rad·i·cal

[rad-i-kuhl]: thoroughgoing or extreme, especially as regards change from accepted or traditional forms

At 2:26 PM Central Time today there were 7,046,773,037 people on Earth. About 250,000 people die each day, and roughly 168,500 of them will die without Christ. That's about a third of the population of Oklahoma City; 1/12 of the Kansas City metropolitan area. There are over 4 billion non-Christians in Asia alone, and only one Evangelical Christian for every 26 non-Christians. The US is 30th on the list of slowest growing Evangelical population and has the 2nd largest atheist population behind only China. 

That sounds like a bit of a problem to me. That is a lot of people dying without the hope found in the Gospel. And what are "key issues" facing the American church today- contemporary music or something a little faster? Will the Presbyterians have a better turnout than us for VBS this year? Are you seriously a Calvinist? 

I am by no means a church-basher, I love the church with my whole heart, but I think that we are overlooking a lot of life/death issues and replacing them with much less important, much more philosophical issues. The obvious truth is that the world is a broken place that is dying without hope. What are we going to do about it? I pray that this blog post isn't the most radical thing that I do with me life.

We like to pretend that if we just don't cuss, don't disrespect our parents as much, don't waste quite as much money on Jordan's, and don't cheat as much on tests that we are being "radically different." That's a load, and everyone else can smell it too. If you've ever wondered why you aren't being effective evangelically (as i have) it might be because your lifestyle is about as radical as the shakeweight- looks funny, but it's still just a dumbell. 

I don't think we don't know what "radical" means, but I do think that we have a very low set of expectations for being radical. Jesus taught radical things like giving up all of your material possessions, leaving your career, leaving your family if need be, and plucking out your eye if it will keep you from sinning against God! I know that those calls have a context with individual purposes, but I am certain that most of us wouldn't be willing to accept many of those calls. Much of the ways that we spend our money and time are overwhelmingly similar to that of any pagan (and I'm just as guilty as anybody). The only reason we don't but more useless crap (particularly of the Apple or Nike sort) is because we run out of money quicker than some. You and I can try to justify it as much as we like, but the truth is that we are not radical with our money. We don't spend our time wisely, just look at your time log on your favorite video games. Again, justify away, but you know there is an infection in your soul. 

Let me reiterate- I am just as guilty as the next man, but I think we all need a kick in the pants. We have to stop justifying all of our foolish, unwise, wicked, and even sinful lifestyles. No one would deny that the calling of Jesus is a radical one, but I think most of us would have a very hard time claiming that we are living out that radical lifestyle. I confess that I have wasted money and countless hours, that I will never get back, on things that will perish and have no eternal significance for anyone. What a shame...

Evangelically, Iran is growing at nearly 20% annually; Afghanistan at 17%. North Korea, Egypt, Nepal, Libya, Tunisia, Sudan, and Cambodia are growing rapidly more evangelized because Christians have decided to be radical. Churches in the U.S. are either dying or exploding with vibrancy because some have chosen that they want to be radical. Some people I know are being audited on a yearly basis because they report an extraordinary amount of benevolence. There are more mediums and technology than ever through which to spread the Gospel. There is a lot of encouragement to be found from radical people!

The simply question is: What are you going to do with your life? Will we make any difference with our lives? Don't reject this message because I offended you in some way, instead investigate the radical call of Jesus in the Bible. I think you will find that I haven't even scratched the surface. We all need to understand the stakes are too high to play around in our fairytale any longer. The world needs us to be radical.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.