What Kind of People are Christians?
One interesting argument that I've heard advanced by atheists is that atheism is correlated with higher intelligence, greater education, and better adherence to the law. This argument was, I believe, advanced by Christopher Hitchens in one of his debates. Unfortunately, I can't find the source right now, so it may have been Dawkins, Harris, or one of the other usual suspects. But, allow me to proceed by conceding the point. If Christians are less educated and less dutiful in their basic obligations to society, then what value is there in being a Christian? Well, the best reason is because it's true, but that's beyond the scope of a short article.
I would say that the argument is entirely compatible with the Gospels. Just look at Jesus' followers. James was a hothead; Peter a coward. Mary Magdalene (it has been traditionally held) was a prostitute. These people didn't change overnight. Their progress was uneven. After three years of following Christ, hearing His teaching and being His disciple, Peter still denied Him! And not once, either, but three times!
Look at those whom Christ spurned. The self-justified Pharisees believed that they had salvation through the scriptures (5:39). These men were fastidious in their adherence to the law. They criticized Jesus and His followers time and again for their breaches of the Mosaic Law. I would contend that our modern world is the product of just such people -- modern day Pharisees promising us technological salvation; instant gratification; perhaps even immortality (okay, that may be far fetched). Christ, on the other hand, promises redemptive suffering and death. If you follow Christ, He explicitly warns you that the world will hate you (John 15:19).
So, Christianity, and Christ must offer something other than satisfaction. He does. He promises us Life. To be truly alive, we have to escape from the Brave New World, where we are merely satiated, to the Humble Old World that knew suffering as well as joy. I mean a world apart from navel-gazing reality shows, the easy validation of psychotherapy, and the temporary gratification of pornography and drugs, licit and illicit. Christ suffered. He mourned. He even got angry (John 4). A lukewarm, touchy-feely academic He was not.
Jesus wasn't crucified for being a mild-mannered law-abiding citizen. Christ's message is so much more radical than simply being "nice" or even wise. His followers weren't the best educated. If you use the Mosaic law as a standard, we can even say that his followers were criminals. But, unlike the well educated, law abiding Pharisees -- of then or now -- they were and are willing to accept the radical transformation that Christ offers them. Ultimately, Christianity means fulfilling our destinies, and knowing the true Joy that comes from being one with Christ in His Life.