BioBeing

What is the common theme for all Christians? What is it that separates Christians from all non-Christians?

I thought this was fairly obvious, until I read about Christian Athesists.

So, one can not believe in God, but still be a Christain??? To me, this seems like a cop-out to the nth degree, and these guys are getting a tax-break for a social club.

So this made me think - how flexible is the Bible? Is the OT so outdated it should be thrown away? Or is every word Gods own word, and the only true Christian is a Bible-literalist? Does one have to swear to the Nicean Creed, or is just showing up at Church on the occasional Sunday and for pot-luck dinners sufficient.

Sorry if this gets asked an nauseum - I was just wondering, and too lazy to search...

spurly

A Christian, in the simplest terms, is simply someone who has trusted in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ to bring them back into a relationship with God.

Kevin

philechat

I would call those people non-Christians...Christians at least need to believe that there is something funky (i.e. supernatural) and particular about Jesus. Under this definition even the gnostics and the Arians could be called Christians without too much mind stretches. However they also did not conform to the statements of the Nicene Creed.

There are three religions that are more inclusive than Christianity actually: Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. A greater diversity of worldviews existed under the banner of these three religions...especially Buddhism and Hinduism--which could be monotheistic, polytheistic, pantheistic, or atheistic depending on their individual sub-creeds.

BioBeing

This was what I thought, before the Christian Atheist thing. And I would say they are not true Christians, but so that begs the question then, what is a true Christian? Is a belief in the Christ story sufficient? So what of the OT?

I posit the only true Christian is one who takes the whole Bible to be inerrant. Anyone else is simply on the slippery slope to athesism.

happyboy

the question is: do you believe in santa claus? santa and God bear striking resemblances to one another. both have about the same amount of evidence going for each other. so, if you can believe in santa, despite all the overwhelming evidence that he does not exist, then you can believe in christ, too.

happyboy, proud servant of the mighty god claus

spurly

Where does God say this is what a true Christian is? Where does Christ or one of the apostles give this definition?

Nope. Over and over again in the Bible a Christian is simply one who puts their faith and trust in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of the Son of God.

Kevin