Is the Word “Christian” Losing Its Meaning?
WHAT does it mean to be a Christian? How would you answer? A random selection of people in different countries were asked just that question, and here is a sampling of their responses:
“To follow Jesus and copy him.”
“To be a good person and to share with others.”
“To accept Christ as Lord and Savior.”
“To go to Mass, say the Rosary, and receive Holy Communion.”
“I don’t believe you have to go to church to be a Christian.”
Even dictionaries offer a bewildering array of definitions. One work, in fact, has ten entries under the word “Christian,” ranging from “believing in or belonging to the religion of Jesus Christ” to “a decent or presentable person.” It is not surprising that many find it difficult to explain what it means to be a Christian.
A Liberalizing Trend
Today, among professed Christians—even among those sharing the same pews—one can find a wide range of views on such subjects as the divine inspiration of the Bible, the theory of evolution, church involvement in politics, and the sharing of one’s faith with others. Moral issues, on topics such as abortion, homosexuality, and couples living together without being married, often become a hotbed of controversy. The unmistakable trend is liberalization.
One Protestant church tribunal, for instance, recently voted to uphold the right of a church “to elect an openly gay elder to its governing board,” reports the journal Christian Century. Certain theologians have even proffered the view that faith in Jesus is not crucial to salvation. They believe that Jews, Muslims, and others “may be as likely to enter heaven [as Christians are],” says a report in The New York Times.
Imagine if you can, a Marxist advocating capitalism or a democrat promoting dictatorship or an environmentalist supporting deforestation. “That person could not really be a Marxist or a democrat or an environmentalist,” you say—and you would be right. Yet, when you consider the diversity of views held by today’s professed Christians, you see beliefs that are poles apart and that frequently contradict what the Founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ, taught. What does that say of their brand of Christianity?—1 Corinthians 1:10.
The urge to change Christian teachings to suit the spirit of the age has a long history, as we shall see. How do God and Jesus Christ feel about such changes? Can the churches that sponsor teachings that are not rooted in Christ rightly call themselves Christian? These questions will be considered in the next article.