The End of Religion

The End of Religion
by Bruxy Cavey, NavPress, 2007.
Find this book here.

Bruxy Cavey currently serves as a pastor in the BIC (Be in Christ) church and offers his Anabaptist perspective to a world that is sick of religion. The point that he wants to make is that Jesus is sick of it too. In fact, Jesus came to end religion by offering something completely different - His own life.

The focus of the book is on how Jesus came to us to offer us grace and relationship with Him. In doing so, He marked the end of the religious system. Religion, as a way of connecting people with God, is no longer needed. Instead, God came to each one of us. Rituals, rules and ceremony are no longer there to mediate grace. Jesus alone does that.

As we put our faith in Jesus, He transforms us and our thinking to something new. We no longer take part in religious activity because it bings us closer to God. God has come, and that activity is a response and a deepening of the relationship that is already there.

This almost seems like an Anabaptist book for non-Anabaptists. It captures some of the core ideas of the Anabaptist faith in a clear and engaging way. Cavey does a great job of focusing on Jesus in a way that allows us to enter relational freedom rather than religious bondage. Definitely a book worth reading a few times.

Notable Quotes:

“Jesus is not pointing toward a different and better religion, but instead he invited us to himself as an alternative to the weary way of religion.” (p.13)

“…Jesus… opposes dependence on any one organization for our connection with God.” (p.23)

“God gives us salvation, life, love, and everything we need up front, including the purpose in this world. It is His gift to us. When we realize this down to the depth of our bones, we then naturally live a life that expresses our gratitude by loving God and others. To do otherwise would be false and forced.” (p.39)

“Religion does not lead people to God any more than cups quench your thirst.” (p.41)

“Whenever the church gets into bed with political powers, the church becomes the state’s whore.” (p.68)

“…following Jesus will move us toward his countercultural way of limitless forgiveness, radical acceptance, nonviolent peacemaking, and sacrificial love.” (p.83)

“Rather than give us new rules, Jesus took the principles embedded within the rules and wrapped them in a human life. So the entire life of Jesus, His teachings and His example, becomes ‘God’s Word’ to us.” (p.98)

“The distinguishing mark of citizenship in Christ’s kingdom, says Jesus to Pilate, is that members of His kingdom do not fight.” (p.128)