There are 7.6 billion people on the face of the earth today. The largest religious group are the Christians. There are about 2.5 billion people, almost a third of the world’s population, who identify themselves as being Christians.
A definition of a Christian, according to Merriam-Webster, “is one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ”. I think it would be fair to say that 2.5 billion people “profess” Jesus Christ, at least intellectually or with their minds, that is they believe that Jesus existed, was a good person, and died on the cross for our sins. Let’s look at Webster’s definition again, the key words are, “profess belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ”. Frankly many “Christians” in the world don’t even know what Jesus taught and therefore have no desire to apply those teachings to their lives.
As a result of doing ministry in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and of course the United States, I see at least four segments of the Christian population. Let’s see how they fit into the dictionary definition we have of a Christian; “professing a belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ”.
First, let me list them and then we will take a deeper look…
- A Nominal Christian
- A Generational Christian
- A Syncretic Christian
- A Born-again Christian
First A Nominal Christian, is a Christian who identifies with a particular church or a Christian denomination. That person may or may not be a church attender. Some examples of Nominal Christians are:
People who convert to Christianity in order to marry or convert because of social/cultural pressures fit into this category.
- They may have to fill out a form stating their religious affiliation and they know that they are not Jewish, Buddhist, Islamic and therefore check the category they think fits; Christian.
- They may want their children to develop Christian values and attend a Christian church for that reason.
- They don’t want their children to go to a public school and put their children in a Christian school and therefore state that they are Christians.
A Generational Christian, is one who’s Christian identity is taken from their parents or family. That person may or not be a church attender. For example:
- It is only natural that a child will adopt the religion of their parents, it is no different for Christian families. Unless a child has a personal experience with Jesus Christ, they will just continue in the traditions of the family.
A Syncretic Christian, the word syncretic or syncretism when applied to religion means that two religions are blended together to form one religion acceptable to the population (politically correct). So, a syncretic Christian is one who takes on the Christian label but practice a Christianity that is blended with other non-Christian religions or cults.
The fourth category is how Jesus defined a Christian. A #Born-Again Christian is a Christian who professes repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and understand the spiritual nature of Christianity (John 3:1-21). That person may be a church attender, or not. We will have much to say about Born-again Christians in our next post.
As we close, you can see it isn’t the fact that you go to a Christian church that makes you a Christian, although you should. Going to church does not make one a Christian, any more than going into “McDonalds makes you a hamburger”. The real issue is and always has been, do you know Jesus as personal Lord and Savior!
So, until next time ponder these thoughts, God bless!
