This is a reblog from my friend and colleague in the Utica Presbytery, Rev. Herb Swanson.  Herb is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Lowville, NY.  He previously spent 25 years working in Thailand where he was fostering greater understanding and dialogue between Christianity and Buddhism.

Here is an excerpt:

That’s worth thinking about—being a follower of Jesus but not a Christian.  That’s what Paul was.  Peter and the other disciples all died before there was a Christian religion.  They followed Jesus while remaining devout, practicing Jews.  One of the things that seems to be happening in our increasingly secular society is that small groups of followers of Jesus are reinventing the church in ways that make more sense in the 21st century than do traditional churches.  Maybe something we should be aiming for is to be more Christ-like and less Christian.  Worth a thought.

Click here to read the full article on Herb’s blog…