One of the first things I want to address in discussing different terms is what the word “Christian” means. Christians love to wax philosophic on the original meaning of the word, the Greek, and then think they are more sincere or “relevant” when the describe themselves as “Christ-followers.”
My guess (and correct me if I’m wrong) is that most people outside the church really don’t care about the names those inside it give themselves. I think (most of them) would rather see in our actions that we are following Jesus than in the words we use to describe ourselves. So what does it mean? I want to offer a few suggestions:
1) Anyone who has been baptized or made a decision (willingly or unwillingly) to assent to various Biblical and/or church teachings at some point in their life. This is a pretty broad definition. It includes people like Mao and Stalin. I’m going to recommend that it is a bit too broad.
2) Everything in 1, but actively participates in religious services at least occasionally. This is also pretty broad. It has the component of free choice, but unfortunately it includes people like the crusaders. And these monks.
3) People who are committed to the teachings and lifestyle of Jesus (as they understand them) in every aspect of their lives. They try to live as Jesus would have lived by loving others around them and fearing and worshiping God alone.
When I say “Christian,” especially to describe myself, what I usually mean is #3. I fall far short of this definition, but it’s the standard to which I would like to be held. I think the other uses of the word are entirely legitimate. Perhaps you want to differentiate a person brought up in a Christian community when there are Muslims or Jews around (entirely legitimate). I just think it is important to be straightforward that when I talk about what Christians “do or don’t do,” especially on this blog, I mean people closer to #3.
Christians often talk with each other about what the best way is to move people from #2 to #3. This is not an easy proposition. I wonder if part of the difficulty is that people see that #2 is all that is being asked of them. In the gospels, Jesus calls his disciples to leave #2 in order to follow Him as He reveals Himself to them. In Matthew, Mark, and John Jesus offers no thorough explanation in His call to the fishermen-apostles, just “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” This isn’t a small challenge, and I would be lying if I said I completely understood it.
I wonder if the church has gone wrong is by telling people it is so easy. Pray this prayer, attend this service, believe these things and you’ll be following Jesus. What if we told people who wanted to become Christians to leave their car parked on a city street (as the disciples left their boats) and follow a homeless guy for three years? I’m beginning to come to the understanding that following Jesus is not about life being easy, but about a life that is full of very hard things as we struggle to follow God Himself.
Comments: Are you a #1, #2, #3, or none of the above? Do you think there are categories that I have forgotten? Are you as compelled as I am by a Christianity that doesn’t strive to dummy itself down to some one-sentence essence, but instead strives to capture the richness of how human beings might follow the living God?
I’m aware that I haven’t defined what I think it looks like to follow the living God. I can hopefully do that in the next few days. I hope this gets us started.
Note: This reflects my viewpoint and does not necessarily represent or reflect the views of my church(es) and/or employer (InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA).
From my perspective, a Christian is someone who desires to know God, who acknowledges their separation from God by sin and the ability of Christ alone to bridge that gap, and who asks for and accepts this ongoing relationship with Christ and the Father.
It seems to me that your definition #3 is more that of a disciple. Someone who, having become a Christian, then feels compelled to model the behavior of Christ as their hearts are more and more formed in the likeness of God. This being the case, many, many Christians enter and exit this stage repeatedly in their lives. Sometimes we are stripped to nothing more than our belief. Othertimes, our lives are full of the fruit of this belief. Having been in the former state for most of college, I am hoping that in the future, I will be much more in the latter.