What is a Christian?

What is a Christian? This is a question that is not easily answered. A Google query brings up some 20 million hits on the topic. They cover a wide range of anwers.

Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines the term Christian as "one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ." Historically, the term "Christian" was originally a derogatory term directed at believers in Jesus Christ by Jews who regarded them as a heretical sect of Judaism. It was used in the same derogatory manner as the term "Mormon" was hurled as an epithet at Christians who believed in the Book of Mormon in the 19th century. Over time, the usage changed as it lost its perjorative edge.

The Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance's Definition

The Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance (www.religioustolerance.org) cites several definitions of the term "Christian."

"--To conservative Protestants, a Christian is often defined according to their salvation status. Their definition is "true" to them, because it agrees with some of their foundational beliefs: that the Bible is inerrant, that salvation is by grace, and that one must be "born-again" to be saved and avoid eternal punishment in Hell.

"--To Roman Catholics, a Christian is often defined according to their baptism status. Their definition is "true" to them, because it agrees with their fundamental beliefs, including their understanding of the Bible, the declarations of many Church Councils, the statements of many popes, and their church's tradition.

"--To many in the very early Christian movement, a Christian was defined as a person who was baptized and proclaimed "Jesus is Lord." Their definition was "true" to them because it agreed with their understanding of their religious belief at a time when the Christian Scriptures (New Testament) had not yet been written and assembled.

"Each group has their own definition of "Christian" which agrees with their own beliefs about the nature of Jesus, God, church tradition, written text, evolved theology, the cultures in which they are implanted, etc. There appears to be no way to compromise on a single definition that is acceptable to all. One apparently cannot call on a higher power to resolve the problem, because there seems to be no way to assess the will of God on such matters. If there were such a method, then different definitions would have been harmonized centuries ago. People would simply have prayed to God and asked Him to define what a Christian is. Then, a consensus would exist today on the true meaning of the word "Christian."

There is no consensus on what the "correct" definition of "Christian" is. There is only a near consensus within individual faith groups.

"We realize that we are defining Christians in terms of being Christian. As one person e-mailed us, that is like defining a parrot as "something that has the characteristics of a parrot." But since there is no consensus on the definition of "Christian," there is no other choice. On the other hand, there is a general agreement about what a parrot -- or mountain, or car, or computer -- are."

The Pope's Definition

Pope Benedict XVI gave this definition of what a Christian is:

"Witnesses of the Risen Jesus": this definition of the Christian comes directly from the Gospel passage of Luke proclaimed today, but also from the Acts of the Apostles (cf. 1: 8, 22). Witnesses of the Risen Jesus. That "of" must be well understood! It means that the witness is "of" the Risen Jesus, that is, belonging to him, and exactly as such can render a valid witness to him, can speak about him, make him known, lead to him, transmit his presence." (Fourth National Ecclesial Convention, Bentegodi Stadium, Italy, Thursday, 19 October 2006)

CARM's Definition

The (anti-Mormon and anti-Catholic) Christian Apologetics Research Ministry or CARM says:

"Theologically speaking, a Christian is someone who has received the Lord Jesus as Savior (John 1:12), trusts Him alone for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 4:12), has put not trust in His [sic] own efforts (Isaiah 64:6) to please God, and repented from his/her sins (Mark 1:15). Experientially speaking, the life of a Christian does not consist only of theological knowledge....we have a living and open relationship with the Lord Jesus. We experience Him through His indwelling Spirit."

By this definition, Mormons totally qualify for the definition "Christian." However, CARM added the following to their definition with the intent of excluding Mormons. The next paragraph was added to the previous passage after I published a series of articles on S.P.A.M.

"I would like to note, that the Jesus of Mormonism (the brother of the devil), the Jesus of the Jehovah's Witnesses (an angel made into a man), the Jesus of the New Age (a man in tune with the divine consciousness), etc., cannot save you from your sins. Faith is only as good as who you put it in. Only the Jesus of the Bible can do that. Jesus is God in flesh, the creator. God is a trinity and Jesus is the second person of the trinity."

Focus on the Family's James Dobson on Whether Fred Thompson is Christian

Most discussions on the topic of what is a Christian are spent defining who or what is NOT a Christian. For example, USA Today ran an article about Focus on the Family's James Dobson's comment stating that he didn't think that presidential candidate and senator Fred Thompson was a Christian despite the fact that Thompson believed in Jesus and had a Christian baptism.

"...But it is telling that, even after learning that Thompson was baptized in the Church of Christ and that he considers himself a Christian, Dobson declined to disavow his earlier characterization of the would-be presidential contender. Rather, Focus on the Family's press release said, "We were pleased to learn from his spokesperson that Sen. Thompson professes to be a believer."

"That's not exactly a clear-throated affirmation of Thompson's Christianity. Indeed, the use of words such as "professes" and "believer" appear designed to cast doubt on his Christian designation.

