What would Jesus do? No, really!

I'm guilty of at times trivializing people who have a passion for WWJD.  You know - What Would Jesus Do?  It just sounds simplistic, almost gimmicky.  It's too easily put on a T-shirt, poster, bumper sticker, or wrist band.  Maybe that's what feels so much like a gimmick to me.  I'm not sure.

And yet, that really is what we who carry the name of Christ are supposed to do, isn't it?  Aren't we really supposed to focus in on being like Jesus?  After all, the very name, "Christian," means one who follows Christ.  In fact, it means even more than that.  One reference (yes, even though it was on Wikipedia, I looked up the citation) said this:

"The Greek word Χριστιανός (christianos)—meaning 'follower of Christ'—comes from Χριστός (christos)—meaning 'anointed one'—with an adjectival ending borrowed from Latin to denote adhering to, or even belonging to, as in slave ownership."

So how serious are we if we say we are Christian?  Do we really believe that we "belong to" Jesus?  If so - or even if we are anywhere close to that understanding of what it means to be a Christian - then our goal should be to live like Jesus did... to follow in his paths... to pay attention to the things in which he was involved... to adhere to his teachings.  So, yes, "What Would Jesus Do" really is the key question, isn't it?

I lay all this out because of something that struck me as I read an article today about the Vatican cracking down on the predominant group of women religious (i.e., nuns) in the United States.  The report concludes that the group has "serious doctrinal problems."  It then goes on to list the many "problems" that the nuns have, which need to be addressed and corrected.  Among other things, the Vatican has concluded that the group has focused its work "too much on poverty and economic injustice, while keeping 'silent' on abortion and same-sex marriage."  (See the article in the New York Times:  http://goo.gl/Dmt2V).

So, let me ask the question again:  What would Jesus do?  Well, what did Jesus do?  Let me think... Did he talk a lot about "poverty?"  Yes, absolutely... as does all of the Bible!  "Economic injustice?"  Again, yes.  "Abortion?"  Hmmm.... nope.... not a word.  How about "same-sex marriage?"  Again, Jesus was silent on that one.  So the bishops want the nuns to focus more on issues that Jesus did not address, and downplay issues that he clearly did address.

I vote with the nuns on this one!  But then again... what do I know?  I'm just a Presbyterian.