
Others sometimes ask me:
This is a daunting (but fair) question that demands an answer.
Background
I was raised Southern Baptist in the great state of Georgia. As I grew older, moved away to college, and started my career in the Navy, I lived in various places, from the East Coast to the West Coast.
I have attended numerous types of churches throughout the Christian faith, from Presbyterian to Catholic Mass to non-denominational, Methodist, Lutheran, etc.
Whenever I visited a new church, I wondered why there were so many different denominations.
Of course, having one denomination would undoubtedly be ideal, but given the numerous ways humans have often interpreted the Biblical scriptures, many of us want to fit Christianity into a "box."
"Christianity in a box" seems nice...
We can seemingly open and close it whenever we want, change the label, or even ship it off to someone else who might like it. Nowadays, there's an app for everything. So why not treat the Christian worldview in much the same way?
In other words, when we need it, we can use it.
When it's convenient, we can pray. When we have enough time, we can open our Bibles and read whatever appeals to us.
The problem is that we tend to forget about God when things are going well in our lives, but when we are desperate and at our wit's end, we're quick to cry out, begging Him to "fix things."
I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like a good relationship... where the God of the universe spends every moment pursuing our hearts, even though we only want to acknowledge Him when things are looking up in our lives.
Even worse, some of us express that we don't need God. We would rather believe we are "self-made" and have "accomplished everything independently."
The modern self-help movement presents several appealing narratives, one of the more famous being predicated on "you doing you."
Whatever works for YOU, do it. "If it appears helpful, it must be good, right?" Books, meditation, mental exercises, and this whole "Christian" thing are often thought of as nothing more than "tools in a toolbox," with YOU as the star and the center of everything.
"Live your best life because you deserve it; no one should stand in the way of your happiness." Sound familiar?
Certain circles of Christianity have an equally appealing narrative that believers often call the "prosperity gospel." That is, if you put your faith and love in God, He is guaranteed to bless you with favor, and you shall live well.
After all, good things happen to good people, and bad things happen to people far from God.
But what if I told you that neither of these worldviews is true? What if I told you there is more to Christianity beneath its seemingly "antiquated," supposedly "restrictive," often historically "messy," and somewhat convoluted surface?
What if I presented you with a new way of viewing the Christian faith and maybe even all organized religion?
Christians vs. Those "Identifying" as Christians
The latest statistics show that roughly 68% of the United States identifies as Christian. This is down from a whopping 90% in the 1990s, and depending on who you are (and how old you might be), you're probably not surprised.
But even so, 68% is far more than even I (a red-blooded millennial) would expect, given what I have witnessed over the last decade. From my anecdotal experience (for what that's even worth), most people are seemingly uninterested in religion nowadays.
Why is this statistic we hear about largely incongruent with what we see "out and about?" The facts tell us that the majority of America still identifies as Christian, and yet Christianity has become so taboo.
It depends on where you go, I suppose... Growing up in the "Bible belt" of America, I brushed elbows with more "religious folks" than non-believers. Still, there is no denying the decline of faith in America, a country built on Judeo-Christian values.
I believe that so many people "identify" as Christians in our world but sadly do not uphold Christian values and principles.
That is quite the claim, huh?
You might think, "If I identify as a Christian, then I AM a Christian because that's what I claim to be. It's MY truth, after all, and I have to live it."
Right?!
Wrong... Here's why.
Only One Truth
There is only one truth—the same truth that confirms I am typing out this ridiculously long blog post for you to read: the truth, with a capital "T."
The Truth that is tied to reality, and that says there are consequences to our actions (both good and bad).
The Truth that says that when we do evil things, justice ought to be served upon us.
So then, where does this Truth come from?
We cannot effectively "live out" a relativistic lifestyle in which the Truth is "whatever we want" it to be.
Perhaps in the United States, we can have the freedom to arrive closer to that notion (given our freedoms), but sadly, the rest of the world is not arranged in the same way, and you'd be shocked at how few freedoms most other countries have.
The point is that there is a Truth, and genuine Christians cannot be mere individuals who "identify" as such because there is a standard for what makes someone a Christian—a standard to live up to.
Because those are the standards, and all humans abide by standards of some kind (whether we like it or not).
Why This Matters
Many modern Christians are often viewed as hypocrites, cultists, intolerant fanatics who only have love for those within their "inner circles," and do you know what?
Some of that is true...
But that certainly isn't how it's supposed to be.
With standards come rules and a prescription for "doing things the right way." If there really is a Truth in our universe that all of us must abide by, then I believe that Christianity is the best model and standard imaginable.
