A couple years ago a friend posted on Facebook, “How can anyone call themselves a Christian and [do a certain thing]?” If I named the ‘thing,’ it would cause an argument even now. The Bible is silent on the matter she was referring to.
Her statement upset me. I’d left a church where you were “backslid” if you did or even thought certain things. And suddenly I was hearing the same type of thing again, from people who were supposed to be healthy Christians. “How can you be a Christian and wear stretch pants?” “How can you be a Christian and not tithe?” “How can you call yourself Christian and not go to church every Sunday?”
I’d heard eerily similar things in my former church, though there they were statements: “You’re backslid if you wear pants.” “You’re backslid if you don’t tithe and give at least 5% offering.” “You’re backslid if you aren’t in church every time the doors are open.” They were overly judgmental statements meant to control by fear. Fear of losing out with God, of being a bad witness, of being declared not good enough. And so when I started hearing similar statements from mainstream churches and Christians, I was angry.
The questions are not, “Why do you think like that? Why do you do that?” in a way that would lead to open discussion and consideration of other perspectives. The questions are meant to shame, to shut down the other person, and to draw into isolation or polarize. The questions are not healthy… they are actually abusive.
I do not want to be a part of that abuse anymore. I don’t want to be abused by it and I do not want to be the abuser. I will not draw lines in the sand that indicate who is and isn’t Christian based on perspectives on stretch pants or skirts or tithing or church membership. Definitely not politics or social stances. What makes a person is no more or less than whether or not the person believes and has put their faith in Jesus. That is Christianity. Other things have to do with denomination, theology, philosophy, or maturity, perhaps, but not Christianity.
I was asked on a survey if I was a Christian… and I hesitated. Christianity has come to be tied to some pretty bad things for me. And above all, the question rang in my mind, “How can you call yourself Christian and…” My belief in God and my faith in Jesus hasn’t changed. But in my mind, the term “Christian” has.
Someone stated half-jokingly recently that she was not a Christian, but a Jesusian. I like the term. I’m no longer a Christian. I’m a Jesusian, too.
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