Religious identity: is it inherent, constructed, or bestowed?
Since Christianity’s origin, whenever that was, Christian believers have spent much of their energy identifying, naming, and drawing the boundary of who is Christian. From the first conversations with the Judean religious leaders, down through the warring kingdoms of Europe, across the pilgrim’s ships to the Americas, and now flaming with fervor in the Global South, it is difficult to find two Christians exactly alike. As much as some would like to simplify the answer to “Who is a Christian” to the “Romans Road,” group dynamics are never quite that simple. History attests to the complex relationship Christians, whoever they are, have had with that question.
So I asked social media, “What Makes a Person a Christian?”
Some highlighted a verbal or internal confession of belief.
Joshua Paul Smith @EverydayRev A confession that “Jesus is Lord” and post-resurrection worldview?
Juan C. Torres @jcarlostzavala Christian: believes Jesus is the Christ as defined in the creeds. Disciple: someone who follows Jesus.
Zach J. Hoag @zhoag call me old fashioned, but I still think it’s “confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus.”
Clay Walden @ClayWalden Someone who has obtained a disposition to mimic and confess the character, heart, and teachings, of Jesus
Ron Offringa @ronoffringa Repent, believe in Jesus, be baptized, and continue in the faith.
A few wondered about the cultural influence.
Bo Eberle@BoEberle The dominant culture or society in which you grew up.
Mathew Guest @mathewjguest Increasingly interested in use ‘#Christian‘ as adjective rather than noun, focusing on character rather than membership.
Jim Kast-Keat @jimkastkeat culture and context.
Others honed in on self-identification.
Bryan Berghoef @bryberg Sprinkled water while wearing diapers. Or, where you were born. More serious: intention to be like Jesus, with others.
Keegan Osinski @keegzzz Identifying as a Christian.
Elisabeth Grunert @LissGrunert Christ claims them as his own. As in, it’s not up to me.
Ryan Robinson @Ryan_LR I want to say “someone who strives to follow Jesus” but in reality I just call anyone a Christian who calls themselves that.
And some interjected humor
VirtuousAbbey @VirtuousAbbey A high tolerance for weak tea, stale biscuits and an unshakable faith that pews are somehow comfortable
timothy snediker @tsned Guilt. Infinite guilt.
Ultimately, Jesus and/or God proved to be a common theme.
Rachel J. @WallofIllusion4m Finding hope in the Kingdom of God as revealed through Jesus’ teachings… maybe?
Rachel Bush Anyone who is a person of peace following God’s intent for the world, as Jesus did
Carol Howard Merritt @CarolHoward be born of the Spirit–life-giving, fecund, Mother Spirit
Bryan Dormaier @real_b_d belief in Jesus as Lord – evidenced in how one loves God and loves others as much as they love one’s self.
Liz Dyer I believe people who are committed to trying to live in the way of Jesus are Christians.
But I think Luke Harms @lukeharms best captured the essence of all of the responses,
Is, “After 32 years, I still honestly have no idea” a valid response?
Institutionally, standards of membership or identification are normal. But religion is more than an institutional system; it is the diverse lived experience of each individual situated in the group spectrum. Each of these tweets depict this diversity, and none is sociologically more correct than the other as a reflection of Christianity. But I’m wondering, can the institution of Christianity make room for diverse lived experience?
Personal identification is scary. It often lies outside institutional frameworks. It can promote harmony and disunity, peace and confusion, dialogue and disagreement. Yet the reality is, more and more Christian believers are articulating that the institutional system, in some way or another, is not adequately reflecting their religious lives. How can we make room for a Christian who does not believe X, Y, and Z? Where do Christians identifying in some way with Jesus, either by cerebral, metaphysical, or fundamental means, come together equally without stigma?
If 2,000 years of history reveal anything, it is that Christian believers will continue to voice diverse, and at times violent, responses to the question “What Makes a Person a Christian?” I think the bigger question now is how will the institutional Church respond?
*You can read all of the responses I received at Storify.