Married With Children (left) Alyssa and Jeff Bethke with their children, Lucy, Kinsley and Kannon
with three children but is still “just a nobody trying to tell everybody about a Somebody.” Here, he shares how he finds a balance not only with his job but also his relationships with his wife, family and God. Why do you think that first video went viral?
It was eight years ago now, but that was an accidental viral video. My friends and I were just doing it for fun, but it gave us this opportunity to do what we want. It’s been fun the last eight years to see how it’s taken shape. You and your wife, Alyssa, have created a brand together. What is it that you do exactly?
There are a million different things that we do, but the thing I like to say is we work for the Internet. Another way I put it is we like to make people think about Jesus in fresh and unique ways in our cultural moment. We’ve created a podcast, written books, participated in speaking engagements—just about anything, really. It plays out in a bunch of different ways and sometimes it includes Alyssa and sometimes not.
Viral Visionary
“A successful life is all about a relationship with Jesus,” says Jeff Bethke
How Jeff Bethke’s “Why I Hate Religion” became a YouTube sensation by Jayne Thurber-Smith
I
n his wildly popular YouTube videos, Jeff Bethke has a delivery as powerful as any stand-up comedian but with a much more serious message. He has all the “in your face” confidence of a rapper but none of the sleaze or profanity. Instead, the only four-letter word he favours is “love.”
As Jeff talks, he looks straight at the camera, without pretence, as if he has the best secret in the world he wants to share with you. And he does. The equation is simple: Jesus > Religion. “A successful life is all about a relationship with Jesus, not rules,” Jeff states.
Time interview, his theology may not be “airtight,” but his intent in writing “Why I Hate Religion” was “to help people get the blurriness out of their eyes so that they could see Jesus for who He really is.” Jeff has produced and written other inspiring yet controversial videos, the second of which, entitled “Sexual Healing,” is the antithesis of Marvin “Follow the King” And people are listening. His YouTube Gaye’s suggestive song from the ’80s. presentation “Why I Hate Religion, In the video, Jeff counsels: But Love Jesus” had six million views You don’t have sex with a body, three days after its release this past January. By June, the number was you have sex with a soul. more than 20 million. Along with the Dudes, think twice before you praise, the video has garnered cridesire her just ’cause she’s hot, tiques from pastors and columnists, ’Cause the truth is your body makes which Jeff weathers with disarming a promise whether you do or not. modesty. As he mentioned in a recent Jesus loves and accepts us 20
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Photo: © Alyssa Fenton
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Since you both work together most of the time, what are some of the hardest parts of that? And the best parts?
Even though we’ve gotten pretty good at this, one of the hardest things is when you work with your spouse, you have to set boundaries, separating those moments together into separate categories. Is this a work moment? Is this a marriage moment? Is this a family moment? Is this a kid moment? Is this a date moment? It’s one of the harder aspects, but it’s a gift, too. The best part is that you grow so much closer together simply by pure math. The more time you spend together, the closer you grow. It’s the amount of time, which is really enjoyable and special.
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