Some people claim that to be a Christian, one must (for example):
- have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ; or
- accept the supremacy, and perhaps even the inerrancy, of Scripture; or
- accept Jesus as your personal savior; or
- subscribe to the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion; or
- invite Jesus into your life; or
- be baptized by immersion, as opposed to by sprinkling;
- etc., etc.
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The folks who claim these things are almost always well-intentioned, God-fearing people. But I'm perplexed why they think they get to define who may claim the title of Christian.
In the Episcopal Church, the definition of Christian is very simple: It's anyone who professes the Apostles' Creed, commits to the baptismal covenant, and is baptized. Period.
Personally I like the definition implicit in the Great Commandment (Matt. 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-34, Luke 10:25-37): A Christian is someone who loves the One God with his (or her) whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, and his neighbor as himself -- even though none of us ever completely measures up to that standard.
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--D. C.
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