The Cost of Following

The Cost of Following

What does it mean to be a Christian? Can someone be a casual Christian?  

There has been a number of concerning trends over the past couple of decades among those identifying as Christian. There is a decline among those identifying as Christian or affiliating with any particular religion. "In 1972, when the GSS (General Social Survey) began asking Americans, 'What is your religious preference?' 90% identified as Christian and 5% were religiously unaffiliated." By 1998, the religiously unaffiliated had grown to 14% and by 2021 the number was 29% (www.pewresearch.org). "During this time, the share of U.S. adults who identify as Christian has fallen from 78% to 63%."

Another growing concern is how few professing Christians actually hold to a Biblical worldview. "According to this latest report, the level of biblical worldview varies by the pastoral position held. Among Senior Pastors, for instance, 41% hold a biblical worldview—the highest incidence among any of the five pastoral positions studied. The next highest was 28% among Associate Pastors. The study found that only 12% of Children’s and Youth Pastors hold a biblical worldview" (Worldview Study). Needless to say, the number of Christian laymen with a Biblical Worldview is in the single digits. 

One of the clearest implications of these studies is that people are confused about what it means to follow Jesus and why it matters. In Luke 9:51-62, Jesus makes three separate statements regarding the cost of following after Him. The idea that a person could just casually follow after Jesus was never part of His teaching. Jesus never hid the cost but made it clear upfront. Do you know the meaning and cost of following Jesus?