"There's a lot more than semantics at play here. In fact, the question of what makes a Christian has set the evangelical movement apart from other Christian traditions from its inception in the 18th century. Early evangelical theologians such as John Wesley and George Whitefield introduced notions of "true religion" to distinguish their followers from "traditional" or "routine" religion.

"Evangelicals have always had a pretty narrow understanding of who is a Christian in the proper sense of the term," says University of Notre Dame historian Mark Noll. "Catholics and most Lutherans and Episcopalians would say that anyone who has been baptized is a Christian, but most evangelicals would not agree. They see baptism as an initiation ceremony that may or may not indicate the presence of true faith."

"That explains why it's commonplace today to hear evangelicals use the word "Christian" to refer exclusively to fellow evangelicals, as opposed to Catholics or members of mainline Protestant churches. Indeed, when asked whether Focus on the Family considered 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry, a Catholic, to be Christian, Focus spokesman Gary Schneeberger said he'd rather not answer.

Anderson Cooper's Numbers on Christianity

CNN's Anderson Cooper said this in a commentary leading into a segment on Christianity and politics in America:

COOPER (voice-over): "The vast majority of the United States, more than 85 percent is Christian and two-thirds of us, a number that's climbing, consider America a Christian nation. But from there, the lines start to blur.

"According to a Baylor University study, about 34 percent of us -- fully 100 million Americans are Evangelical. That's an umbrella term covering dozens of denominations, as well as hundreds of independent churches.

"Evangelicals embrace a more literal view of the Bible. They feel a close, personal relationship with Jesus Christ and aren't shy about spreading the gospel.

"Twenty-two percent of us belong to mainline Protestant denominations like Episcopal and Presbyterian. These denominations take a more flexible approach to the bible. They don't see it necessarily as the literal Word of God.
In politics, they tend to lean to the left.

"There's also a specifically African-American strain of America Protestantism. It makes up 5 percent of the country. It's tied to the black experience and can be found in denominations like African Methodist, Episcopal or AME. Theologically, they're conservative like Evangelicals. Politically, however, they are not.

(On camera): "The largest single Christian denomination is Catholicism. Catholics comprise about 21 percent of the American religious landscape. They're highly concentrated in certain parts of the country, virtually invisible in others. Thirty-five percent of the Eastern U.S. is Catholic, but just 12 percent of the south. As for Evangelicals, geographically it is the reverse. They are big in the south. More than half of all people there are Evangelicals. But in the East, they are a small fraction, just about 13 percent.

"That lop-sidedness, however, may be changing. Evangelical numbers are growing across the nation. In total, more than half of us, about 56 percent attend church at least once a month; 43 percent attend nearly every week."

Are Catholics Christians?

There is no consensus even among Christians on what it means to be Christian. Are Catholics Christians? Apparently not. The CARM web site says:

"Are Roman Catholics Christians? They are if they have trusted in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of their sins. However, if they believe that the are saved by God's grace and their works, then they are not saved -- even if they believe their works are done by God's grace -- since they then deny the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice.

"Being a Christian does not mean being a member of the Roman Catholic Church. It means being a member of the body of Christ which is accomplished by faith and trust in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of your sins. It means that you do not add your works to His work. Sincerity doesn't forgive sins. Membership in a church doesn't forgive sins. Doing works of penance doesn't forgive sins. Praying to Mary doesn't forgive sins. Forgiveness is received in the faithful trust and acceptance of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. You must trust Jesus, God in flesh, for the forgiveness of sins, not a man made ritual and certainly not the catholic saints. Even though Roman Catholic Church affirms the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and His physical resurrection, it greatly errs in its doctrine of salvation by adding works to salvation.

"The official Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation is that the grace of God is infused into a baby at baptism -- making him/her justified before God.1 This justification can be lost through sin and must be regained by repeated participation in the many sacraments found in the Roman Catholic Church."

Chick Publications, an Evangelical publisher of numerous anti-Mormon and anti-Catholic tracts also has this online "pamphlet" that targets Catholics, stating that they are idolaters, satanic, and masonic. They also go as far as to identify the Roman Church as the "Mother of Abominations" in Revelation 17:5 and the Pope as the anti-Christ.

See the tract here: http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0071/0071_01.asp

Are Protestant Evangelicals Christians?

So apparently, Protestant Evangelicals believe that one billion Catholics (the largest Christian denomination) are "Christians" only inasmuch as they agree with Protestant Evangelical doctrines and interpretations of scripture. Let's look at the converse. Do Catholics believe that Protestants, including Evangelicals, are "saved" by virtue of their innovations on Christian doctrine? Speaking of the Protestant denominations that broke away from the Roman Catholic Church since the Protestant Reformation, the Vatican II Council declared in 1964:

"It follows that the separated Churches and Communities as such, though we believe them to be deficient in some respects, have been by no means deprived of significance and importance in the mystery of salvation. For the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Church."

