I had a conversation today with a man who I think is typical of the postmodern American Christian - he likes the church, he likes his Bible, but he wants to be safe, he wants his kids to be safe, and he wants to have lots of money. As I listened to him talk for forty-five minutes, I heard him attempt to blend two worldviews - the Christian and the secular - and ultimately it was the latter that won out in what mattered most to his heart.

I'm not saying it's wrong to want to be safe, but there's a difference between locking your door because it's wise and trying to avoid every possible pain out of fear. As for the lots of money, that's a stickier issue.

Ultimately, however, Christianity is not a safe religion.

You wouldn't get that from watching us Americans. We're too busy thinking we're blessed because we have lots of money. I'm not so sure that's true. God let plenty of nations in the Bible be rich and then He basically gave them the Holy Smackdown. So being rich does not equate to God blessing you. It could be God letting you run as far as you'd like into debauchery so that when He steps into judge, all you can do is cover your mouth.

Christianity is not safe.

This is what Christianity should look like, but often doesn't - a fearless love, willing to sacrifice life, family, comfort to love unabashadly and to seek to glorify God in all things. It might mean death. It might mean my precious baby boy in the room next to me is called to be a missionary to a place where being a Christian gets you killed. It might mean he leaves and I don't see his face until Heaven. It might mean that I lose him tomorrow and I say "blessed be the name". It might be that someone needs my last dollar. Or my coat. Or my shoes. Paul says that if what we believe is a lie, we're to be most pitied.

But as American evangelicals, are we really living a life that people would pity us for, as we drive around in our Suburbans, living in our suburbs, and making sure we have plenty of comfort? Are we so sure we're Christian?

Christianity isn't a fashion.

But we wear it like it is.

The man I talked to today said that he knew people with a lot of money. He sends his four kids to private school. But I'm blessed as the poor, but still I judge success by how I'm dressing, is how the song I listened to the other day by Caedmon's Call.

These thoughts are a little sporadic, I've got major baby brain.

I just wanted to write this down because I think something profound was said to me today by the words of this man. Something deeper than what I was hearing - God was whispering to my soul, but it's getting blocked by my pride, my sin, my fears.

Christianity isn't a safe religion.

And I think that's a step in the right direction