Who Is a REAL Christian?

Why should we care who is a REAL Christian? For that matter, what is a REAL Christian, and why should we care if we are REAL Christians?

There are more than 45,000 forms of Christianity worldwide, and they disagree on fundamental Christian beliefs. I wrote about that here.

Christianity Has NOT Always Gotten It Right

Like all human institutions, Christianity has NOT always gotten it right. Throughout history, Christians have NOT always chosen to love their neighbors as themselves, in instances such as the Crusades, the Doctrine of Discovery, the Inquisition, and numerous religious wars. The Church initiated or sanctioned these events. They were not the one-off actions of a few errant believers.

For example, in World War II, many Christian churches cooperated or curried favor with the Nazis. The Catholics signed a concordat with them.  The Orthodox dedicated Mt. Athos to Adolf Hitler. Many of the Protestant churches in Germany aligned with Hitler and the Nazis.

Also, Christians have NOT always led the way on social justice issues, such as homophobia, Islamophobia, patriarchy, racism, sexual abuse, slavery, and witch hunts, to name a few.

These are statements of fact, NOT personal attacks on individuals or institutions. Also, NOT all Christians lost their way, and Christianity is likely NOT more or less ethical than other traditions. Also, because of its age and its size, Christianity might be expected to have made more mistakes than smaller, younger human institutions.

Still, given these lapses, I am always surprised when some Christians assume that being “a good Christian” and being “a good person” are the same thing. That has NOT always been the case. Also, I am always surprised when Christians respond to questions about their history apologetically or defensively, often with gaslighting or whataboutism. Why not own our history, good and bad?

“But They Weren’t REAL Christians.”

Why should we care who is a REAL Christian?

Recently, I offhandedly said that Christians perpetuated the Holocaust on the Jews. A good friend responded, “But they weren’t REAL Christians.” In the 1940s, 95% of Germans were Christian. Many German military and police uniforms displayed the motto “God is with us.” I suspect that the Germans, including the military and the police, believed that they were REAL Christians.

When I was a Christian, people sometimes told me that I was NOT a REAL Christian. Having studied many other traditions, I am NOT anxious to caricature my beliefs or anyone else’s beliefs.

My wife was raised Protestant, but she attended Mass with me for 40 years. One day, a priest said that she was NOT welcome at communion because she was NOT a REAL Catholic. Interesting. Jesus broke bread with prostitutes, sinners and tax collectors, but the Church would NOT break bread with my wife. I left Catholicism that day.

Then, we attended a Disciples of Christ church, a liberal Protestant denomination. “All are welcome” and “No creed but Christ.” One day, an elder told me that I was NOT a REAL Christian because he disagreed with my beliefs. Interesting. In Jesus’ day, Christians and Jews with different beliefs worshipped together, but this elder did NOT respect my beliefs. I left Protestantism that day.

(The same day, a deacon suggested that the church fly a Trump flag to attract members. I did NOT want to go to Trump church—or Biden church or Clinton church. I just wanted to go to church.)

Sadly, exclusivity and intolerance are features, NOT bugs, in many churches.

Who is a REAL Christian?

I wrote about why so many people are leaving the Catholic church here. One reader responded, “Teach the gospel of Jesus, not a social gospel.” So, is the gospel of Jesus (“Blessed are the poor,” “Love your neighbor,” “Turn the other cheek”) a social gospel or is it something else?

Another reader responded, “People need the church to be the church, not to bend to current fads.” So, is opposition to slavery a current fad? Are recent scientific discoveries that conflict with a literal interpretation of the Bible current fads? Are new findings in history, philosophy and theology that inform our thinking current fads?

Yet another reader responded, “The Bible is clear on social issues, and Pope Frances (sic) violated clear biblical teachings.” So, what are these clear teachings, and how did the Pope violate them? What are the Biblical teachings on abortion, for instance, in addition to the formula for an abortifacient or the suggestion that the fetus is NOT considered a person?

None of these absolute statements are really absolute at all. The gospel has a social justice element. Church is most meaningful when it is relevant. The Bible is NOT always clear. In my opinion, the churches have done us all a great disservice by oversimplifying ethical and theological questions and by pretending that the Bible or the churches or the Pope have all of the answers.

As I say, all religion is cultural, and all theology is speculation. Further, all Bible study is based on a particular canon, translation and interpretation, and none of these characteristics are uniform. The books of the Bible were written by many people, and they do NOT speak with one voice.

Practically, would a REAL Christian vote for Donald Trump? Would a REAL Christian vote for anyone other than Donald Trump? Who is a REAL Christian, and who says who is and who is not?  Who gets to decide, and if we deem that someone else is NOT a REAL Christian, how do we treat them?

Why Should We Care Who is a REAL Christian?

More importantly, why should we care if anyone else is a REAL Christian? For that matter, why should we care if we are REAL Christians? “REAL Christian” is a non-descriptive caricature that means different things to different people. So, ultimately, it doesn’t mean anything. And, ultimately, our beliefs (or lack of beliefs) are our own business.

Obviously, reasonable people can disagree, and it is NOT possible to establish normative or universally-accepted interpretations. Of course, even if we believe that such matters are determined by an inerrant book or an infallible leader, many Christians do NOT assign that much authority to their books or to their leaders.

The answer to “Who is a REAL Christian?” is often, “Those who agree with me are REAL Christians. Those who disagree with me are NOT REAL Christians.”

Why would churches reject doctrinal differences, rather than recognize and tolerate these differences? Are we harmed if we worship next to someone who does NOT share our particular beliefs, and how do we know that we are NOT already doing so?

A Christian minister once told me that, “The pews are filled with atheists. Many people attend church despite their doctrinal differences. There are many other reasons why people attend church, including fellowship, liturgy, music, potlucks, and sermons.”

Are We Missing the Point?

How can anyone claim that Jesus has a universal message if it is interpreted in 45,000 particular ways by different Christian denominations or (more likely) if it is interpreted in 2.3 billion individual ways by different Christian believers? If we only welcome those who share our particular beliefs, are our churches any different than our political parties or our social clubs?

Why is diversity of belief a bad thing? Why can’t Christians find unity in their diversity? If Christians can’t agree, why don’t they simply (and respectfully) agree to disagree? And, more importantly, why can’t they admit that God or Ultimate Reality is a mystery and that nobody knows for sure. “You might be right.”

Why should we care who is a REAL Christian? For that matter, why should we care if we are REAL Christians?

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