Identity in Christ
is important. But does one have to
call themselves a Christian to be in Christ?
In a 2013 article in the International
Society for Frontier Missiology the issue of identity was presented. Can
one be a Hindu/Christian, a Muslim/Christian?
Awal, a Middle Eastern man made this statement,
A while ago my
daughter asked me, “Dad, what am I really? Am I a Muslim or a Christian?” I said, “You’re a Muslim that follows Christ. Our Muslim identity is written on our
identity cards, it’s our extended family our heritage, our people—but we follow
Christ.“
We are not Christians. We are Muslims. I no longer care what Christians
think. I care what Muslims
think. However, even if our
president asked me, “What is Christ to you? I would tell him my faith. I will not compromise Christ—ever, but I am not a Christian.
The ending “-ian” means “belonging to the party of”; thus “Christians” were those of Jesus’ party. For over two thousand years people of
faith have referred to themselves as belonging to the party of Jesus. Agrippa asked Paul if he was trying to
convert him to the Jesus party (Ac. 26:28)? Identifying oneself as a Christian
is not necessarily wrong, in the right context. In fact, being a Christian
has served the cause of Christ well in many parts of the world. But in the wrong context being a Christian is an obstacle.
In discussing religion with my Hindu landlord years ago he said, “You
were born a Christian, I was born a Hindu.” I quickly corrected him and replied, “I was not born a
Christian. I became a follower of Christ.”
In another situation I was walking in a Muslim district in New
Delhi. A man who couldn’t figure
out why I was in that area (actually I was there to get a haircut) asked me
straight up, “Are you Muslim.” My
answer both was both unsatisfactory and confusing when I replied, “I am a
follower of Isa.”
To those of us who serve are followers of Christ, whether it be to the
Muslim in Detroit or Dakar, to the Hindu in Nepal Kansas City or Kathmandu, recognize
that the words we use can be a bridge or an obstacle for those we talk to. Indeed, in some context’s it’s okay to
say, I am not a Christian.
