The Greek word for disciple, mathetes, literally means “learner” or “apprentice.” The role of the Christian disciple is precisely to be a student or apprentice in the Christian way of life. (Assessing Christian Discipleship in Catholic Youth Ministry, doctoral dissertation University of Minnesota, 2008)
And the Vatican reminds us:
The disciple of Jesus Christ is then ready to make an explicit, living, and fruitful profession of faith. (GDC, 56c)
Note how all these references define discipleship with broad strokes of the brush. This is how it should be. If we are not careful, we unconsciously further define discipleship so that it reflects our specific religious practices and spiritual interests. The recent interest in discipleship has resulted in various portraits of one who displays specific characteristics. I myself once came up with a list of characteristics describing the adolescent disciple. Let us leave discipleship as it came to us without adding more descriptions and characteristics. This is plenty good enough.
Nowadays I urge us to stay with the basic understanding that comes from the root word and the basic descriptions found in these catechetical documents of the Church — allowing for the variety of ways people live out the teaching of Christ.
The important thing that distinguishes the disciple from a believer is that the disciple studies the ways of the One throughout his or her life, and does his or her awful best to live life in accordance with those teachings.
By following the example of his self-giving love, we learn to be Christian disciples in our own time, place, and circumstances. (NDC, 29E; see also Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us, 46)
Why Now Is The Time
1. People already believe
Every religion poll in the United States over the last 20 years points to the same fact: almost 90% of Americans believe in God, believe in heaven and hell, and pray.
We are a nation of believers. And while fewer and fewer Americans actively participate in congregational life, they insist that religion still plays an important part in their lives.
Take, for example, the Catholics in America survey conducted in 2011 by researchers William D’Antonio of The Catholic University of America, Mary Gautier of Georgetown University, and Michelle Dillon, president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. That study revealed that three out of four Catholics say the Church is important in their lives. The number is even higher among Hispanic Catholics.
The research found in Souls in Transition: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults, by Christian Smith and Patricia Snell (Oxford University Press, 2009), reveals that while religious affiliation decreases among young adults after high school, the percentage of those who believe in life after death increased to 84%. The percentage among Catholic young adults was 88%.
In terms of Catholic identity among young adults:
• 81% say, “I have a lot of respect for organized religion.”
• 72% say, “It is not a big turnoff for me.”
• 77% say they have very positive feelings about being raised Catholic.
• 55% say that religion is not irrelevant to the needs and concerns of people their age.
• 66% say that there are too many religious people who are negative, angry, or judgmental.
• 71% believe many religions are true.
• 61% agree that you don’t have to accept everything about Catholicism (an increase of 8%).
• 79% say you do not have to be involved in parish (up 12%).
• 71% say religion is a private matter and should be kept out of public debates and political issues.
• 49% expect to be attending religious services when they are thirty years old.
• 60% say that it is not important to marry someone of your religion; 14% say it is very important.
Smith and Snell point out, “We see little evidence of mass secularization among America’s young adults except for a decline in regular church attendance” (102).
People already believe.
But according to these two researchers, the young are on “a trajectory” — not something as passive as a path or a journey — but a trajectory being propelled by multiple forces toward an adulthood wherein the influence of religion diminishes, practice of the faith declines, and engagement with the Church is minimal.
They maintain that this trajectory starts early: “It is not that what happens during teenage years and emerging adult years does not matter, it is simply that what matters even more is what happens before the teenage years, which powerfully conditions most everything that happens thereafter” (248).
So let’s go back to the basic question: Can a person be a believer but not necessarily a disciple?
There is a difference between being a believer and being a disciple. A believer accepts some things about the existence and nature of God. A believer accepts a body of truth — most of which cannot be seen.
Being a believer is a strong step, something one should be proud of. And living out one’s religious beliefs is the mark of integrity. Yet a believer is not the same thing as a disciple. One can be a believer but not necessarily a disciple.
Discipleship builds on belief. It is a way of inviting believers to the More. People today already believe. Discipleship is timely because it points believers to the More.
2. Religious faith is a common element of our culture
Flick the television remote and you will see:
• political candidates describing their religious upbringing and the importance faith plays in their lives today;
• winning athletes beginning post-game interviews by “giving Jesus Christ all the credit,” or thanking “God for helping me today”;
• ministers praying over congregational members, some slain in the spirit through the laying on of hands;
• a parish celebrating Mass;
• terrorists’ attacks motivated by religious ideology.
We know the religious affiliations of our celebrities — who is a devout Catholic, a Scientologist, or a born-again evangelical.
Boomers grew up wondering if they would be “Touched by an Angel.” A movie on the passion of Christ came out and millions of Americans from every denomination paid to go see it, even though it was in a language no longer spoken on the planet.
Religion is no longer something only discussed between the pulpit and the pew. It is in the commons of our culture.
3. Spiritual interests are high
Check out any week’s New York Times’ bestseller list and see how many of the top twenty paperbacks focus on spiritual topics. Sociologists tell us that the American people are pursuing spiritual interests at an unprecedented rate.
More Americans than ever actively practice yoga and other forms of meditation as a way to address both spiritual health and physical needs. Hospitals, health care networks, coffee shops, grocery stores, spas, and gyms now pitch themselves as ways to nurture body, mind, and spirit. Not only are we a nation of believers, people are drawn to topics and activities they view as spiritual.
4. The Call of Discipleship unites us
For those of us committed to faith formation, the Call of Discipleship transcends our particular theological interests, doctrinal emphasis, or political issues. It offers us a common purpose that we can all say yes to. It ends the kind of battles we have had with one another when we insist that the catechetical topic burning within our hearts should