What Makes a Christian?

Bill Keezer weighs in on a debate begun over at Naked Villainy on what exactly the term “Christian” refers to. Does it mean having particular beliefs about Jesus, or just following his teachings? Does it require being a member of a church? etc. etc.

The funny thing about debates over definitions is that they are always somewhat arbitrary. The meanings of words change, and the boundaries of concepts are always fuzzy to a greater or lesser degree. There’s no eternal fact of the matter about what any given term means.

Still, for what it’s worth, I think that it is hard to beat, for concision and clarity, what is believed by many to be the earliest Christian creed: Jesus is Lord.

Now, there have been debates about how exactly to unpack that claim, but it seems to me that someone who can confess that Jesus is Lord believes that Jesus has defeated the powers that hold human beings and all of creation in thrall (sin, death and the devil) and now reigns as Lord of all the cosmos. To recognize this as the truth and to accordingly transfer one’s ultimate allegiance to the Risen Christ seems to me to be perhaps the crucial element in being a Christian.

This means that someone who thinks of Jesus as simply a great moral teacher is not a Christian, while someone who thinks that Jesus has defeated the powers of evil and has been exalted to the right hand of God, but thinks he is less than fully co-eternal with the Father (e.g. Arians, Mormons) would be on the border.

Also, it seems clear from the New Testament that part of God’s purpose is to create a new community of people who bear witness to the victory and reign of Christ. There is no being a Christian in isolation from that community. Alfred North Whitehead may have thought that religion is what man does with his solitude, but following Jesus can only be done with others. This means the church is an essential part of the picture. Again, what exactly this entails in terms of church structure, authority, etc. is a matter of debate.

So, to sum up, my (again, somewhat arbitrary) definition of a Christian is someone who confesses Jesus as Lord, not just of my life (“my personal Lord and Savior,” etc.) but of all creation, and is part of the community that seeks to witness to his reign.*

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*Incidentally, I didn’t say anything about the background beliefs someone might have to have to fully understand the claim that Jesus is Lord. These might include, but are not limited to, beliefs about God as the creator of the universe who is also the elector of Israel and who ultimately intends to bring all nations into his covenant.