The advent of the postmodern revolution has brought many compelling questions to contemporary Christianity- especially in its Western context. Many of us engaged in "the conversation" are excited and intrigued by the "freshness" percolating around the issue of ecclesiology. However, while these questions are important, they cannot replace the issue that should always be at the forefront of the Christian enterprise- that being the issue of what it means to follow Jesus Christ in our daily lives.

At first glance, the opening paragraph you just read might seem a little silly. Perhaps even a tad unnecessary. Of course the issue is about following Jesus- who doesn't understand that's what Christianity is all about? Well, perhaps not as many as one might first assume. And even when people do "get it", they often confuse the conceptual understanding of this crux, with the actual action that it refers to. In other words, while we might know to say that Christianity is all about learning to follow Jesus, what we actually mean by that is often nothing more than something like: following Jesus means accepting his sacrifice and understanding what that entitles us to in terms of otherworldly rewards.

British theologian and Anglican bishop, N.T. (Tom) Wright makes a very specific point in regards to the issue of what it means to "believe" as a Christian. Bishop Wright says "one is not justified by faith by believing in justification by faith. One is justified by faith by believing in Jesus." This might just seem like semantics for the briefest of moments. But there's actually a very important distinction in the mix here. It's only in our convoluted, abstraction-ridden western understanding of "belief" that we get confused over these points.

The truth is that somewhere along the way we became so concerned about defining our doctrinal points that we forgot that these doctrinal points only refer to something real- they are nothing in and of themselves. In other words, intellectually assenting to the correct set of statements about Jesus is NOT the same thing as actually believing in Him. It's almost as if one must step outside the box of North American evangelicalism to realize just how scandalous this mix up has been. It's like a bait and switch technique in the worst possible manner.

By the way, while modernism might be to blame for the fine-tuning, hair-splitting "abstractification" of our doctrinal understandings (as I describe above), postmodernism certainly has a part to play in this scandal as well. You see, it was only with the onset of postmodern thinking that we bought so wholehardtedly into the idea of compartmentalized living. Postmodern thought has led many of us to believe that one can assent to something as an idea, while actually pursuing actions that are in almost direct contradiction to that underlying schema.

Sometimes it takes a knock on the brain for one to realize just how simple and straightforward (and therefore "un-compartmentalized") the Christian life really is. For me, Dallas Willard served as that knock on the brain. What Willard has argued for, in very eloquent terms indeed, (after all he is a philosophy professor at USC) is the idea that the Christian life is all about learning to become Christ-like- by actually deciding to come under the tutelage of Jesus; taking his teachings seriously and consciouly endeavoring to become the kind of people who live like Him.

Willard points out that Christianity is neither a set of abstract principles, nor is it a decision (in the moment) to do what Jesus would do. Rather, it refers to a lifestyle where a lifelong relationship with Jesus helps us to become, step by incremental step, the kind of person who would naturally do as Jesus would do - even though at present that action might seem completely unnatural. Of course, at this point in the game it probably is unnatural. But that does not mean it has to stay that way.

At this point it's probably helpful to make a distinction in terms of what it means to pursue Christ-likeness. Often people give up before they even begin because they say something like- "Well he's God, I can't possibly become the kind of person he was/is." Here Willard argues that the key is not to try and be Jesus, so much as it is about endeavoring to become the kind of person Jesus would be- if he were I (or you). Think (and live) that through for a little while. It's a profound point.

Now that we've re-contextualized what it means "to believe" and what it means "to follow", let's re-contextualize even further by looking at this in action in contemporary culture. The great difficulty with being a Christian (specifically in North American culture) is that one can take on that "tag" without having to demonstrate the pudding proof- so to speak. And I'm not just talking about those people who were raised to believe that being a Christian was synonymous with being an American- or something like that. I'm also referring to those well-meaning Christians (like myself for instance) who certainly intend to follow Jesus, but lack the circumstances to actually begin to practice this pursuit. Picture a young LaBron James without access to a basketball hoop. How exactly does he become who he is without the means to practice? The answer is simple- he doesn't.

Let me put it another way. It is very difficult to be "refined in the fire" when we live next to a swimming pool at the Hilton. That's somewhat how I would describe what it's like to live in North America. We might say we trust God for our provision- and we might even mean very well to live that way. But our culture- as self-sustaining and cloistered as it is- just doesn't make it very easy to live that way. As North Americans we are very rarely placed in a position where we have to actually trust God for something... Anything. I'm talking about provision that is life-sustaining- not prayer for a prettier Porsche. In reality we live as if we're in control of our destinies and provide our own provision. We might sing words that suggest this is not the case on Sunday mornings- but simply singing a song just doesn't make it so. Let me close with a personal testimony of sorts. Recently my wife and I have had to face a shake-up in our monetary provision. The long and the short of it is that someone whom we had a contract with decided to breach that contract. Now, the cause is not the point I'm interested in. What I'm interested in is the effect. The effect, in short, began to work in us as my wife and I suddenly got on our knees before God to ask him for direction; to ask him what he'd like us to do next.

In those first few hours of our dilemma the feeling was not a good one. We, like many others, have a mortgage and two children to support. All sorts of questions about tomorrow were suddenly swirling in our heads. Now of course, in the back of my compartmentalized mind I knew that Jesus said very clearly not to worry about tomorrow. And that's exactly the point that Willard makes. We live our lives knowing what Jesus has said without any real expectation that we could ever live like that. That point was very well demonstrated in my initial response.

But the effect didn't stop there. Before long I was pleasantly surprised to find that my initial unease was replaced by something far more substantial- and far more valuable than my familiar self-provision. Suddenly I felt like what was my safety net had become a form of bondage that prevented me from laying it all down before Jesus. Now that my hands were empty (so to speak)- I felt liberated. My burden was gone. A burden that was so insidious- such a "natural" part of my life and my society, that I no longer even recognized it for what it was.

Now to remember Willard's point, this one event does not a disciple make. What makes a disciple is a commitment to live in this land of the unknown- as a new millennium Abraham if you will. What I have found revelatory in this entire experience, is not just the fact that I am convicted by this definition of discipleship, but also that I am liberated by it. Scripture says, "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." Again, often in our conceptualized, categorized, westernized Christian understanding we have taken this to mean that there is a trip to Heaven in store for those who receive the Spirit of Jesus. Of course, this passage refers much more to our real lives in the here and now than we give it credit for.

Dallas Willard makes this point as well. We in the West have fallen into the erroneous belief that a life lived following and actually trusting in Jesus is the hard one. On the contrary- it is the life lived without that sense of following that is difficult. The initial conversion to this new way of living in dependence in God may indeed be a painful one. But once the transition has been made we may very well wonder why we took so long to get there. I say "may" because I am in no position to speak as a veteran from this side of the equation. In many ways I am just beginning. But I do endeavor to walk forward with this revelation etched on the tablet of my heart.