Henri Nouwen wrote the following provocative words in his book The Wounded Healer and I believe they are worth dwelling upon:
"When the imitation of Christ does not mean to live a life like Christ, but to live your life as authentically as Christ lived His, then there are many ways and forms in which a person can be a Christian."
One who has read Nouwen knows this is not the statement of a universalist but an Orthodox Christian thinker trying to better understand what it means to be an imitator of Christ. Jesus knew when He told His disciples to imitate Him as He imitated the Father that He was asking for something deeper then – "walk like I walk", "lift your cup as I lift my cup".
This is a sentiment that focuses on the way the heart is changed and not what a person wears for example…inner transformation can bring many kinds of outer changes.
Harnessing Chaos 