Recently a video, “Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus,” went viral on Facebook and other social media sites. In response to it, and the broader rejection of institutions and authorities now common, conservative op-ed columnist David Brooks wrote a short essay. Both are below and are worth considering.

So is the most recent essay from Pastor Clark that appeared in the print newsletter: “Good Soil Stories.”

Counterpoint: “How to Fight the Man” by David Brooks

If I could offer advice to a young rebel, it would be to rummage the past for a body of thought that helps you understand and address the shortcomings you see. Give yourself a label. If your college hasn’t provided you with a good knowledge of countercultural viewpoints — ranging from Thoreau to Maritain — then your college has failed you and you should try to remedy that ignorance.

Effective rebellion isn’t just expressing your personal feelings. It means replacing one set of authorities and institutions with a better set of authorities and institutions. Authorities and institutions don’t repress the passions of the heart, the way some young people now suppose. They give them focus and a means to turn passion into change.

Point: “Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus” by Jefferson Bethke