Seminary Dropout 103: Jefferson Bethke of Youtube Fame & Author of 'It's Not What You Think'

You probably know Jefferson Bethke from his internet-exploding Youtube video 'Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus'. You probably don't know that Jefferson was born in Tacoma, WA, played baseball in college, and co-owns a company called Claro Candles that gives profits to different areas of injustice around the world. He's also an author. It's Not What You Think: Why Christianity Is About So Much More Than Going to Heaven When You Die is Jefferson's latest book. Jesus was most upset at people for seeing but not seeing. For missing it. For succumbing to the danger and idolatry of forcing God into preconceived ideals. What if there were a better way? What if Jesus came not to help people escape the world but rather to restore it? Best-selling author and spoken word artist Jefferson Bethke says that “Christians have the greatest story ever told but we aren’t telling it.” So in this new book, Bethke tells that story anew, presenting God’s truths from the Old and the New Testaments as the challenging and compelling story that it is—a grand narrative with God at the center. And in doing so, Bethke reminds readers of the life-changing message of Jesus that turned the world upside-down, a world that God is putting back together. - From the Publisher Some things discussed in the show... ...growing up with a single mother. ...getting into spoken word. ... Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus getting 1.6 million views in the first 24 hours and 16 million in 2 weeks. ...how the video was widely received as a positive thing, but anything something grabs the people’s attention on that level there will be a rush of very conservative and very progressive bloggers and personalities telling us all how they’re smart enough to see that there’s actually something wrong with that thing. -The common thread in Jefferson's work. ...one of the great quotes in the book: “...at what point is a religion only wrong in a few areas but still the same belief system, and at what point is a religion so unrecognizable to it’s founders they’d call it a different religion entirely? Have we reached that point in western Christianity?” Interested in advertising on Seminary Dropout? For rates and information contact me at [email protected] Want to start a podcast but don’t know how?! My e-course will teach you everything you need to know. To get a free lesson and register click here. Use promo code SEMINARYDROPOUT to get 25% off. If you liked this episode then you might also like… Seminary Dropout 97: Jon Foreman on His Solo work, Switchfoot, and Fatherhood Seminary Dropout 81: Scott Sauls, Author of ‘Jesus Outside the Lines’ Subscribe/Rate/Review Seminary Dropout in iTunes *links to guest books or other products are affiliate links