I've spoken with numerous people who believe that a Christian is just someone who "identifies" as one, and whatever he or she does is "simply what Christians do."
This point of view becomes a problem when we blame Christianity for things like racism, slavery in the American South, homophobia, transphobia, [insert] "whatever other thing" you can think of (the list goes on).
Let me ask you something.
If someone plays Beethoven on the piano very poorly, is that Ludwig Van Beethoven's fault?
If someone recreates a famous Picasso painting and makes it look awful, is Picasso to blame?
True Christianity being displayed poorly is not the fault of the entire religion, and it certainly does not prove the intent behind its creation. A model and standard exists for how the Christian faith (and its followers) ought to function.
That prescription in the case of Christianity is none other than the Holy Bible.
Now, some of you may be rolling your eyes at this point in the article. I can't say that I blame you because this ancient text is often hard to digest, but it's more than just a simple book (technically, the Bible is a library because it is a collection of books).
The Bible is complicated, but then again, any book that claims to be wise will always be complex in its construction because the world we live in is also ferociously complicated.
Any text that claims to teach how to live well and the meaning of life will undoubtedly be criticized and interpreted in numerous ways. It is what it is.
These many interpretations of the Biblical scriptures are why we have so many denominations of Christianity. Moreover, the Christian faith has made various "blunders" over the last few centuries, making it less surprising that so many people are put off by it.
Yet, the deeper we explore the Christian faith, the more profound it becomes.
On the one hand, people justified slavery in America based on the Bible and its commentary on the institution. Yet, those enslaved people at that time saw the Biblical story as a way to hope for better and recognized the value of forgiveness.
Comb through history, and you'll soon find that the institution of Christianity ended slavery for good in the West, bringing about the modern free world as we now know it.
S.O.P.
In the U.S. Navy, we have a reference and instructions for everything. The military calls these "Standard Operating Procedures" (S.O.P.s), which are precisely as they sound: a standard for doing things.
As one might imagine, compliance is vital within the military because things must be done correctly, and the S.O.P.s govern that standard for correctness.
Christianity has an S.O.P. as well. Though far more robust and not often transparent, the essential parts become more evident with time, training, humility, wisdom, prayer, and pondering.
This S.O.P. is the prescription for living that I mentioned before. The Holy Bible is the "roadmap" to a Christian's life. Its most essential books focus on the life and teachings of one man—a man we can glimpse throughout the entire Biblical story.
Jesus Christ

A Christian chooses Jesus as the master of their life and seeks a relationship with Him. To be a follower of Christ is to be His disciple, and to be a disciple of Jesus is to do what Jesus did.
Jesus is often called the "Son of God," but it doesn't end there.
Jesus is God.
God and Jesus exist alongside the Holy Spirit to make up what Christians often call "the Trinity."
The Trinity does not refer to three separate gods but describes one God who exists in three distinct persons. Although the term "Trinity" is not explicitly found in the Bible, the concept is presented throughout scripture.
Jesus was God in the flesh, who lived and walked amongst people nearly 2,000 years ago.
But then you're probably wondering:
It's a tragic story with an equally tragic (but beautiful) ending. But understanding it means going back to the very beginning.
The Issue of Sin

When the first humans were created in God's image, the world was truly good for a time. However, humans have since fallen into spiritual decay because the first man and woman sinned harshly against God, creating a divide between us and Him.
Our initially good world became corrupt because we (humans) trusted ourselves rather than God's wisdom. God loves and desires to be with us, but He understands that true love requires a choice.
In the Garden of Eden, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil served as a way for God to give humans the choice to love or reject Him.
God did not create us as "moist robots" to control and command us to love Him. Instead, He allows us the freedom to choose love for Him, even if we misuse our free will by sinning against Him.
Adam and Eve's decision to trust in themselves and disobey God by eating from the forbidden tree betrayed this love. Our world then fell and submitted to sin.
The corruption of mankind broke the created order of the world so severely that dark forces were unleashed into our world, with humans now cursed to labor through the issues of sin, suffering, and evil. This is not because God cursed us but because it was a fundamental consequence of the choices made by humanity.
It might not sound fair, but trust me when I tell you that there are very real consequences to our actions, some that often stretch down through the generations, spiraling out of control and deepening the wounds upon those who will inevitably take our place in the world.
I wish it weren't true, but once again, there is such a thing as the Truth, which is often difficult to accept.
The Truth is that because of the choices made by the first man and woman, we are destined to be born into a state of brokenness, and this shared corruption is passed down from generation to generation.
