What is a Christian?

I call myself a Christian, and I live in a "Christian Nation," but it's funny how much confusion there is surrounding the meaning of that term. It evokes images of crucifixes and babies with halos, but many people lack a firm understanding of what it really means.

What is a Christian?

At my college, I am a part of a group called Campus Christian Fellowship (CCF). Every year, this group puts on a class, called Discipleship Class, that explores the Bible and the life of Jesus Christ. Every week, we are assigned questions to take out onto campus and ask fellow students. That question is always assigned on the first class of the year.

I've talked with many exchange students from non-Western countries, and I found that many of them believe that to be American is to be Christian. Those words are practically synonyms in their minds.

Others say that Christianity has something to do with going to church or being a good person. Still others mention the name of Jesus. "It's something about following his teachings, right?" But on further questioning, most can't give any examples of what any of those teachings say.

Some people answer "What is a Christian?" in a more blunt way, but with honesty I can respect, and just say "a hypocrite."

I don't presume to have all the answers. One of the truths I hold in my mind at all times is that fact that there is absolutely no way that all my beliefs are correct. Or, to say it another way, I know that I am utterly fallible and believe some things that are not true. Because of this, I try to always leave room in my philosophies for revision.

That being said, I also believe that there is an ultimate Truth.

 Jesus said "I came to testify to the truth," "I am the truth," and "The truth will set you free."

In this blog, I will try my best to examine this thing Jesus called "truth" in a deep, probing, and open way. I will strive to speak honestly about my life and ways I see this truth. Finally, I will explore with you the question I posed at the beginning of this post:

What is a Christian?