Dear folks, Please take time to read the article before you reply to the article. This way, by reading the article, you will know what it's saying and you can reply if you agree or disagree and why. I think it's well worth the read. It's one of those articles that make you think. I appreciate your cooporation. And if you just wish to read and not make a comment, that's fine too.
WHO IS A CHRISTIAN?
A simple question, with many answers
Quotations:
"Any phenomenon as complex and as vital as Christianity is easier to describe historically than to define logically." From Encarta's definition of "Christianity." 1
"What is a Christian, anyway? Someone of European descent? A persecutor of Jews? Someone who votes for only the most conservative Republicans? At times all of these answers have seemed plausible. Some use these definitions to this day. In Christian circles the answers are no clearer. A Christian is sometimes said to be someone who has made a decision; sometimes, someone who belongs to a church; far too often, someone who confesses the right creeds." Mark M. Mattison 2
Note:
If you regard yourself to be a Christian, you will probably have a personal definition of exactly who is a real Christian and who is not. The purpose of this essay is not to criticize your definition. It is to explain the full range of meanings that people have given to the term "Christian." Please do not Email us with angry messages because we describe beliefs that differ from yours. We are merely reporting the full diversity of beliefs about this topic.
Overview:
One of the more interesting, and frustrating, features of religion is the variety of meanings given to common terms. Many religious words have multiple -- often mutually exclusive -- meanings. For example:
We have found 9 meanings for the term "cult:" one positive, four neutral, three negative and one very negative.
We have found 17 meanings for the term "witch" - mostly unrelated to each other; mostly negative.
There are also many distinct definitions of the term "Christian" (pronounced 'kristee`ân). Three examples are:
Most liberal Christian denominations, secularists, public opinion pollsters, and this web site define "Christian" very broadly as any person or group who sincerely believes themselves to be Christian. Thus, Fundamentalist and other Evangelical Protestants, Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox believers, Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians, United Church members, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Scientists, etc. are all considered Christian. They total about 75% of the North American adult population.
However, many Fundamentalist and other Evangelical Protestants define "Christian" more narrowly to include only those persons who have been "born again" regardless of their denomination. Perhaps 35% of the North American adult population are Christian by this definition.
Some Protestant Christian denominations, para-church groups, and individuals have assembled their own lists of cardinal Christian doctrines. Many would regard anyone who denies even one of their cardinal doctrines to be a non-Christian. Unfortunately, there is a wide diversity of belief concerning which historical Christian beliefs are cardinal.
Other denominations regard their own members to be the only true Christians in the world. Some are quite small, numbering only a few thousand followers.
Different definitions on such a fundamental topic makes dialog and debate among Christian groups very difficult. It also makes estimating the number of Christians in the U.S. quite impossible. By some definitions, 75% of Americans are Christians; by other definitions, it is a small fraction of 1%.
Yet, from the negative Emails that we receive on this topic, there are many Christians out there who hold with fierce determination to their own definition of "Christian" as the only valid one.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_defn.htm
Original Post
If there is a God, will you ever be surprised when you stand before him on Judgement day!!
) have you ever accepted Christ as Savior and Lord of your life?