The Bible teaches us that this inherent corruption causes humans to act in ways that go against the high moral standards established by a loving, holy, and righteous God. We are all sinners by nature and must stand guilty before Him. God is the righteous judge of the universe and shall judge righteously.
The Great Dilemma
If you believe that you are "basically good," think again. In God's Kingdom, anyone who sins is fundamentally evil and, therefore, deserving of death and separation from God.
This is not because God is cruel but because He is so good and righteous that He must justly punish those who commit sinful acts.
We did not create this world; God did, and His laws supersede everything. He reserves the right to judge.
This brings us to the unavoidable question:
Herein lies the great dilemma: God's character means that He acts in accordance with His justice, which means that sinners must be condemned for their wrongdoings.
If God were evil, He would offer no solution to this harsh truth.
God's justice requires Him to take evil seriously because humanity's wickedness has significant consequences. The entire Old Testament sacrificial system was created to show humans that sin is costly and destructive, defacing the good things that God delights in.
Even those who do not believe in God's existence still have a sense of right and wrong. This means that morality holds meaning for all humans. Otherwise, we would not strive so hard for justice in a world that (very clearly) suffers from moral corruption.
God's Solution to Sin, Suffering & Evil: Lord Jesus Christ
Although God despises evil, He was so full of love for us that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to be a sacrifice for our sins.
Jesus lived among humans as a perfect and sinless man, teaching with love and Truth. He gathered disciples who would later spread the message of His role as the Messiah (savior).
Jesus willingly gave His life because of His love for mankind, which His Heavenly Father shares. The physical suffering and death that Jesus endured on the cross were necessary because Christ suffered a wrath reserved for sinners like you, me, and the rest of humanity.
Jesus suffered our curse, was forsaken by God, and endured the harsh wrath of the King of the Universe despite being the most uniquely perfect person in all of human history.
God hates sin and thus hates evil, but God's anger is not some irrational, selfish, or uncontrollable emotion. Instead, it is a consequence of His distinct holiness, righteousness, and love for all things good.
Mercy is not being made to suffer the punishment that we deserve. In the case of humans, we deserve death and punishment when judged by God's perfect standard.
Grace is receiving what we don't deserve. In Christianity, God extends grace to us by sending His Son as a ransom for mankind, atoning for our sins so that we may be reconciled with God.
The Resurrection

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a foundational belief in Christianity. According to the Bible, Jesus died for our sins and then rose from the dead on the third day.
Jesus's Resurrection is a sign that He is the true Son of God and that God accepted His sacrifice for the sins of mankind.
This event distinguishes Christianity from other religions, as it is centered on the person of Jesus and His victory over death rather than just a set of rules or philosophical beliefs.
Eternal Life
By satisfying God's demands for justice, Jesus made pardon and justification available through faith in Him. All those who believe in what Christ did for humanity will not perish but have eternal life.
Acknowledging that God sent Jesus as a sacrifice for humanity enables us to believe in God's goodness and mercy, even though the Bible has some hard lessons and challenging stories to make sense of.
God would have no other reason to take on flesh and allow His own innocent Son to endure a terrible, painful, and humiliating death at the hands of guilty humans if it weren't for His profound love for those same people.
Through faith in Christ, we are united with Jesus in His death, allowing the open ledger of our guilty record to be paid for at the cross.
Now, God can treat us like we lived Christ's perfect life. This is what Christians refer to as the "Great Exchange."
Living Out the Christian Faith & Following Jesus
Many wicked people throughout all of human history have committed unspeakable evils while claiming to be Christian and beating the drums of their religious ideologies.
No one on this earth is an exception, no matter the standards we try to assign to ourselves and others. Everything good in this world belongs to God because He authored goodness and love. God is the source from which all good things flow.
We all know that evil exists (perhaps you've seen it in complete form for yourself).
But evil can't exist unless there is a standard for goodness to counteract it, and goodness must come from somewhere.
Humans cannot just call something "good" and make it so, no more than we can try to convince the entire world that what the Nazis did to the Jews during World War II was "okay" or justify slavery in the American South less than two hundred years ago.
Therefore, it cannot be left up to the majority consensus to label them as "good," "bad," or "unjust" because the majority consensus often causes such atrocities to occur in the first place.
Our Creator initially engineered us with the capacity for goodness and the ability to recognize evil and injustice as they arise. Our brains don't just contain chemicals that slosh around and tell us what is right and wrong.
Straight lines can be drawn from our actions, desires, thoughts, and feelings right to our very souls.
But this doesn't change the fact that so many people have done terrible things in the name of the Christian faith (or every worldview, for that matter).
