As I share my journey through this blog, I was led to write about why I no longer call myself a Christian. I am not offended when someone mistakenly calls me a Christian, and this is not to condemn anyone who calls themselves a Christian. It is a glimpse of my journey as I seek God’s Kingdom and righteousness according to Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 6:33.
Let’s consider four definitions first. The following are from Merriam-Webster.
Christian – As a noun, the primary definition is “one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ.” As an adjective, the primary definition is “of or relating to Christianity.”
Christianity – “The religion derived from Jesus Christ, based on the Bible as sacred scripture, and professed by Eastern, Roman Catholic, and Protestant bodies.”
Religion – “A personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices.”
Derived – “Being, possessing, or marked by a character (such as the large brain in humans) not present in the ancestral form.”
This could go on and on but what I understand based not only on these definitions, but what I have seen and experienced in various churches is that Christianity is a religion derived from Jesus Christ and loosely based on the Bible. It includes some characteristics of Jesus mixed with the institutionalized attitudes, beliefs, and practices of religion.
Many pastors say, “Jesus didn’t give us a religion. He gave us a relationship.” There was a time when I never questioned that. It was refreshing to know that I didn’t have to go through the rituals I grew up with while in a church denomination. I never understood until well into adulthood that Jesus wanted an actual relationship with me. Going to a non-denominational church helped in my journey of breaking free from religion.
As I continued seeking, I discovered that like every other denomination, non-denominational is also a denomination that continues to take part in religion while simultaneously saying that Jesus didn’t give us a religion. I pondered, “If Jesus didn’t give us a religion, never called us Christians, and Christianity is a religion, why do we keep calling ourselves Christians or want anything to do with Christianity which by definition is a religion?” Jesus came personally and gave us clear instructions. “Follow me.” Why don’t we simply do what Jesus told us to do? Follow Him.
So instead of saying “Jesus didn’t give us a religion. He gave us a relationship,” the correct statement for me is, “Jesus didn’t give us Christianity. He gave us a Kingdom.”
As I mentioned, Jesus never called us Christians. The word “Christian” is only used three times in the Bible. (See Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, and 1 Peter 4:16) When it was used, it was not a compliment. It was contemptuous and used to ridicule followers of Christ.
Society has conditioned us to believe titles and labels are more important than they are. Labels are necessary to navigate certain areas of life. I certainly wouldn’t go to an auto mechanic for a dental exam or a dentist for an oil change for my vehicle. And yes, I feel more confident if they are trained in their field. The problem creeps in when we use these labels to determine the level of respect we’ll show to one another.
Imagine meeting someone and they tell you they’re a cardiothoracic surgeon. Without realizing it, we may treat them with more respect than we would a fast-food worker, a gas station employee, and sometimes even ourselves. We are made to feel as though we are inadequate when we meet someone we perceive as having more education, wealth, status, etc. Look at the way celebrities are treated as though they are more important than others. Rather than treating all human beings equally, we have been led to believe that some deserve more respect than others.
In many churches, people are proud to use titles and labels such as bishop, prophet, and first lady, and are offended if you speak of them and exclude the title. Some church members even get upset if you don’t use the titles of their leaders. I have yet to discover what scripture tells us we need to respect these titles, but I do know that according to scripture, God is no respecter of persons.
We have been so deeply deceived and indoctrinated that we struggle with the notion of letting go of false information. We refuse to let go of our parents and grandparents’ religion and traditions that were passed down to us even after we discover the truth when we study God’s Word for ourselves. Rather than embrace the truth, we hold tightly onto pieces of these rituals and traditions because they keep us comfortable. Pastors are choosing to be held hostage by what people want rather than what God wants. We convince ourselves that God is okay with adding to and taking away from His Word as long as we mention Jesus and say it is all about Him.
We must stop compromising and being attached to titles, labels, people, and things of the world that distract and turn us away from the focus on Christ and what God put each of us here to do.
So, while I profess belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ as Christians do, I no longer participate in the religion of Christianity. I am not a Christian but don’t get it twisted. I am a follower of Jesus Christ. No religion. No denomination. No attachment to rituals. Am I perfect? Not yet. I do know however that I will spend the rest of my life doing what God put me here to do according to His Word.
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