If Jesus was a Contrarian, why aren't we?

One doesn't look far in the gospels to see Jesus was viewed as a troublemaker and a blasphemer. He was always pushing the envelope theologically and had such a fearless faith that even his own disciples were shocked at his words and actions at times. There is this satirical episode in the Gospel of John in the eleventh chapter where Jesus disciples are begging Jesus to heal Lazereth where he should hurry but Jesus will not be hurried. Then when Jesus finally decides to go, and waits to late, his disciples don't want to go. Why? Because they were stoned the last time they were there. Almost comically, the disciples are scampering around hesitantly saying, "remember the rocks, Jesus, remember the rocks?"

So what has happened to that untamed, fearless, contrarian faith that goes against the religious tide and the status quo? What happened to that Evangelical fervor and passion to live a risky sacrificial life while all the while theologically can not be pinned downed as an Evangelical? I have sometimes wanted to write a postscript for contrarian Christians but here are a few books I have read over the years that give a kind of counter-cultural faith challenge, not to the world but to Christians which is closer to what Jesus did during his earthly ministry.

1.  Kierkegaard: A Christian Missionary to Christians by Mark Tietjen. Kierkegaard was a master at satire, irony, and self-critical theology.

2.  Ray S. Anderson Dancing with Wolves while Feeding the Sheep. Many did not know how much of a gadfly Anderson was in his theological musings.

3.  Stanley Hauerwas After Christendom: How the Church is to Behave if Freedom, Justice, and a Christian Nation are Bad Ideas. Hauerwas is noted as a kind of Christian contrarian of the century.

4.  Robin Meyer Spiritual Defiance.  Meyers like Jesus wants to resist the powers that be and be subversive in his theology of revolution.

5.  Rob Bell Jesus Wants to Save Christians: Learning to Read a Dangerous Book. The Bible is not a safe book and neither is Bell a safe theologian. Bell has probably made more Christians mad and received more hate mail than any one I know of today which probably means Bell is saying something right in the midst of so much controversy.

6.  Morgan Guyton How Jesus Saves the World from Us. If Jesus offended complacent followers, be prepared to be offended.

Be prepared to have your theology challenged and your heart pierced by the living Word of Jesus!