This is ultimately what it means to choose the Christian life: not just attending church every week (though there are undoubtedly numerous Biblical reasons for why all Christians should) but making Jesus the Lord of our lives.
Hard to Accept...
The Old Testament of the Bible is often hard to digest.
Not only is it challenging to read through, but it can often be quite violent and bloody. God commands His chosen people, the Israelites, to do some pretty brutal things, things that do not seem "right" when viewed through a modern lens.
A synopsis and dissection of the Old Testament and God's wrathful judgment ought to be covered in a separate article. For now, know that I acknowledge and have a hard time accepting some of the things God commands His people to do, all in the name of righteousness.
Sometimes, God seems like a "moral monster," but when we revisit His character and dissect His key attributes, we often find that while He might not seem "good" to us mortals, His righteousness communicates that He always does what is right.
The Truth is that God deserves the right to judge.
While His judgment can often be problematic for people like you and me to reconcile, this doesn't change the fact that God knows what is best.
Because of what God accomplished through Jesus, we can believe in His goodness, love, righteousness, grace, and mercy, and I find that fact to be much easier to accept than all of the bloodshed transpiring in the Old Testament of the scriptures.
However, that acceptance comes with understanding the person of Christ, which genuine Christians commit their lives to and ultimately place their faith in.
Becoming an Apprentice of Jesus
We have already established that being a Christian means following Jesus.
Now that we know who Jesus was and what He did, the questions become:
The word Christian means "little Christ" or "mini-Messiah," and it was initially used as a religious epithet to mock followers of Jesus. Over time, however, Christianity has become much more because it requires action from those who follow Jesus.
Being a Christian is not just about "getting to heaven," buying into the "prosperity gospel," "winning favor" or prizes from God, or believing in Jesus like someone might "believe in Santa Claus."
Christianity is about being an apprentice to Jesus.
In his book Practicing the Way, John Mark Comer best describes it:
Becoming a Disciple
The word "disciple" is often used only within church circles. Although it seems to be a verb on the surface, it is actually a noun.
The Hebrew word for "disciple" is talmid, which means "a student of a teacher or philosopher." A disciple is not just a student who endeavors to learn but rather someone who intentionally learns from their master and seeks to become like them.
The Hebrew word talmid closely resembles the English word for "apprentice." Christians often use the term "disciple" as a verb, like something they DO to others.
Language matters here. If discipleship is something done to you (a verb), then someone else, like your pastor, church, mentor, etc., is responsible for your spiritual formation.
But if discipleship is a noun, if it is who you are, then no one can disciple you but Jesus himself.
Matthew writes in his Gospel account that Jesus commands His followers to "go out and make disciples of all nations." Christians refer to this as the Great Commission.
On May 13th, 2018, I swore an oath to my country when I was commissioned as a U.S. Naval Officer. My nation appointed me and gave me an order to fulfill.
The Great Commission that Christ appoints to us is far more important than the oath I swore on Mother's Day in 2018 in front of my closest friends and family. To fulfill Christ's call, we must train for a lifetime.
Goal #1: Being With Jesus

Where are your thoughts drawn to throughout the "dead spaces" of your everyday life?
I'm talking about sitting in traffic, staring at the office monitor, zoning out at the weekly board meeting, walking the dog, jogging through the neighborhood, etc.
If you're like me, it does not often go straight to Jesus. Instead, it frequently falls to my desires, fears, insecurities, and negative thoughts about others and the world around me.
Christians are called to "abide" in Jesus. Abiding means to follow, but in Greek, it translates to "remain," "dwell," "stay," or "make your home in."
Abiding in Jesus means to be with the Spirit, and being with the Spirit means being with God the Father.
The Bible tells us that Jesus often stole himself away to secret places of prayer and worship to God. Jesus found the moments in His life where He could bring His thoughts, feelings, gratitude, and worship to the Father who sent Him to earth.
Are we making space for Jesus (and, by extension, God) in the "dead spaces" of our lives?
Are we seeking to spend time with Jesus by reading His words and learning from Him?
If not, we simply aren't living the way faithful Christians are called to.
Anyone who attempts to make Jesus the center of their lives (and rightfully so) will always find that it is the hardest thing humans can do. But Christ reminds us time and again that we are never alone.
Goal #2: Becoming Like Jesus

Do I meet others with love or anger?
Am I prone to forgiveness or wrath?
Am I trying to be like Jesus, the gold standard for humanity, or am I trying to be like me, a deeply flawed human born into brokenness?
