THE  WORD 

“CHRISTIAN” 

INTRODUCTION

Today I would like to make the same pitch I make every year on this 4^th Tuesday in Easter. I would like to stress using the word “Christian” as a noun and not as an adjective.

Like various things I’m off on, most people really don’t  or won’t care about this issue. Still I’ll push it - and suggest giving this some thought.

C.S. LEWIS

I got this idea from C.S. Lewis on Page 9 of his classic book, Mere Christianity.

C.S. Lewis spells out very clearly: If you want to ruin the word “Christian” use it as an adjective; if you want to save it, use the word “Christian” as a noun.

FIRST READING

In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles 11: 19-26,  we have a sentence, “It was in Antioch where the disciples were first called Christians.”

Repeat that a few times. “It was in Antioch where the disciples were first called Christians.”  

Chew on that text.  Give it some thought.

“Christians” became a nickname for those who followed Jesus and later it was adopted by them.

This was taking place in the year 59 or 60 in the city of Antioch in Syria. It might have be a joke, or  a put down, by non-Christians. Those who idolized Nero Augustus and chanted his praises were labeled, “Augustiani”.  Nero was a nut case.

So for the people of Antioch, those who followed Jesus were named, “Christians.” Before that they were called, “Followers of Jesus,” “People of the Way,” etc.

C.S. LEWIS

Somewhere along the line I began to read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and he makes very early on his pitch about not making the word, “Christian” into an adjective.

It must have made an impression on me. It must have made sense to me. I must have made a decision to follow what he was advocating.

So in this sermon I’m making that pitch to you. Let me try to point out what C.S. Lewis is saying and why he says it. See if it makes sense to you. Make a decision whether to do what he advocates or not. If you do, put it into your life. Do you buy what he says?

According to C.S. Lewis people are making a mistake, when they make the noun, “Christian” into an adjective, “Christian”.

BILLY

For example, years and years ago, I was once talking to my brother about something.  Billy was commenting or describing his buddy Marty who is Jewish and he said, “You know Marty is a better Christian than I am.”

I must have bought C.S. Lewis argument, because I reacted by saying, “No, no, Marty is not a Christian. He is a Jew. A good one at that. A good person. But he is not a Christian.”

My brother had no idea what I was saying and why I reacted the way I did.

ANOYNMOUS

And it’s the same point that some people make in the phrase, “The Anonymous Christian.” That means roughly someone who is leading a good life, but doesn’t know Christianity or is not baptized.

One of our priests commenting on that said,  “Would we object to being called an Anonymous Buddhist?” because unwittingly we were living a good life as described by Buddhists.

C.S. LEWIS

C.S. Lewis stresses that a Christian is one who accepts the common doctrines of Christianity.

Some people object to what he is saying with the point that there are people who don’t accept the  Doctrines of Christianity, but they are far more truly a Christians, far closer to Jesus Christ, than some who do.

He says it may be very charitable, seem very right, be very spiritual, very sensitive, but it’s not useful.

To argue his point, he uses the word, “gentleman.”

It used to mean someone who: a) had a coat of arms, and b) had some landed property.

And people knew who a gentleman was. A person could be a liar and a gentleman. A person could have a violent temper and be a boor and still be a gentleman. A gentleman had a coat of arms and some landed property. A person could have a Ph. D. and be a fool.

In time people changed the word “gentleman” to a term of praise.

When that happened, you no longer knew if the person being called a “gentleman” had a coat of arms and property. The word no longer gave you that information.

It only tells you that the speaker has a certain attitude towards the person he calls a gentleman.

“A gentleman” means a gentle man to the speaker. He is someone who is polite. Or as Newman put it: he is someone who doesn’t cause pain. But notice it can’t be applied to women.

Therefore, according to C.S. Lewis, “As a result, gentleman is now a useless word.” (P. 10)

CHRISTIAN

People have done the same thing to the word “Christian.”

They feel they are deepening it or widening it – but they are making it a useless word.

How do we know who is or who isn’t close to the Spirit of Jesus?

We don’t see into people’s hearts.

We cannot judge

It would seem better to keep on using it as a noun and add adjectives like  “good” or “bad” or “energetic” or “highly visible” or “practicing” Christian.

CONCLUSION

 So that’s my pitch this morning. It was at Antioch that the disciples were first called Christian.”

Consider C.S. Lewis’ point and make a decision on it.

And if you decide with him, join in the struggle to preserve the word that began in Antioch and then end up more than being a mere Christian.