Who Are We Imitating?

I heard another song today. One that I hadn't heard before. In case you didn't know, I happen to love music. It has had a major impact in my life. That's been especially true of worship music and what I call "honest" music--the kind of music that tells things as they really are.

The song I heard today is called "My Jesus", by Todd Agnew. You can listen (and watch) by going here. Be prepared, though, the lyrics are challenging. Here are the lyrics:

Which Jesus do you follow?
Which Jesus do you serve?
If Ephesians says to imitate Christ
Then why do you look so much like the world?

Chorus:
Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the arrogant
So which one do you want to be?

Blessed are the poor in spirit
Or do we pray to be blessed with the wealth of this land
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness
Or do we ache for another taste of this world of shifting sand

Cause my Jesus bled and died for my sins
He spent His time with thieves and sluts and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the rich
So which one do you want to be?

Who is this that you follow
This picture of the American dream
If Jesus was here would you walk right by on the other side or fall down and worship at His holy feet

Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion
Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins
But the Word says He was battered and scarred
Or did you miss that part
Sometimes I doubt we'd recognize Him

Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and the least of these
He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable
So which one do you want to be?

Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church
The blood and dirt on His feet would stain the carpet
But He reaches for the hurting and despised the proud
I think He'd prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd
And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud

I want to be like my Jesus!
I want to be like my Jesus!

Not a posterchild for American prosperity, but like my Jesus
You see I'm tired of living for success and popularity
I want to be like my Jesus but I'm not sure what that means to be like You Jesus
Cause You said to live like You, love like You but then You died for me
Can I be like You Jesus?
I want to be like my Jesus

Maybe I'm having a mid-life crisis (I am approaching 40), but those words really resonate with me these days. How do I answer the question that is put to me, "If Ephesians says to imitate Christ, why do you look so much like the world?" There is no answer that will satisfy both me and God.

What about the idea that, "You said to live like You, love like You but then You died for me"? Wow. In order to imitate Christ, be like Him, do I have to love so much that I die? That's a pretty tough pill to swallow. But, as I have asked my students (and myself), "Do you really want it? How badly do you want it? What are you willing to do, what are you willing to give up?"

I've concluded that many traditional American conservative Christians scare me (I include myself in that lot). Why? First, because we are in fact imitating the world. Second, because, well, we are imitating.... each other! When I go to various places, I can usually identify the people that would fit into this "lot" (at least the younger group). We seem to act the same, do the same things, dress the same, raise our kids the same, etc. And, the real problem with that? I'm not really sure that's what the Word meant when it said to imitate Christ. Jesus wasn't an evangelical Christian, after all. Just more questions to think about. I'm sure you'd like to know when I find the answers (maybe?) So would I...... :)