Is Christian a bad word?

[Corin]

In reply to what I bolded, that's so true becuz God already warned us that the world would hate us and falsely accuse us.

It's my opinion that the Christians that have bad reputations are the ones not walking with the Lord but living like the world & riding the fence.
Claiming Christianity, but their actions/works deny Him.

It won't be long before those types of Christians take on the same name the others have switched to in order to define who they are... then what do they do, make another name?

Christians have always been hated and looked down upon, I think we need to face facts and deal with it.

Agreed!
The ones who decide to change for 'society sake' will be the ones who are not true Christians. They will be changing to suit the world, not the WORD.

 

[Caeroth]

I have a friend who is an elder at a mainline church, but his curiosity and doubt has led him to be more "open-minded" (his words) about his faith. So he refers to himself as a "follower of Christ" rather than a Christian. (And honestly, if the priest at his church knew his views on the origins of the Bible, he'd probably excommunicate my friend.)

But the true test is discipleship:

60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”

61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”

68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” -- John 6:60-69
​

There's the real difference: spirit versus body. "Followers" do just that: they follow Jesus without ever believing He is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Son of the living God. It is expedient for them to say "I follow Jesus" to identify how they act and not what they believe in their hearts. When faced with the reality that the Bible and Christ do not give them the option to just follow Him and not place their faith on Him, the "followers" typically deny Him. "Christian" means "little Christ," and no "follower" will ever be close enough to the Savior to be mistaken for Him -- as they were at Antioch and other places since then.

"Follower of Christ" is less a politically correct term than one to allow someone who might normally consider himself a Christian to follow some of Christ's teachings without believing in the whole of the Bible. They are free to pick and choose what they want to follow, leaving out anything that doesn't suit their personal morality or their social norms. That's why seeker-sensitive churches appeal so much to such people, because the seeker churches talk very little about sin and a lot about finding fulfillment in being a good person and in helping others. Yes, we are indeed called upon to help others, but if we have not Love, we are as a clanging cymbal... And what kind of love does Jesus command? You all ought to know this one:

34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” -- Matthew 22:34-40
​

Note that the greatest commandment is to Love God. And to love God, we must strive to be holy, as He is holy. (Read 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Peter 1:13-21) Perhaps, as with Jesus' earliest followers, that is a bit much to ask, and some may turn back. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (See Joshua 24, especially verse 14-15)

 

[SoundCard]

They can hiss and spit at me for the label of Christian for all I care, it's not going to stop me from carrying it proudly.

 

[Nadiine]

I have a friend who is an elder at a mainline church, but his curiosity and doubt has led him to be more "open-minded" (his words) about his faith. So he refers to himself as a "follower of Christ" rather than a Christian. (And honestly, if the priest at his church knew his views on the origins of the Bible, he'd probably excommunicate my friend.)

But the true test is discipleship:

60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”

61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”

68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” -- John 6:60-69
​

There's the real difference: spirit versus body. "Followers" do just that: they follow Jesus without ever believing He is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Son of the living God. It is expedient for them to say "I follow Jesus" to identify how they act and not what they believe in their hearts. When faced with the reality that the Bible and Christ do not give them the option to just follow Him and not place their faith on Him, the "followers" typically deny Him. "Christian" means "little Christ," and no "follower" will ever be close enough to the Savior to be mistaken for Him -- as they were at Antioch and other places since then.

"Follower of Christ" is less a politically correct term than one to allow someone who might normally consider himself a Christian to follow some of Christ's teachings without believing in the whole of the Bible. They are free to pick and choose what they want to follow, leaving out anything that doesn't suit their personal morality or their social norms. That's why seeker-sensitive churches appeal so much to such people, because the seeker churches talk very little about sin and a lot about finding fulfillment in being a good person and in helping others. Yes, we are indeed called upon to help others, but if we have not Love, we are as a clanging cymbal... And what kind of love does Jesus command? You all ought to know this one:

34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” -- Matthew 22:34-40
​

Note that the greatest commandment is to Love God. And to love God, we must strive to be holy, as He is holy. (Read 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Peter 1:13-21) Perhaps, as with Jesus' earliest followers, that is a bit much to ask, and some may turn back. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (See Joshua 24, especially verse 14-15)

Yes this is something I see commonly.

