In almost all circles, “Christianity” is referred to as a religion. Whether it be in the academy, among clergy, or in popular culture, the Christian faith is considered to be that which constitutes a religion. But in recent years certain Christians have decided that this is no longer so. Well-intentioned people make claims like, “I’m not religious, I’m spiritual.” Other times you hear speakers say, “Religion is man trying to get to God; Christianity is God coming down to man.” (Karl Barth has been most influential for this way of thinking, followed by Bonhoeffer) Consider just a couple recent titles on the Christian market- Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donal Miller & Religion Saves and Nine Other Misconceptions by Mark Driscoll.
They mean well. I suppose they feel this better distinguishes our faith from the others. Or maybe they fear certain expressions of Christianity are too rigid or formal and that the people will be put off by them. So in an attempt to make our faith lose the negative connotations they ditch the term “religion.” Well, my fear is that this is doing more harm than good (Rick Lawrence also wrote an article on this in a recent issue of Group magazine).
If you do a study on the etymology and historical roots of the word, the most widely-accepted and modern usage of the word simply refers to a particular system of faith.* That’s what most people still understand the word to mean. When Christians choose to ignore this accepted definition and create their own meaning, what they are doing is special pleading. This causes confusion instead of moving conversations forward.
For example, Brian Welch, former guitarist for the heavy metal band Korn, recently found Jesus. He has gone public about his faith and has released a solo album that is almost entirely about spirituality. The unfortunate thing is that in several places he speaks of “religion” in a negative way (of course he hopes to point people to the relational nature of our faith). But consider what this music, which may fall in the hands of an impressionable youth, will really inspire. They will most likely understand his anti-religious message to be against all faiths, including Christianity.
The way we communicate may in fact be working against us when we choose to ignore historical contexts and cultural realities. Christianity is a religion. In conclusion, consider this definition of the term: “A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.”** Does the glove fit for our faith? You bet ya. Let’s be responsible with our language and find more concise ways to enunciate the differences between our God and the rest. A useful place to start is by familiarizing yourself with the concept of the Trinity. Practice explaining Him. Then try learning how to share with others about sin, grace, salvation etc. And finally, remember our Father is actually pleased when we practice religion that “looks after widows, orphans…and keeping ourselves from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27) If the Bible offers us any insight for creating categories, we might do well to notice the word religion in this text!
I am a Christian. I am also a religious person. But I’m not an oxymoron!
*religion. Dictionary.com. Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/religion (accessed: September 05, 2009).
**religion. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/religion (accessed: September 05, 2009).