Jesus came to earth, suffered, and died a death that He never deserved so that we could be with Him and follow His examples, lessons, and prescriptions for living life in an attempt to become more like Him.
As I have said before, God is the source of all goodness in the universe.
If we want to be truly good, we must put our faith and trust in the One who authored it.
The Bible clarifies that the only way to the Father (God) is through the Son (Jesus). That means spending time with Jesus and drawing upon the power of the Holy Spirit to become more like Him.
God gave us the gift of Christ's example and sacrifice. To be an apprentice of Jesus is to be the "body of Christ," a body that moves, acts, worships, speaks the Truth, extends grace, and shows love and mercy to those who need it.
Love resides at the heart of the Gospel message:
Goal #3: Doing as Jesus Did

When Jesus sought to build the faith of His original disciples, He offered, "Apprentice under me, and I will teach you to do what I do."
Jesus was a Rabbi, and in the ancient world, Jewish Rabbis took on apprentices who could learn, live, study, and travel alongside their master in hopes of one day becoming like them.
The final goal of any apprentice is to carry on the master's work.
He taught, encouraged, empathized, demonstrated, led others and did so with a loving and cheerful heart.
Hospitality was one of Jesus's most excellent tools. Jesus ate many meals with others because we all naturally love receiving hospitality.
To this day, one of the best things we can do is invite someone into our homes, cook them a meal, and sit down to talk about their lives and express interest in them. Doing so allows them to feel known, heard, and seen.
Jesus did this better than anyone.
He broke bread with others at His table or someone else's. He listened well, asked questions, and sought to know others honestly. Jesus often ate and drank with society's "outcasts," but it didn't matter to Him because, in His view, everyone is a person to be loved.
Jesus's love and hospitality are meant to be an example for us to follow. This is often the best way to make space for the Gospel message, especially in countries becoming statistically less Christian.
Standing on street corners with megaphones, judging and scaring people with talk of "fire and brimstone," is just weird and off-putting.
However, inviting people into our homes and cooking them a meal, making space for a conversation about Jesus over time, creating healthy curiosity, and telling them to "come as they are" is far more compelling and (dare I say) genuinely Christian because it is what Jesus did, not what some person in a church "said" to do.
Of course, we cannot (and should not) force a person to become a disciple of Jesus, but we can foster an environment where such a change can take place (even if very slowly and over time).
After all, it's not the Christian's job to save people, only God's.
A follower of Christ is only asked to point people in Jesus's direction while living as an example. If you're like me, you have faith that the Holy Spirit will move and work to care for the rest.
However, people need good examples of Christianity, not poor ones that will only discourage others from walking with Christ.
We can't fulfill the Great Commission alone. No amount of "willpower," "passion," or "desire" to live well is enough. We must draw upon a higher power, which will not happen until we minimize ourselves and maximize Jesus in our lives.
It is tricky to decrease the "self" and increase the person of Christ in our hearts. To be honest, I don't think I have done an excellent job for myself...
C. S. Lewis puts it beautifully in his classic book Mere Christianity:
Just the Beginning...
It takes a lifetime to reach the point where we can do what Jesus did, and like many others, I am still on the journey for myself.
In one of his letters to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul wrote:
Christianity is unique in that no amount of "good works" can enable us to be with God in heaven because, again, by God's perfect standard, no one is truly good.
Only by accepting Christ as our savior can we be reconciled with and united with God the Father (the Bible is very clear about this).
Sadly, many Christians relegate Paul's words to believing in Christ, like "believing" in Santa Claus. Acknowledge, and you'll be "okay."
The Truth is that the Bible says something very different. Anyone endeavoring to live like a Christian ought to heed the words of James:
Translation: We can't fool God. God knows our hearts; simply declaring that we believe in Him for self-preservation is not enough.
Even hellish demons believe in God and understand what the scriptures say (and can even recite them)! To be a Christian is to believe in Jesus and endeavor to become His apprentice by being with Him, becoming like Him, and doing as He did.
Christianity, authentic Christianity, is centered on the person of Christ. The Gospel message can be found in every book of the Bible because it is the central thrust of the entire Biblical story and is designed to shape our spiritual transformation.
Who Will You Follow?
We are all constantly pursuing meaning and purpose.
Whether you choose a religion or not, we all decide to follow and place our faith in something (or someone).
To be a Christian is to recognize that following Jesus's Way is the best path.
I don't recommend that anyone put their faith in a specific religious institution made by man; however, I always recommend putting our faith in Jesus and seeing where it leads.
Humans will always follow someone (one way or another). The question is always the same, no matter where we find ourselves in life:
I'll leave the rest to you.