I even hear people arguing some doctrines saying "if that's who God is then I want nothing to do with Him". That says it all. So they claim Christ, yet if they believed all of scripture (re. condemnation, election, sin, judgment/wrath, sovereignty) they'de stop following and consider Him evil.

If God isn't a carpet to walk on (abuse of grace) & benevolent genie in a bottle just waiting to shower blessings on them at their beck & call, He's evil. They actually worship a false god created in their minds & call him Jesus.

I think those are the ones we'll find in Mat. 7:21-23.

 

[Nadiine]

They can hiss and spit at me for the label of Christian for all I care, it's not going to stop me from carrying it proudly.

Many today think that if the world is hissing and spitting that you aren't being loving enough and you're not being a 'good' Christian.

People have it backwards - the closer you are and more you serve God His way, the more people will have a problem with us.

2 Timothy 3:12
Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

 

[Controverse]

I don't see any issue here. "Christian" and "follower of Jesus" are both acceptable and are exactly the same thing, but "Christian" happens to be the more traditional one and when tradition is broken, eyebrows are raised, even if no wrong has been committed at all.

Anyway, "Christian" has "CHRIST" in it and "follower of Jesus" has "JESUS" in it, so there shouldn't be any issue of "BUT THE WORD 'CHRIST' ISN'T IN IT, THEY MUST BE ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL".

It's pretty much the motivation of the individual person that matters. If they did it because they're tired of the mere label itself and nothing else, then that's okay, they could easily rename themselves a "follower of Jesus" and they'd still be the same as they were when they were a "Christian" - a follower of Jesus. Because Christians ARE followers of Jesus Christ and in doing so are followers of God.

And that's the way I see it.

 

[JTLauder]

People, labels are just identifying words. Words and languages are society-agreed upon sounds used to make communication easier. That communication breaks down when there's ambiguity and differences on the meaning of those words.

"Christian" is just another word/label we use because it's easier to say one word than give a 10 minute introduction on what you believe in. And if some people want to use different words to stir up discussion, then let them.

Just because someone applies the label "Christian" to himself or something means very little other than to simplify communication. Don't take took much stock on the labels people use, because Jesus himself said not everyone who calls him Lord is saved. Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses call themselves "Christian", and are they Biblically sound?

Don't get too hung up on the words people use, but let people's action reveal the truth of whatever they call themselves.

 

[Cris413]

This is quite a thought provoking thread. Lot’s of things I’ve never considered before have been presented. Like the connotations of “Follower of Jesus”

Interestingly it seems some consider “follower” implies a lesser commitment than say “disciple” However, Judas Iscariot was not only a disciple (which there were many) but he was one of the Twelve. Peter as well…He was also one of the three closest to Jesus and Peter denied Jesus.

So…I’m thinking…a rose by any other name still smells as sweet…and still has it’s thorns.

I completely agree…focusing on what we call ourselves purely for PC and self-righteous reasons is bunk IMHO.

I do consider though that what we call ourselves to others depends on to whom we’re speaking…

For instance…I worked for a wonderful Jewish doctor and he would often say to me “You would make such a nice Jewish girl” and I would giggle and say “But Dr, I’m already a nice Christian girl”

Or to a Muslim man who kept coming into my work to ask me out and trying to convert me to Islam I told him point blank “I’m a Christian, I will always be a Christian and I will never be anything but a Christian”

When I’m speaking to denominational believers…I usually say I’m a born again believer…they already know I’m a Christian.

Anyway…I think the real point is not so much who we say WE are or why…but more so…

Mat 16:15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

Who do we say Jesus Christ is?

Isa 9:6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Also: The Christ. The Son of Man. The Son of God. Messiah. King of kings. Lord of lords. Lord of Hosts. Lamb of God. Lion of Judah. Savior. Redeemer…all speak to the identity and nature of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.


Imagine…there are those who are ashamed to call themselves Christians and there are those currently living in Non-Christian countries who give their lives, literally, proclaiming they’re Christians.

And yes…Christian is a bad word to the world and sadly to some others who proclaim Jesus Christ who whip out their broad stroke brushes to paint an ugly picture of those “other” Christians.

IMHO…to true Christians…it’s a dangerous word.

Not only dangerous in terms of imprisonment and/or death…but dangerous to a comfy and apathetic life.

Christian is not just a word…it is a radical, life changing, self-denying, pick up your cross and follow Christ Jesus, life saving ADVENTURE!


