Following Jesus is different.

From my latest Substack newsletter, Can We Talk?

He gestures toward the images adorning the ceiling: “I paint all this suffering, but I do not suffer myself. I make a living of it.” Franz, too, looks up, knowingly, it seems, but says nothing. The painter continues, his face half in the shadow. “What we do is just create sympathy. We create . . . admirers. We don’t create followers.” (p.8)

I fear we have contributed to creating admirers.

Admirers are different than followers.