Christian=Slave of Christ

"Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves me, he must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.  If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him" (Jesus, John12:25-26)

With these words Jesus left no room to mistake what it means to follow him.  It means death to self (Mk8:35), death to possessions (Lk14:33), death to God's Law (Rom7:4), and death to the world (Gal6:14).  Characteristic of this lifestyle is that the very Life of Jesus is inside of us (Gal2:20), and our "fellowship" (ie, that community from which we derive our identity) is with Christ and the Father, and not with the world anymore (1Jn1:3, 2:15). 
This is much different than asceticism (that true religion is self-mutilation and repentance from ALL things just because all things are bad).  It's not turning from all things and killing yourself just for the sake of turning and killing yourself.  It's hearing that Jesus says the world is jacked up, and the only way for true life and salvation is by following Him.  It's coming to Jesus and being united with Him in His death and resurrection, which ushers in a new Creation (hence, "if anyone is in Christ he's a new creation"--2Cor5:17). 

Jesus said that unless people repent (and follow Him) they'll die gruesome deaths (see Lk13:1-5), and that unless people trust in Him they'll die in their sin (Jn8:24).  Statements like these are absolutely unmistakable--they can't be taken to mean anything else.  Paul later said that unless people "believe into Jesus Christ" (Greek language, "in" = "into") no one will have a right-standing before a holy God (see Gal2:16).  The final stanza of the Bible ends with Jesus himself saying He's coming soon (Rev22:20).  How could it possibly be mistaken that Christianity is not about following and trusting in Christ with radical trust and obedience?
It's very simple: People drift towards religion, other people drift towards "tolerance", and all people drift towards hostility against God.
-Religion--these are the people who know that Jesus calls for radical obedience.  But they've made a god of church traditions and maybe even Bible knowledge.  They're pharisees who don't love Jesus because they love themselves more, and spend their time critiquing, but not loving and evangelizing.
-Tolerance--these are people who a) want everyone to be welcomed in, and b) want the world to accept the Church.  Christians should want everyone to be saved...but they can't hate Jesus enough to change His truth for the sake of "getting everyone in".  When the disciples asked if many will be saved, Jesus said, "Strive to enter by the narrow gate" (Lk13:24) meaning that discipleship means getting your eyes off of crowds, and onto Jesus.  "Love" does not mean "tolerance".  Love tells the truth (like Jesus), doesn't "rejoice in wrongdoing" (1Cor13:6), and calls people to assume they're wrong if Jesus says they are.  "Tolerance" is usually circular, in that most advocates of it have a moving standard that changes if someone disagrees with them...they pretty quickly break their own rule when confronted and don't do a good job of tolerating the person opposing them (see the immediate breakage?).  The question is "what is truth?", and the answer is "whatever Jesus says", although many aren't asking this question.
-Hostility toward God--Since many people are religious and others are tolerant, they shoot daggers past each other, showing that their aim in battle is flesh and blood.  While the real battle is for people coming to a knowledge of God through Christ (Jn12:45, 14:8; 2Cor10:4) and so having eternal life in Him (Jn17:3), many Christians' heaven would be a world where the other side is nonexistent.  Because these Christians never truly came to repentance from the world and into Jesus in the beginning, they're still holding onto the glory of man, whether its their own glory (religion), or others' glory (tolerance).  Jesus plainly said that if you're out for the glory of man and not the glory of God, you won't believe in Him (Jn5:44). 

The christian call is a call to renounce all and come after Jesus.  He takes our sin on himself and gives us His righteousness.  All of our righteousness before God and others comes from Jesus.  HE'S our good standing.  He rises from the grave to show His power and give us eternal life by making us new creatures.  I'm acting and thinking different because I am different...I'm a new creation in Christ.  I'm adopted into the family of God because Jesus, the true Son of God, was crushed under the judgment of God that should have been reserved for me.  Now I'm a son of God.  And it's all because Jesus bought me and purchased me. 

That's the Gospel.  And this is my response: Repentance.  "Thus it's written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from death, and repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed..." (Lk24:46-47).  I'm not trying to save myself, because Jesus already saved me, and is working on me.  And I'm not going to compromise Jesus' truth for the sake of acceptance and friendship with others.  Jesus said I'd have trouble in the world, and that they'd hate me the way they hated him (Jn15:18-21).  I was hostile to God, an enemy in word and deed and intention, but "while I was an enemy, I was reconciled to God by the death of His Son" (Rom5:10, cf Col1:21).  Christ is absolutely everything, and if the conversation isn't beginning with His life, death, burial, and resurrection FIRST, it's not a christian conversation, and it will be marred by our own interests and understanding.

If people disagree with me on things like homosexuality, abortion, religion, war, etc., we begin with Jesus.  And by God's grace, people will hear that wherever Jesus calls us to change, His resurrection provides the power FOR the change.  Apart from Christ, we're slaves to the world and sin (cf Jn8:34, Rom6:20, 2Cor4:4).  But in Christ, we're slaves of Christ.  And this way we're actually free.  Christianity is nothing less, and if anything less is presented, it's counterfeit, because Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.