"Nevertheless, our separated brethren, whether considered as individuals or as Communities and Churches, are not blessed with that unity which Jesus Christ wished to bestow on all those who through Him were born again into one body, and with Him quickened to newness of life-that unity which the Holy Scriptures and the ancient Tradition of the Church proclaim. For it is only through Christ's Catholic Church, which is "the all-embracing means of salvation," that they can benefit fully from the means of salvation."

This is essentially ecumenical doublespeak. On one hand, the Vatican seeks to be perceived as tolerant and open to fellowship with other Christian sects, but the sticking point is baptism. Without a proper Catholic baptism, they don't believe other Christians will enjoy the benefit of being "born again into one body, and with Him quickened to a newness of life" proclaimed by the scriptures and ancient tradition. "Only through Christ's Catholic Church" can a Christian "fully benefit from the means of salvation."

In 2007, the Vatican issued a document reaffirming that “Christ ‘established here on earth’ only one church." Other churches “cannot be called ‘churches’ in the proper sense” because they do not have apostolic succession — the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ’s original apostles. (See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19692094)

So, when you ask Catholics if the Protestant denominations are Christians, the answer is, "Yes, so long as they have a proper Catholic baptism." Since most Protestant denominations regard baptism as entirely optional and the fact that their churches deny the need for apostolic succession of authority, most Protestants don't meet the Catholic criteria to be called Christians.

The Fallacy of "Biblical Christianity"

I'd like you to consider the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance's reply to the frequent assertion that, "A Christian is one who believes in Biblical Christianity."

"There is a problem with your definition, because "Biblical Christianity" has itself many meanings. The Jewish Christians -- the only Christians prior to the arrival of Paul in the late 30's -- under the leadership of James the brother of Jesus, rejected the virgin birth, regarded Jesus as a prophet, and rejected his deity. Most liberal Christians today also reject the virgin birth, and doubt that most of the miracles described in the New Testament actually happened. Mainline and liberal theologians generally interpret the Gospels as including many sayings and activities of Jesus that never happened; they were added by the anonymous authors in order to promote their faith group's evolving theology. Even the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons believe that they "know" what Biblical Christianity is all about, although they differ greatly from each other and from other wings of Christianity.

So "biblical Christianity" is a meaningless term. One can only talk about Mormon biblical Christianity, Jehovah's Witness biblical Christianity, Roman Catholic biblical Christianity, progressive biblical Christianity, mainline biblical Christianity, evangelical biblical Christianity, fundamentalist biblical Christianity, and others.

The Church existed before the Bible. The Bible is the product of the Church, not the other way around. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands unique amidst this confusion. We claim to be the restoration of the primitive Church established by Jesus and his apostles. Sectarian denominations reject us as "Christians" because we don't ascend from the ancient Nicene Council and the man-made creeds that were fashioned in the 3rd and 4th centuries. However, the true Christianity that Christ founded was fully formed before 325 A.D. It has been restored in its original state once again. "Biblical Christianity" would only be able to trace its roots to the first compilations to the Bible which was in the fourth century, some thirty years after the Nicene Council.

What is a Christian? Follow the Signs"

In the final analysis, Christians will be defined by the presence of the signs and gifts of the Holy Spirit in their lives. The Bible lists some of the attributes of those who have the Spirit of Christ: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. These feelings are present when the Holy Ghost is present. The gifts of the Spirit that will follow true believers in Jesus Christ include the power to cast out devils, speaking in foreign tongues to facilitate the preaching of the gospel, protection against harmful serpents and poisons, and the ability to lay hands to heal the sick.

Thus, if I were to tell you how to identify a Christian, I would tell you to watch for the signs and gifts of the Spirit. If they are not present, then you may be sure that the Holy Spirit is not with that individual. If he or she doesn't believe that these gifts exist today, then you can safely assume that they don't possess those gifts. If a person denies the spirit of revelation and prophecy, which is the basis for a testimony of Jesus Christ, you may be assured that this person does not possess the testimony of Jesus.

Are Mormons the only people who possess these gifts today? No. The Spirit of God abides in varying measures upon all who profess a belief in Christ, depending on their faith in him and their worthiness to receive those gifts. The Spirit of God doesn't abide in "unholy temples." Disobedience to God's commandments and willful sin can drive away that Spirit. Believers who are taught by their denominations that revelation, spiritual gifts, prophecy, healing, etc. don't exist today are naturally less inclined to manifest those gifts. Those denominations that reject the need for divine authority are less inclined to seek after those gifts. Those sects that employ professional clergymen anticipate that God will bestow such gifts upon the hireling priests and don't anticipate that these gifts are available to the laymen and laywomen in their flocks.

Jesus said the way you would know his disciples is "by their fruits." Watch for the presence of these gifts and examine the dogma of the churches and see which ones experience them and which ones deny their existence. The presence of these gifts is the only sure way to define what is "Christian" and what is not.
Author: Greg West
Greg West is a National Examiner.