I have always been a believer in the idea the Christianity is a faith of radicality. Radical comes from a Latin word which means root. Christianity, therefore, is radical because it goes to the very root of the person, calls them out of therselves toward the dynamic and exciting life in Christ. In short, Christianity is radical: it calls our whole being to renewal, to transformation in Christ.
This is all well and good, I am sure you are saying. I must admit, first and foremost, that I am always weary about talking about this, only because I know myself that I am a weak individual who fails daily at livnig out the radical call of the Gospel. Christ lived poverty: I go to starbucks for a coffee. Christ lived obedience: I kick and scream (in a figurative way) when things don’t go my way. Christ lived chastity: I am unable each day to give myself completely in my being to Christ. So I am weary of this because I am also called to that renewal, that deep call of Christ because I too am a weak individual in need of the grace, love, and mercy of Christ.
Yet, despite my weakness, I know that the Gospel is rather uncompromising in this regard. While we are not all called to live the same radicalness in our external lives as Christians, we are called to live it internally, and the means for living the image Christ desires for us comes through living the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, and obedience.
I will say more about all this in a future post, but I say this all as a pre-amble to a great article I read on Patheos today. It is worth your reading because it is from a woman who is not religious, but who believes that Christianity is meant to be radical, and that it is meant to be lived by everyone according to the evangelical counsels. Please give it a read and, if you like it, please post your feedback.
in the Risen Christ
-Harrison
The Christian State of Life 