(wow…did I get a little carried away or what)

 

[Nadiine]

This is quite a thought provoking thread. Lot’s of things I’ve never considered before have been presented. Like the connotations of “Follower of Jesus”

Interestingly it seems some consider “follower” implies a lesser commitment than say “disciple” However, Judas Iscariot was not only a disciple (which there were many) but he was one of the Twelve. Peter as well…He was also one of the three closest to Jesus and Peter denied Jesus.

So…I’m thinking…a rose by any other name still smells as sweet…and still has it’s thorns.

I completely agree…focusing on what we call ourselves purely for PC and self-righteous reasons is bunk IMHO.

I do consider though that what we call ourselves to others depends on to whom we’re speaking…

For instance…I worked for a wonderful Jewish doctor and he would often say to me “You would make such a nice Jewish girl” and I would giggle and say “But Dr, I’m already a nice Christian girl”

Or to a Muslim man who kept coming into my work to ask me out and trying to convert me to Islam I told him point blank “I’m a Christian, I will always be a Christian and I will never be anything but a Christian”

When I’m speaking to denominational believers…I usually say I’m a born again believer…they already know I’m a Christian.

Anyway…I think the real point is not so much who we say WE are or why…but more so…

Mat 16:15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

Who do we say Jesus Christ is?

Isa 9:6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Also: The Christ. The Son of Man. The Son of God. Messiah. King of kings. Lord of lords. Lord of Hosts. Lamb of God. Lion of Judah. Savior. Redeemer…all speak to the identity and nature of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.


Imagine…there are those who are ashamed to call themselves Christians and there are those currently living in Non-Christian countries who give their lives, literally, proclaiming they’re Christians.

And yes…Christian is a bad word to the world and sadly to some others who proclaim Jesus Christ who whip out their broad stroke brushes to paint an ugly picture of those “other” Christians.

IMHO…to true Christians…it’s a dangerous word.

Not only dangerous in terms of imprisonment and/or death…but dangerous to a comfy and apathetic life.

Christian is not just a word…it is a radical, life changing, self-denying, pick up your cross and follow Christ Jesus, life saving ADVENTURE!


(wow…did I get a little carried away or what)

here you go
LOL

I love passionate posts, esp. about the Lord, His Word & who we are as
His children. So I enjoyed it
If I erred on either side, I'd much rather err on the side of zeal & passion than apathy & complacency.

Some verses came to mind as I read your points about this not being about who we say we are...
my mind jumped to fruit. It isn't just claims that make us Christian or not, but the works that will follow out of a born again Christian. (it also helps that we don't deny scripture, etc.)

Titus 1:16
They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.

John 15:14
"You are My friends if you do what I command you.

 

[Caeroth]

I don't see any issue here. "Christian" and "follower of Jesus" are both acceptable and are exactly the same thing, but "Christian" happens to be the more traditional one and when tradition is broken, eyebrows are raised, even if no wrong has been committed at all.

Anyway, "Christian" has "CHRIST" in it and "follower of Jesus" has "JESUS" in it, so there shouldn't be any issue of "BUT THE WORD 'CHRIST' ISN'T IN IT, THEY MUST BE ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL".

It's pretty much the motivation of the individual person that matters. If they did it because they're tired of the mere label itself and nothing else, then that's okay, they could easily rename themselves a "follower of Jesus" and they'd still be the same as they were when they were a "Christian" - a follower of Jesus. Because Christians ARE followers of Jesus Christ and in doing so are followers of God.

And that's the way I see it.

I am speaking from my own experience here, but everyone I've ever met who claimed to be a "follower of Jesus" (probably a dozen or so) refused to accept His divinity. Yes, they follow the Man, Jesus, and they all claimed to be living good and moral lives, but they found His teachings about Himself and the road to salvation hard, just like the disciples mentioned in my previous post from John 6:60-69. Acknowledging that Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Son of the living God is essential, not optional. But every "follower of Jesus" I have met -- many of whom also claim to be "spiritual but not religious" -- always stops one step short of accepting Christ as his or her Savior. They want to live like Him but they don't want to be Him or be with Him. They want to just act out the good stuff while ignoring what they perceive as the bad stuff. They cherry-pick the Gospels for the positive reinforcement of their self-centered goodness while ignoring the teachings on sin and redemption. And don't even get them started talking about Satan, because none I have met believe in the Accuser as a real entity.

