Reverend Ed Dobson did just that, and the retired megachurch pastor found out that living like Jesus is tough. Really tough:
The retired megachurch pastor and one-time architect of the religious right has spent the last year trying to eat, pray, talk and even vote as Jesus would. His revelation: Being Jesus is tough.
"I've concluded that I am a follower, but I'm not a very good one," Dobson said. "If you get serious about the Bible, it will really mess you up."
But a year of living like Jesus has affected Dobson in deeply spiritual and unexpected ways. He has witnessed for Jesus in bars, picked up strangers needing rides and voted for a Democrat who he believes best reflects Christ's teachings. During recent Christmas celebrations, as Christians worshipped the Christ child born in a manger, Dobson appreciated more than ever the man who preached love, only to die on a cross.
Charles Honey of the Religion News Service has more on the fascinating story: Link
(Photo: Emily Zoladz/The Grand Rapid Press)
Note: A.J. Jacobs also did this and wrote a book about it: The Year of Living Biblically
impossible to reconcile that with living a christ like life?
Looks like people can change after all... or as Jesus himself would say, "repent..."
lol. I agree. Even as a Christian, I'd have to say that the Bible has a lot of... issues.
Jesus was apolitical. He did his own thing. At some times he was very popular (probably more for his miracles than his message, which was purposely challenging and confusing) and other times all but his closest friends deserted him. I don't think Jesus would be too keen on the political system at all, but would implement more direct, organic ways to affect the world. I reckon his words to modern politicians would sound a lot like his words to the Pharisees and Sadducees. I thing Jesus would go out of his way to expose government-worship as the idolatry it is, and encourage people to follow God, rather than man, as their king.
My grandmother was a very devout Christian, which I was always anything but, but I never once heard her disparage someone else's beliefs or judge at all. She just had a personal thing going, played the organ in her church for 70 years, and was happy and a joy to be around. She was the closest thing to a saint I've ever seen.
I agree. I think Jesus would be aghast at what we call 'Christianity' now.
(That's kind of why I'm hesitant to claim to be a 'Christian', because I think of myself as a Jesus-inspried Christian and not the modern species. You know, all the non-judging and being generally nice to people, etc... :P )
As it is now we take money from those who earn it with the threat of a gun or imprisonment. Is this what Jesus would want?
It seems it is always easy to be giving with somebody else's money. It is always forgotten the hard work that usually precedes such wealth. I find it interesting that those that always call for higher taxes on "the rich" tend to be the least giving. Look up the giving habits of such types as Al Gore. If you want to give more to others or the government nobody is stopping you.
For the rest of you who read this, please don’t lift up the president, lift up our Nation. Pray for revival to break out in the White House! If a Holy Ghost fire gets started in Washington DC people will come from the four corners of the earth to watch it burn. If people gather around a fire some will get burned but all will come away with the smell of smoke.