Want be more like Jesus?

You sure? Read this article before you decide. An excerpt follows.

"When people say they want to become more like Jesus, they usually mean they want to become a moral person. Such morality is often defined by religious values shaped by a modern Christian subculture—not all of which is bad. My suspicion, though, is that if we look closely at Jesus without our modern moralistic filter, fewer people would want to become more like Jesus.

"Jesus was an unmarried peasant who didn’t put his 'family first.' All of his followers were mothers and brothers and sisters and children. Most of his friends were criminals or living sinful lifestyles. Jesus had hardly any friends who would be considered “religious.” He spent most of his time with drunks, gluttons, fornicators, and thieves. He was so close to “sinners” that the religious leaders thought he was one. And nearly everything Jesus said and did made religious people mad.


"Jesus was executed by the state for treason, and his followers, who took his words seriously, were seen as a threat—not a friend—to the political powers to be. The similarities between Roman values and American values are striking. Yet so is the American church’s unchecked adoption of such Roman (and American) values. Our addiction to comfort and security and material possessions that we stuff into our bulging barns mirrors the pax Romana but is a far cry from the peace of Christ which includes simplicity, suffering, and death."