Author Eric Shuster will be providing a series of blog posts summarizing various sections of his upcoming book Where are the Christians? due to be released this spring from Cedar Fort, Inc. We will feature one post each week from now until May 2013. For more information visit www.findyourchristianity.com.

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SECTION 2: WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?—a Definition

Chapter 5: It’s Confusing According to the World

Now that we know who the Christians were historically we will now turn our attention to what a Christian is in our present day. If you think it is an easy task to define a Christian, think again—there are hundreds of definitions of a Christian that have been generated by people and institutions over the centuries. Not all of them can be right as the variations are sometimes mind numbing.

In this chapter author Eric Shuster researches the definitions of a Christian offered by respected secular publications, religious organizations, America’s ten largest Christian Churches and the internet at large— the world’s view if you will. The result is a convoluted set of definitions with little commonality and plenty of confusion.

First are the definitions offered by two widely known secular publications: Webster’s Dictionary and Encyclopedia Britannica. Webster’s suggests a Christian is anyone who claims a belief in Jesus Christ. Encyclopedia Britannica suggests a Christian is a person who aligns themselves with the traditions, cultures, and precepts of Christianity.

Next are the definitions offered by the world’s largest religious organizations including the National Council of Churches, World Council of Churches, World Evangelical Alliance, American Council of Christian Churches, National Association of Congregational Christian Churches and the Council on Christian Unity. Half of these organizations focus their definitions of a Christian on faith in Jesus Christ, the love of God, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the Bible being the word of God. The other half offer similar statements of faith; however, each includes an implied requirement of Trinitarian belief as a qualification to be a Christian.

Next are the definitions offered by America’s ten largest Christian Churches defined as those considered Christian by the World Christian Encyclopedia and included in the 2012 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches published by the National Council of Churches. Each church was contacted and publicly available content examined. The result of the exercise demonstrated further confusion in trying to nail down a useful definition of a Christian. The variations were breathtaking.

Finally a comprehensive search was conducted via the internet for the definitions of a Christian provided by apologetics, religious leaders, and various institutions. As one might suspect the definitions of a Christian offered were widely different with only snippets of commonality.

The result of Shuster’s research revealed five different definitions of a Christian to be considered: 1) a Christian is one who believes they are a Christian; 2) a Christian is one who believes in and follows Jesus Christ; 3) a Christian is one who embraces a particular set of beliefs; 4) a Christian is one who is born again; and 5) a Christian is one who is a member of a particular church.

These five definitions are a leading indicator of the confusion in today’s world in defining a Christian. With the world in confusion in defining a Christian Shuster turns to a more native and reliable source to gain understanding—the Bible.

Go to www.findyourchristianity.com to watch the book trailer, find out what type of Christian you are, and to order the book.

Author Eric Shuster will be providing a series of blog posts summarizing various sections of his upcoming book Where are the Christians? due to be released this spring from Cedar Fort, Inc. We will feature one post each week from now until May 2013. For more information visit www.findyourchristianity.com.

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SECTION 1: WHO ARE THE CHRISTIANS?—a History

Chapter 3: They were Corrupted and Divided (1000-1499)

As the Christian Church neared the millennial landmark it began to be faced with significant issues of leadership that would rupture its unity. Although Christianity was still spreading throughout the world, the organization of the Church would be challenged by its integration with the political structure and an increasingly corrupt leadership. The Corruption and Division period (1000-1499) is marked by four major categories of events and activities including doctrinal evolution, church and state integration, corruption and division.

Although the key doctrines of Christianity had been defined and codified earlier, peripheral doctrines such as the seven sacraments and the concept of Papal infallibility were introduced during this 500 year period.

Organizationally it was common during this era for Church leaders to be appointed by government leaders. For example, in 1049 the Emperor Henry III appointed Leo IX as the Pope. Although this practice eventually ended there was still considerable influence from the government on Church affairs leading to calls for increased separation of church and state.

