I am Spiritual AND Religious.

There was a time—not very long ago, at least in the grand scheme of things—when I ventured into the sometimes-beneficial, often-questionable world of online dating.

I won’t say which dating app I used, but it was not Tinder.

Some of you may be familiar with that particular world. For those who aren’t, the premise is simple: each person creates an online dating profile, filling it out as sparsely or as thoroughly as they choose, within whatever minimum requirements the app imposes.

Questions are asked. Some are legitimate and useful for determining compatibility: values, political leanings, lifestyle choices, and so on. Others venture into the absurd, usually where sexual preferences are concerned.

And inevitably, there is a question—or an entire section—designed to determine how a person views God, faith, spirituality, and the afterlife.

Fair enough. If you’re trying to determine whether two people might be compatible, those are certainly worthwhile questions.

But this is where things become opaque.

More often than not, the answer I encountered was some variation of:

“I’m spiritual but not religious.”

Setting aside all pretense, and for those unfamiliar with some of my previous posts, I’m a devout Christian. That wasn’t always the case. By the grace of God, however, I am here now—liberated, as best I can describe it, from the devices of my own destruction.

This post isn’t intended to bring you up to speed on my entire spiritual journey. If you’re curious, you can start [here].

Because I’m a Christian, I’m also religious—and humbly so.

Let’s be honest: spiritual can be a remarkably nebulous word. It can mean almost anything and, depending on the person, practically nothing. It can be deeply meaningful, or a convenient way to avoid commitment to any particular belief.

Being religious, on the other hand, is being spiritual with a purpose.

After all, religion is defined as “a body of beliefs and practices regarding the supernatural and the worship of one or more deities.”

I’m not writing this to beat up on anyone for having a particular spiritual inclination. That isn’t the point. I’m writing to clarify something for my readers—and, perhaps, to reaffirm for myself the direction in which I’m headed.

And what a direction it has been!

The path I’ve taken—a path far less traveled by me than I ever imagined I would take—led me to enter seminary. My course of study will earn me a master’s degree in Apologetics & Cosmogony.

In other words, I’m studying the defense of the Christian faith, particularly as it intersects with our understanding of the sciences, especially the origin of the universe.

No one is more surprised by the direction my life has taken than I am.

Surprises can be good.

In this case, the surprise is joyfully boundless.

Where I Am—and Where I’m Going

I’m currently a member of a Southern Baptist church: Biltmore Church. I believe the Holy Spirit led me there.

Will I remain a member? That’s hard to say.

Some aspects of the Southern Baptist Convention’s history don’t sit well with me. At the same time, anyone is welcome through the doors of my church, and it is clear that, doctrinally, the church has little patience for what I call nonbiblical tomfoolery.

I enjoy the passionate power of the sermons, although I don’t always agree with everything I hear.

For that reason, I keep searching for a church that aligns more closely with my understanding of Scripture.

I’m looking for a few things.

More than anything, it must be a church that follows Jesus’ teachings. It must be a church that welcomes all stripes of humanity. And it must be a place where faith is lived rather than merely professed.

But I’ve strayed far from my original point.

So, let’s get back to online dating profiles.

Spiritual, but Not Religious

I’ve long since lost count of how many people describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious.”

And here’s the interesting part: before I returned home to Christ three years ago, I was completely on board with the idea.

I understood the appeal.

In fact, I leaned heavily toward being spiritual without the framework—or perhaps the constraints—of organized religion.

I lean left, politically and philosophically, which may surprise some people given that I’m a devout Christian.

For those who study Jesus, however, perhaps it shouldn’t be all that shocking.

Jesus was radical for His time.

In many respects, He was remarkably liberal for His day.

A radical idea, isn’t it?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines liberal as “inclined to be open to ideas and ways of behaving that are not conventional or traditional.”

Jesus certainly challenged convention.

He openly confronted and condemned the established religious leaders of His day. He knew Scripture better than anyone, yet He repeatedly challenged how religious authorities interpreted and applied it.

Consider the Sabbath.

Jesus performed acts on the Sabbath that, according to the strict Hebrew Law interpretation of the time, were considered violations. He challenged the legalistic understanding of the law by putting mercy, compassion, and human need ahead of rigid religious observance.

And His willingness to challenge the religious establishment put Him in danger.

Scripture tells us that Jesus avoided those who sought to seize Him on multiple occasions. He knew His ultimate fate. He knew the cross was coming.

But His ministry was not yet finished.

Spiritual—but Not Religious?

So, was Jesus “spiritual but not religious”?

According to the religious conventions of His day, perhaps that description isn’t as absurd as it initially sounds.

Of course, there’s an important distinction.

Jesus was Jewish. He observed Jewish traditions and participated in his people’s religious life. The Gospels make that clear.

What he rejected was not religion itself.

He challenged the way religion had been distorted, weaponized, and reduced to a collection of rules by people who had forgotten the purpose behind them.

We don’t have much information about Jesus’ life before His baptism by His cousin, John. The Gospels give us only fragments of His early years, then move quickly toward the beginning of His public ministry.

We do know that He lived within the Jewish tradition.

That is, until He didn’t.

And perhaps that is where the distinction between spiritual and religious becomes worth examining.

Maybe the question isn’t whether we are spiritual or religious.

Maybe the better question is this:

What is the purpose of religion?

Because religion without spiritual purpose can become nothing more than ritual.

And spirituality without religious interpretations can become whatever we want it to be.

Jesus challenged both.

And that is precisely what makes Him so radical—even now.

He was spiritual AND religious, but according to THE correct interpretation of the Word. After all, according to John 1, He was as is THE Word.

Because I aim to misbehave and emulate Jesus to become more Christlike, I am also spiritual AND religious.

‘Nuff said!