What, If Anything, Is a Christian

What is a Christian?

If somebody presents me with this question on a survey, I'm reluctant to answer in the affirmative. Why is that? Because I think that my beliefs would generally be regarded as so far outside of what is generally regarded as "Christian" that they would not fit the general definition. I'm also reluctant to identify myself with the current crop of child molesters or the criminal "priests" who conducted the genocide against the First Nations of Canada within living memory. These were real "Christians" too and to accept the title is to share in the shameful history attached to it.

Yet, privately, though I'm not fond of the name, I consider myself to be a Christian.

If somebody comes up to me on the street and asks, Are you a Christian? I'm likely to get a little offended, since people who ask this question tend to regard their own tiny sect of Christianity as the "real" one to the exclusion of all others. In particular, they tend to be "fundamentalists" which means, among other things, that they regard the Bible as the inerrant word of God. By their definition, I'm a raging heretic. I hold no such opinion about the Bible and, in fact, do not believe that there ever was or will be the kind of God who would write a book. Fundamentalist Christians are one of the many sects of Christianity that I regard as just plain wrong, even though I do not begrudge them the title of "Christian".

But lets go back a bit ...

About 2,000 years ago, a certain man named Jesus of Nazareth was crucified by the Romans. He was one of many "messiahs" who met the same fate at about the same time. However, he stood out for one simple reason: his followers claim that he rose from the dead. For me, to be a Christian is to regard the life, the teachings, the death and resurrection of this man Jesus as fundamentally important, in the history of the world, the current state of the world and in my own personal life.

Of course, we have had a 2,000 year debate as to what, exactly, we should make of Jesus. To be involved in the debate and care about it is to be a Christian.

For a Skeptic such as myself, this can lead to serious misunderstandings. I often find myself feeling like I belong to a Christian sect with just myself as a member. For example ...

• After the death of Jesus, his authority passed to his brother James. Together with a little band of disciples, they awaited the return of Jesus to overthrow the corrupt regime of both the Romans and their partners, the Jewish priestly cult surrounding the Temple in Jerusalem. They saw Jesus as the Messiah, a human being destined to be King of the new order. By 350 C.E. they were still waiting but their belief that Jesus was human, not a God, was declared heretical. Along with all those who disagreed with the Roman version of Christianity (chiefly the work of Paul), they were persecuted and largely forgotten by history.
• Along with the brothers of Jesus and those who knew him personally, I believe Jesus was a human being. I have no room for all the hocus pocus dreamed up by Paul, such as the idea that Jesus died for our sins, the idea of resurrection, the idea that Jesus was some kind of a God or son of a God etc.
• The core of Jesus' teaching was that the Kingdom of God was just around the corner or here already. By that, he meant that the corrupt and wicked world order that he saw all around him was on it's way out, to be replaced by one who would rule in God's name. Justice would be restored to Israel. In this, Jesus was obviously wrong. The Romans utterly destroyed Israel in 70 C.E. The vile marriage of religion and political power, suppressing the poor and exalting the rich, continued to rule to this day. Ironically, in this part of the world, the religious arm of that wicked conspiracy claims in the name of Jesus. 
• The one thing we know for sure about the historical Jesus is that he fought to the death against the oppression of the poor, not only by the political power of the day (the Romans) but by the religious authorities who claimed for themselves exclusive access to God. The Romans used the Temple priesthood to keep the people in check. The priesthood used the Roman sword to annihilate anyone (such as Jesus) who objected to their claim.

Jesus was not the only one to rise up against the order of the day. Many others did so in his own time. In our time, Osama bin Laden did the same for almost identical reasons. Perhaps the battle against institutionalized superstition allied with corrupt political power will never end. I have long regarded it as the "10,000 year war of the rich against the poor", started with the advent of agriculture and the very existence of the rich and poor. Superstition is much older of course, but with money and power, it became possible to harness the ignorance of the people to create vast riches for those who claimed (by force) the right to control unseen forces.

So, to me, Jesus remains a centrally important figure. He fought the only war worth fighting.  He clearly saw the priesthood for what they were: a criminal conspiracy. He was not a theologian or a  philosopher. He openly challenged the powerful by entering Jerusalem as King of the Jews and overturning the tables of the money changers in the Temple. For all that, he was immediately put to death.

I'm not blind. I see the thousands of child molesters and murderers who do their work under cover of the Church. But I also see the broad movement for social reform and justice that has deep roots in the life and teachings of Jesus.

What Jesus began is obviously important in history. There is plenty of room for debate about how much his personal teachings had to do with what happened next. What is not up for debate is the impact that His story has had on millions of individuals, including myself. It's just important to us. It's what makes us "Christian".

We are not doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. For the first time, it is possible to overthrow superstition itself and not merely the priesthood. Modern ideas of social justice can undermine the ability of the rich and powerful to enslave the poor or exclude them altogether from society. However, this all requires work, action and, above all, confrontation.

As a Christian, I often ask the question "What would Jesus have done" ...

• Where would he have been in Tiananmen Square?
• Would he wear defend the child molesters and vigorously work to hide their crimes like Pope Benedict?
• Would he be killing innocent civilians in the name of religion or would he be binding their wounds?
• Would he be guiding the drones or standing in the cross-hairs?

I have asked this simple question to "men of the cloth", people whose very profession is to work among the people in the name of Jesus. What would Jesus do? I have come to the conclusion that, if Jesus were alive today, he would stand outside the Church -- not merely to reform it but to tear it down.