Church corruption was in full bloom during this period including rampant nepotism. Pope Callixtus III (1455-58) appointed two of his nephews cardinals, one of which (Rodrigo) later became Pope Alexander VI. In turn, Alexander promoted his alleged mistress’s brother, Alessandro Farnese, to cardinal with Farnese later becoming Pope Paul III. Immorality in Church leadership also reared its ugly head. Pope Alexander VI (1492-1503) was said to have several mistresses and fathered illegitimate children while creatively depleting the treasury. Pope Paul II (1464-1471) and Pope Sixtus IV (1471-1484) were both accused of grave immorality during their papal reigns including homosexuality. These acts of corruption were joined by widespread indulgences—purchasing with money or acts of services the ability to forego the consequences of sin (repentance for sale).

Those who opposed the Church during this period were subject to harsh punishment including torture and death. In 1141 Pierre Abelard, a philosopher, was condemned as a heretic for his views on the Trinity and an illicit relationship with a French nun. In 1415 at the Council of Constance John Wycliffe was declared a heretic for his translation of the Bible into English. The Crusades during this period shed additional light on how Christianity at the time was seen as a spiritual, political and military power—a lethal combination that distracted the Church from its main purpose.

Theological and political strife within the Church eventually led to division during this period. The first was the Great Schism of 1054 dividing the Church into what would eventually be known as the Eastern Orthodox Church (Greek) and the Roman Catholic Church (Latin). The second came in 1378, often referred to as the Great Western Schism, whereby the Catholic Church experienced a split within itself. These divisions would continue into the next period of Christianity.

By 1499 there was more than one faction of the Christian Church in operation. Christianity was plagued with theological disagreements, continued power struggles, large scale corruption, and political and societal unrest. It was time for reform.

Go to www.findyourchristianity.com to watch the book trailer, find out what type of Christian you are, and to order the book.

Author Eric Shuster will be providing a series of blog posts summarizing various sections of his upcoming book Where are the Christians? due to be released this spring from Cedar Fort, Inc. We will feature one post each week from now until May 2013. For more information visit www.findyourchristianity.com.

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SECTION 1: WHO ARE THE CHRISTIANS?—a History

Chapter 1: They Were Evangelizers and Builders (up to AD 299)

Albert Schweitzer once said “One truth stands firm. All that happens in world history rests on something spiritual. If the spiritual is strong, it creates world history. If it is weak, it suffers world history.” Section one of Where are the Christians? takes on the daunting task of providing a concise and compelling history of Christianity to give readers a background of where it all began as a foundation moving forward.

The first of the four chapters in section one focuses on the Evangelization and Formation period of Christianity (up to AD 299). While some might think Christianity began the day Christ was born, Christianity was long prophesied in the Old Testament. Imagine the scholars of Alexandria who translated the Septuagint from Hebrew to Greek around 250 BC—little did they know that less than three centuries later the Messiah would be born and atone for the sins of all mankind.

Following the birth of Jesus Christ and his subsequent public ministry, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, a small group of believers were left with the commission to “teach all nations” and to baptize (Matt. 28:19-20), setting into motion the order of Christianity. The over two centuries that followed were defined by seven major categories of events: persecution of the church, martyrdom of its early leaders, the spreading of the gospel outside of Palestine, the conversion of Paul, the formation of the church, early heresies, and the writing of the New Testament.

The challenges associated with church persecution under Roman rule and the death of its early leaders was enough to destroy lesser religions that passed on before Christianity. However, the divine commission and enduring truth of Christianity persevered under what seemed to be improbable circumstances. Passionate early adherents such as Paul and others led by the Spirit took the gospel outside of Palestine to ensure its survival and growth among the people of the surrounding regions. While the adversary was trying to destroy the seeds of Christianity, the Lord was inspiring the early Christians to believe, teach, sacrifice and lay the foundation for the Kingdom of God on earth.

As Christianity spread so did a number of heresies that distorted the doctrines of the gospel and led many into deviate worship and belief. Gnosticism, Montanism and Monarchianism were three such heresies that mingled truth with intriguing elements to formulate followings that threatened the early church. As early Christian leaders battled heretical teachings the writing and compiling of the New Testament commenced in hopes of establishing a written record of the teachings of the Savior into an official canon—something that would take decades to complete and centuries more to become available to the masses. The challenge for Christianity moving into its next stage was to achieve large scale credibility as a legitimate religion with the power not only to save souls through faith in Jesus Christ, but to influence the social and political environment toward the establishment of a global Christian Church.

Go to www.findyourchristianity.com to watch the book trailer, find out what type of Christian you are, and to order the book.