Christians
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A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament.[2] Christians believe Jesus to be the Son of God and the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament.
History
The term "Christian" appears in just three verses of the Bible, as detailed below. The earliest recorded use of the term outside the Bible was when Tacitus recorded that Nero blamed the "Christians" for the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64.
Usage of the word
The first known usage of this term can be found in the New Testament of the Bible, in Acts 11:26: "the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." The term was thus first used to denote those known or perceived to be disciples of Christ. Similarly, in the two other New Testament uses of the word (Acts 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:16), it refers to the public identity of those who follow Jesus.
As a noun, Christian (Gr. Χριστιανός and variant Χρηστιανός, Strong's G5546) is an appellation deriving from the name "Christ" and is derived from the Greek noun Christos which means "anointed one," itself a translation of the Hebrew word Moshiach or "Messiah". Many people associate the word "Christ" exclusively with Jesus. However, as this identification is not accepted within Judaism, in Hebrew Christians are called "Nazarenes" (Notzri), because Jesus was from the province of Nazareth.
For many, "Christian" also means to be a member or adherent of one of the organized religious denominations of Christianity. As an adjective, the term may also describe anything associated with Christianity.
Usage among Christians
The term "Christian" is variously defined among different Christian groups. Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and many Protestants, believe that a Christian is one who is a member of the church, which one enters through the sacrament of baptism. In this way, infants who are baptized may also be considered Christians. Certain denominations, such as the Churches of Christ and Independent Christian Churches teach that adult baptism is the transition from non-Christian to Christian, and so define a Christian as one who has been baptized as a repenting adult. Others, including many born-again Christians, believe that a Christian is one who believes and follows Jesus and repents of their sins, though the proof of this is found in agreeing to the doctrines set forth in the Bible, and doing what it says.
Usage in the Muslim world
Among some in the Arab Muslim world, the term "Christian" is seen as being synonymous with Western culture, despite christianity having its origins in Israel.
"Christendom"
The term "Christendom" has been used to refer to the medieval and renaissance notion of the Christian world as a sort of social and political polity. In essence, the vision of Christendom is a vision of a Christian theocracy, a government devoted to the enforcement of Christian values, and whose institutions are suffused with Christian piety. In this vision, members of the Christian clergy wield significant secular and political power. Secular rulers are their subordinates and agents; and national or political divisions are subsumed under the unitary government of a unique and universal church institution. This tempting vision of an earthly crown was one of the greatest challenges to the institutional Christian church.
"Christian" as a derogatory word
In some cases, the term Christian is used in a derogatory sense. The anti-Christian sentiment behind this arises for various reasons including affiliation with colonialism or, in the case of Muslims, reaches all the way back to the time of the faith's foundation. [3] .
United States as a "Christian" nation
In the history of the United States, it has been common for some politicians to refer to United States as a "Christian" nation implying that the nation is founded on Christian principles and that the "Christian" nature of the nation does and should affect the way its citizens view the nature and mission of their country.[4][5][6][7][8][9] The Barbary pirates once accused the United States of being a Christian nation and used that to justify their acts of piracy against the United States. This accusation is disputed by the Treaty of Tripoli. Even earlier, Jefferson's Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom opposed the notion of state religion. Roger Williams (theologian) was also a significant figure in the doctrine of Separation of church and state in the United States.
However the United States is officially secular, with church and state being separated. Even so, the Pledge of Allegiance was modified in 1954 to include "under God" and In God We Trust was designated the US national motto in 1956. Furthermore, a number of the founding fathers followed a religion called Deism[citation needed], with many of them criticizing Orthodox (or High Church) Christianity.[citation needed]
References
- ^ The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IX, Monotheism; William F. Albright, From the Stone Age to Christianity; H. Richard Niebuhr, ; About.com, Monotheistic Religion resources; Jonathan Kirsch, God Against the Gods; Linda Woodhead, An Introduction to Christianity; The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Monotheism; The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, monotheism; New Dictionary of Theology, Paul pp. 496-99; David Vincent Meconi, "Pagan Monotheism in Late Antiquity" in Journal of Early Christian Studies pp. 111–12
- ^ BBC, BBC - Religion & Ethics - Christianity
- ^ Koran (Sura 5:116, 5:73-75).
- ^ Bill McKibben "The Christian paradox" Harper's Magazine August 2005 http://harpers.org/archive/2005/08/0080695
- ^ Supreme Court Justice David Brewer wrote that "this is a Christian nation." Supreme Court decision: Holy Trinity Church vs. United States 1892. Brewer later explained: "But in what sense can [the United States] be called a Christian nation? Not in the sense that Christianity is the established religion or the people are compelled in any manner to support it. On the contrary, the Constitution specifically provides that 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.' Neither is it Christian in the sense that all its citizens are either in fact or in name Christians. On the contrary, all religions have free scope within its borders. Numbers of our people profess other religions, and many reject all."
- ^ The first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, John Jay, wrote in 1816 that it was in the interests of “our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”
- ^ Woodrow Wilson told a campaign rally in 1911, “America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture.”
- ^ In a 1947 letter to Pope Pius XII, President Harry Truman stated, “This is a Christian nation.”
- ^ In 1931, the Supreme Court observed in U.S. v. Macintosh, “We are a Christian people.”