By T. J. Gentry, D.Min., Ph.D. | January 28, 2024
In 1991, American alternative rock band R.E.M. released the song, “Losing My Religion,” a soulful mandolin-driven lament about unrequited love.[1] The song went on to sell 42 million copies and receive a Grammy.[2] Its video release (this was in the days when MTV actually was all about music television) garnered no small amount of controversy over its provocative religious imagery, leading to the unsubstantiated but widely circulated claim that it was originally banned in Ireland because it was thought to be a bash on Christianity.[3]
While I find these bits of fact and lore about the song interesting (and, admittedly, there is a certain catharsis for me in hearing that mandolin), I want to draw upon a lyrical snippet as a stepping-off point to another discussion. Here’s the snippet:
That’s me in the corner
That’s me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you [4]
For the intention of the song, these words are an admission that the singer sees himself at a low and volatile point over a relationship that isn’t working. He’s about to “lose his religion” or “fly off the handle” in anger or worse.[5] What brought him to this place? A relationship that was only in his mind. Though he wanted the attention of the one he pursued and longed for, his efforts have failed. Now, coming to a point of desperation, his “trying to keep up with you” has left him alone and unraveling.
The song discussion is over, but keep those lyrics in mind as I share with you a fear I have for the Christian community and especially the apologists among us when it comes to social media. Allow me to frame this with a couple of questions: What animates your public persona and social media testimony? Are you pursuing a calling or a fad?
What Animates Your Public Persona and Social Media Testimony?
Are you seeking recognition and approbation from an audience that communicates with emojis, hashtags, and shares? Do you crave the feeling of recognition and approval such things can give, even if such a feeling is fleeting, transitory, or even illusory? If this describes you, do you realize you may have placed yourself—your Christian witness—in a corner, under a spotlight, and may be losing your religion because you are trying to keep up with the latest algorithm or trend?
I don’t assume the people behind the emojis, hashtags, and shares don’t matter to you. I hope they do. I know they matter to God. What I’m concerned about is the bigger picture, the longer-term effects of giving audience feedback a disproportionate role in your input.
Should we pay attention to what is relevant and speak the truth? Certainly. Is what is trending what is relevant? Not always. Is audience response in its various forms a real indicator of connection and its attendant opportunity for influence? I doubt it. It’s one thing to become a social media influencer and altogether another to be an influence for the gospel on social media.
Just be cautious, brother and sister in Christ. Pining away in the corner and attempting to be recognized by keeping up with anything other than God’s purpose for you is a sure way to lose your religion, to lose your lasting influence, to lose your saltiness and impact for eternity. I don’t want to see any of us “lose our flavor” as the salt of the earth and find ourselves reduced to being “good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men” (Matt. 5:13, NKJV). If that happens, we will have lost our religion.
Are You Pursuing a Calling or a Fad?
When it comes to how we reach out, to how we bear witness and engage amid an untethered and decaying culture, we cannot be driven by fads. Even if those fads are ostensibly Christian, they can pose a danger to the unchanging rhythm of the gospel song.
Paul was wary of the fads of his day, of the adulation of rhetorical flash and sophistry in his cultural moment. Notice how he describes his deliberate and non-faddish approach as he recounts his initial work among the Corinthians: “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. . . . I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom” (1 Cor. 2:1, 3-4).
Why did this matter to Paul? Why take this approach? Surely, he, of all people, could speak with wisdom and excellent speech? Who else would have been confident and bold, if not Paul? He took the approach he did because he wanted his message to be clear and undiluted, which is why he said, “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (2:2). Why the narrowing and focus of the message? He was concerned that their “faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (2:5).
The upshot of Paul’s non-faddish approach is that he was never in a corner, never trying to keep up with anyone other than Christ, and never did he lose his religion in the conduct of his calling. As he drew near his end of days, Paul could say with confidence, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). What about us? Are we at risk of losing our religion because we are driven by fads instead of being drawn by a calling? If we had no social media footprint, would we still do this?
I could continue. I won’t, but I assure you that what I have said to you, I have said to me. Some may think I’ve said too much, others that I haven’t said enough. Either way, my prayer is that God will keep us from trying to keep up with something other than the leading of the Holy Spirit. In granting that prayer, God will definitely keep us from losing our religion.
About the Author
Dr. Thomas J. Gentry (aka., TJ Gentry) serves as the pastor of First Christian Church of West Frankfort, Illinois, the Assistant Vice President of Publishing and Communications, and the Assistant Editor of Bellator Christi Ministries. He formerly served as the Executive Editor of MoralApologetics.com. Dr. Gentry is a world-class scholar holding 5 doctorate degrees and 6 masters degrees. Additionally, he is a prolific writer as he has published 7 books including Pulpit Apologist, Absent from the Body, Present with the Lord, and You Shall Be My Witnesses: Reflections on Sharing the Gospel. Be on the lookout for two additional books that he will soon publish. In addition to his impressive resume, Dr. Gentry proudly served his country as an officer in the United States Army and serves as a martial arts instructor.
Notes
[1]https://americansongwriter.com/losing-my-religion-r-e-m-behind-the-song
[2]https://storyofsong.com/story/losing-my-religion
[3]https://www.thisdayinmusic.com/artists/r-e-m
[4]https://www.google.com/searchq=losing+my+religion+lyrics&rlz=1C1RXQR_enUS968US968&oq=losing+my+religion+lyrics&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDAgAECMYJxiABBiKBTIMCAAQIxgnGIAEGIoFMgcIARAAGIAEMgcIAhAAGIAEMgcIAxAAGIAEMgcIBBAAGIAEMgYIBRBFGDwyBggGEEUYPDIGCAcQRRg80gEIMzI5OGowajeoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
[5]https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/michael-stipe-vulnerability-of-losing-my-religion/