I am not saying that "followers of Jesus" cannot be Christians, but the fact that they refuse to self-identify themselves with Christ should tell us something about their faith and motives. Again, I speak only from my own experience, but judging from the OP's situation and the questions asked, it sounds like others have encountered such people, too, and seen the same attitude.

 

[Corin]

They want to live like Him but they don't want to be Him or be with Him. They want to just act out the good stuff while ignoring what they perceive as the bad stuff. They cherry-pick the Gospels for the positive reinforcement of their self-centered goodness while ignoring the teachings on sin and redemption.

Some people who say they are Christian do the same thing.
Ive seen it many times. They know what the bible says but still try to pretend it means something else to satisfy their own mind about the way they are living their lives each day.

 

[Controverse]

This is quite a thought provoking thread. Lot’s of things I’ve never considered before have been presented. Like the connotations of “Follower of Jesus”

Interestingly it seems some consider “follower” implies a lesser commitment than say “disciple” However, Judas Iscariot was not only a disciple (which there were many) but he was one of the Twelve. Peter as well…He was also one of the three closest to Jesus and Peter denied Jesus.

So…I’m thinking…a rose by any other name still smells as sweet…and still has it’s thorns.

I completely agree…focusing on what we call ourselves purely for PC and self-righteous reasons is bunk IMHO.

I do consider though that what we call ourselves to others depends on to whom we’re speaking…

For instance…I worked for a wonderful Jewish doctor and he would often say to me “You would make such a nice Jewish girl” and I would giggle and say “But Dr, I’m already a nice Christian girl”

Or to a Muslim man who kept coming into my work to ask me out and trying to convert me to Islam I told him point blank “I’m a Christian, I will always be a Christian and I will never be anything but a Christian”

When I’m speaking to denominational believers…I usually say I’m a born again believer…they already know I’m a Christian.

Anyway…I think the real point is not so much who we say WE are or why…but more so…

Mat 16:15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

Who do we say Jesus Christ is?

Isa 9:6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Also: The Christ. The Son of Man. The Son of God. Messiah. King of kings. Lord of lords. Lord of Hosts. Lamb of God. Lion of Judah. Savior. Redeemer…all speak to the identity and nature of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.


Imagine…there are those who are ashamed to call themselves Christians and there are those currently living in Non-Christian countries who give their lives, literally, proclaiming they’re Christians.

And yes…Christian is a bad word to the world and sadly to some others who proclaim Jesus Christ who whip out their broad stroke brushes to paint an ugly picture of those “other” Christians.

IMHO…to true Christians…it’s a dangerous word.

Not only dangerous in terms of imprisonment and/or death…but dangerous to a comfy and apathetic life.

Christian is not just a word…it is a radical, life changing, self-denying, pick up your cross and follow Christ Jesus, life saving ADVENTURE!


(wow…did I get a little carried away or what)

That was awesome. I loved reading this.

 

[Nadiine]

I am speaking from my own experience here, but everyone I've ever met who claimed to be a "follower of Jesus" (probably a dozen or so) refused to accept His divinity. Yes, they follow the Man, Jesus, and they all claimed to be living good and moral lives, but they found His teachings about Himself and the road to salvation hard, just like the disciples mentioned in my previous post from John 6:60-69. Acknowledging that Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Son of the living God is essential, not optional. But every "follower of Jesus" I have met -- many of whom also claim to be "spiritual but not religious" -- always stops one step short of accepting Christ as his or her Savior. They want to live like Him but they don't want to be Him or be with Him. They want to just act out the good stuff while ignoring what they perceive as the bad stuff. They cherry-pick the Gospels for the positive reinforcement of their self-centered goodness while ignoring the teachings on sin and redemption. And don't even get them started talking about Satan, because none I have met believe in the Accuser as a real entity.

I am not saying that "followers of Jesus" cannot be Christians, but the fact that they refuse to self-identify themselves with Christ should tell us something about their faith and motives. Again, I speak only from my own experience, but judging from the OP's situation and the questions asked, it sounds like others have encountered such people, too, and seen the same attitude.

If this is accurate in the predominance of people changing the title, then it would make sense to me as to how I view this change...

I believe there's a type of elitism/pride at the core of it. One of separating from the majority basically to view themselves as doing (or being) something different than all the others.??

Just my thoughts - I don't necessarily believe that fits every person of course.