Bible Gateway interviewed Jefferson Bethke (@JeffersonBethke) about his book, It’s Not What You Think: Why Christianity Is So Much More Than Going to Heaven When You Die (Nelson Books, 2015).
What do you mean, “Christianity is a bounced check to my generation”?
Jefferson Bethke: When I say the above quote what I really mean is “American Western moralism with a Christian sticker slapped on it” is a bounced check to my generation. I think we’ve morphed the Jesus way so much that it in most cases is no longer the vibrant, life changing, earth shattering good news it was said to be so in the first century. We went to cash in on the promises and they bounced. It’s only when we return to the depths of Scripture and see Jesus afresh that we realize there is joy and beauty and life.
How can a person be a “Genesis 1” Christian or a “Genesis 3” Christian?
Jefferson Bethke: It depends on where you start your story. What I mean by that phrase is a lot of people tell other people they need Jesus because “they are a sinner” which is referencing Genesis 3 where the curse falls on humans. But our story doesn’t start there. It starts in Genesis 1 as image bearers. Uniquely created and formed out of the dust. We are weighty and beautiful creatures with particular glory on us, and yes sin is real and has affected us but Jesus is restoring our primal identity which we see in Genesis 1.
What are examples of Christians treating people as commodities rather than neighbors?
Jefferson Bethke: In America we’re so trained to exploit. We’re trained to be efficient. Meaning: do everything in our power to use the least amount of resources to get the most amount of return. That, after all, is usually the dark side of capitalism. What it ends up doing is turning people into things. They aren’t image bearers; they’re just objects in the way of you either getting or not getting what you want. And when you make that switch, you start to not treat them as image bearers to love, but people to use.
Explain the theme of chapter four, titled “You’re a Person from the Future.”
Jefferson Bethke: The craziest event in human history was the resurrection. Jesus stepped out of the grave in a new and unique way and body. Jews in the first century believed in the resurrection but at the end of time, not in the present. But God did for Jesus in the present what they thought he’d do for all at the end (phrasing taken from NT Wright). And so, Jesus became a signpost of the future. An image of the new and beautiful world God is making. And when we follow Jesus it says we have died and resurrected with him, which means we now become that signpost too. We’re now symbols and arrows pointing towards the future.
How does idolatry wipe away humanness?
Jefferson Bethke: What makes us human is God’s image in us. Idolatry is the terrible decision to say no to that image, and in turn reflect something else. It puts alcohol, money, sexuality, religion, or even ourselves on the throne. And the more we do that, the more we lose our humaneness; the very thing that makes us that way, the image of God.
How is the kingdom of God here-and-now?
Jefferson Bethke: Jesus declared it, and it was inaugurated in his resurrection. The new world is busting forth in the old world, the question is which one will we live in. Jesus’ reign and rule is breaking in and we live in it by coming under it. By placing our lives, finances, jobs, marriages, etc., under his reign and his rule.
Why is it important for people to “embrace” their scars?
Jefferson Bethke: So many of us hide our brokness or things that have been done against us. But the truth of the matter is, Jesus is the Great Physician. He’s the Healer. We can take our wounds to him and he can make them scars. And scars don’t hurt anymore; they just tell a story. And our job as Christians is to go around showing people our scars to tell them that Jesus heals and he can for them, too.
What are your thoughts about Bible Gateway and/or the Bible Gateway App?
Jefferson Bethke: Love it! Anything that gets the Bible in more hands is amazing!
Bio: Jefferson Bethke is the author of The New York Times bestseller Jesus > Religion: Why He Is So Much Better Than Trying Harder, Doing More, and Being Good Enough. Bethke’s message connects at a heart level with an audience ranging from atheists to nationally recognized religious leaders. He lives in Maui, Hawaii.