Ghost of Christmas Future. Things may go poorly. Or they may go quite well. But know that you will discover deep and enduring satisfaction, wholeness, and meaning.
It is January 4th, 2026. It is a new year full of new possibilities. May it be a year where you become nothing short of excellent at living in God’s love and goodness.
I believe John’s repentance message can put us on the right track for the new year. I don’t mean a simple change of practice. I mean a genuine wrestling with the dynamics of our hearts. I think we can get at that by looking at a very famous person this time of year, although a fictional person, Ebenezer Scrooge. He is certainly an example of repentance. But it is important that we understand the true nature of his repentance.
Here is what it is not. This is a Facebook post by Daniel Williams that went around a few years ago. He writes:
"Every single major life trauma to happen to Ebenezer Scrooge happened at Christmas time: his parents abandoned him at boarding school, his fiance left him, his beloved sister died. It's not like Ebenezer just woke up one day hating Christmas - it's painful for him, and so he does what a lot of us do: he ignores the pain, he tries to keep the painful reminders of his own loss at bay. So of course he gets upset and lashes out when other people (unknowingly) insist on reminding him of his trauma by telling him he should be in the Christmas spirit. Then what happens? An old friend recognizes his maladaptive strategy and forces him to get help from experts who allow him to: first, confront his past traumas; second, recognize other, healthier ways of coping with them; and, finally, understand the probable consequences of continuing with destructive strategies designed to avoid hurt by avoiding human relationships.
"A Christmas Carol isn't a story about how you're so much better than the mean rich person. It's a story about how anyone, even the rich and powerful, can struggle with trauma."
Um, no. Wrong. If it’s been a long time since you’ve read Charles Dickens’ book, A Christmas Carol, or if you’ve never read it at all, I encourage you to do so. It’s relatively short. Lots of interpretations and adaptations have been made to it. I think if Daniel Williams reread the original story and paid attention to it that he’d realize just how wrong he is. It is the right interpretation of the story that gets us to where John the Baptist is.
If you know the story well then you know that early on the ghost of Scrooge’s former business partner comes to Scrooge and warns him that he needs to change is ways or suffer the consequences. Scrooge rejects this notion.
The first ghostly visitor, the Ghost of Christmas Past, shows Scrooge several scenes from his past. We learn that Scrooge was indeed abused by his father and neglected as a child. But we also learn that there were significant improvements in his father. We learn that Scrooge had a fiancé who genuinely loved him and cared for him. In the early days of their relationship Scrooge was loving in return. But over time he began to distance himself from her and went down a path of greed. She only leaves him when she realizes that despite her ongoing love, he has chosen earthly wealth over human relationship.
Then the second ghost comes. It is the Ghost of Christmas Present. The ghost shows Scrooge several scenes about the present day. By the time Scrooge is done with this ghost we realize that Scrooge has had a change of heart. He has decided to change. He has decided to become a better person.
Dickens could have left the story off there. It would indeed be the story of a rich and mean old man who has a change of heart because, as Daniel Williams says, he has seen the probable consequences of continuing with destructive strategies. If that were the case the story would be no different than hundreds of other holiday movies that show up this time of year. If it were that sort of story it would have been forgotten in the dustbin of sentimentality over 150 years ago.
But Dickens continues the story. There is one question remaining. That question is, why has Scrooge changed? If he has changed because he recognizes there will be dire consequences if he does not change, then his change would merely be a strategic move for his own ultimate gain. But if he has changed because he has truly become a better person, then his change will not have a strategic benefit for himself.
This is the part that Daniel Williams, and many people, get completely wrong. Enter the third ghost. As the ghost shows Scrooge horrific things in the future that happen to a dead person, Scrooge eventually comes to realize that the dead person is him. And he asks the ghost repeatedly -he even pleads with the ghost to know- can he, by making changes in his life, change the course of the future.
Now we are at the core of the story. If you know the story well you know that the Ghost of Christmas Future never ever says a word. All it ever does is point. And so as Scrooge pleads for an answer… he never gets one.
This is where the magic of Dickens’ story happens. If Scrooge changes it will be because he has become a fundamentally better person with no desire whatsoever for personal gain. He is not changing in order to give himself a longer and better future. No, he doesn’t know whether that can happen or not. His change means that he will truly be: generous, selfless, loving, and kind; regardless of whether it will better him or not.
You know how the story ends.
This is the ultimate, deep, genuine repentance John the Baptist calls for in our gospel reading. He is like the Joseph Marley character in A Christmas Carol. He is telling people to repent or suffer the consequences. But the repentance is to be absolute and real; not a strategy.
When John is so cruelly harsh to the Pharisees and Sadducees he knows that they fundamentally believe that they are good people. At the beginning of A Christmas Carol Scrooge considers himself to be pragmatic and wise when it comes to the way he treats other people, especially those who are struggling. I want to avoid drawing too strong a parallel between Scrooge and the Pharisees and Sadducees, but there are similarities. If you have convinced yourself that you are good, and if you have surrounded yourself with life dynamics that affirm your goodness, all the while keeping hidden the bad things that result from your life, then you feel no need for repentance.
John the Baptist did not invent the idea of baptism. There are records from Judaism at that time that shows that Jews did have ceremonial washings. But John is the one who elevates baptism to a one-time event meant to bring about serious and permanent life changes. Baptism as John did it predates Christianity, but Christianity adopts it as its own initiation rite.
For most of us living in a generally Christian culture baptism doesn’t really change our lives much. But in those days, being baptized into Christianity meant a serious life change. It may mean many life changes. It may mean stopping doing all sort of things. It may mean changing one’s friends. It may even mean being ostracized from your family.
And central to that is what John the Baptist had in mind – a genuine, authentic, enduring, fundamental change of heart and life direction. No longer would a person live strategically for themselves. No. Now, it would be a life of genuine love and giving for the sake of God’s kingdom.
John the Baptist’s core message was, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” When John is arrested and goes off stage Jesus picks up the identical message, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
The kingdom of heaven is when people genuinely live that life direction.
The Pharisees and Sadducees probably thought their lives just needed a little bit of a tune-up when they came to John to be baptized. He felt they really needed a major change in life priorities.
If you are driven to being kind and giving because it is a strategy to avoid negative consequences, well, I suppose that works. But understand that your life is one of calculation and a constant subtle cost/benefit analysis. If your life is one of constant cost/benefit analysis then joy will at best be fleeting, and you will live a half life of anxiety and exhaustion. You will question your purpose, meaning, and direction in life.
If you are driven to being kind and giving because it is a natural flow from the love and goodness God has for you, then I make no promises as to how your life will go. Remember, Scrooge received no promises from the Ghost of Christmas Future. Things may go poorly. Or they may go quite well. But know that you will discover deep and enduring satisfaction, wholeness, and meaning.
It is January 4th, 2026. It is a new year full of new possibilities. May it be a year where you become nothing short of excellent at living in God’s love and goodness.
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