Distinctively Christian. 

What does that mean?  I read a very interesting article recently about a Muslim cleric lecturing a group of evangelicals on being distinctively Christian.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/buildingleaders/ministrystaff/ministrylessonsfromamuslim.html

I think the ironic statement of having a man from another religion describe for us the essential core of a Christian ethic is perhaps one of the saddest picture of Christianity in America today. In Ephesians four, we find a clear statement of what a lifestyle that is truly Christian looks like.  It is about serving other people, living, working, speaking and building things for the benefit of the body of Christ. Our Body.  It is also about forgiving, refusing resentment, handling our anger etc.

It is not about being American, Capitalist, Liberal, Republican, socialist, or even a decent human being. It is about living in a way that brings honor to our calling.  I recently heard about a man in the military who was tasked with escorting home his fallen comrades.  He refused to take off his uniform jacket for airport security.  he would rather be taken into a back room and searched than disgrace his uniform.  How many of us as Christians would be willing to be searched in a back room rather than disgrace our Christian identity? Are we willing to not lay down the Christian uniform in terms of forgiving our enemies, controlling our anger and not going to bed angry? Or do we need a man from another religion to remind us that to be Christian is not the same as being American, political or socially activist?