Christianity without Jesus Christ

Yes, it is a 2,000-year plague: to profess being Christian without following Jesus Christ.

It is rather innocuous to be Christian in America. Christians are everywhere. We call ourselves a Christian country for "in God we trust" and we are "one nation under God."

The majority of Americans claim to believe in God and to be Christian. It is not offensive to call oneself a Christian in the United States. People do it frequently on "Larry King Live" and even pagan people wear Christian crosses around the neck.

But to seriously pattern one's life after the example of Jesus Christ is costly and difficult. There is a huge difference between being "halfway" Christian and "altogether" Christian, as John Wesley says. We never fully reflect Jesus Christ, but John Wesley urged us to strive toward that place at the core of our being where we want more than anything else to follow Jesus Christ. He called it "going on to perfection." This means we are not satisfied with simply being a "culturally refined American-Christian" who lives a decent life. It means that Jesus Christ is Lord of our thoughts, attitudes, policies, relationships, money and time. It is this desire that drives us to prayer and creates within us a willingness to stand for truth and justice when it is unpopular and inconvenient.

Arthur Burns was chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve System and an advisor to many presidents. He was Jewish.

When he began attending a Christian prayer and fellowship group at the White House, the other members were somewhat stunned. They received him warmly enough but didn't quite know how to treat him. Week after week, year after year, someone would be called on to dismiss the group with prayer. But no one ever asked Arthur Burns.

One day a newcomer to the group who did not realize Burns was Jewish asked him to close with prayer. Other members of the group nearly panicked with awkwardness. How would Burns handle this?

Without hesitation he stretched out his hands to join hands with others in the circle. He bowed his head. "Lord, I pray that you would bring Jews to know Jesus Christ. I pray you would bring Muslims to know Jesus Christ. Finally, Lord, I pray that you will bring Christians to know Jesus Christ. Amen."

I passionately pray for that, too.

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