To start our journey of exploring the traditions of the Christian Faith I thought it would be best to define what Christianity is and is not.
The term Christianity has been long misunderstood and misdefined; This causes confusion and empty debate on all sides of Christianity, and even extends to those outside of Christianity.
What Christianity Isn't
Christianity is most commonly defined as a religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
But what is a religion? A religion is a system of faith and worship.
Christianity encompasses a wide array of varying systems of faith and worship. From Roman Catholicism, to Jehovah's Witnesses, to Mormonism, to Baptists, to Oneness Pentacostals, to Methodists, to Amish and everywhere in between: Those who call themselves "Christian" have very different systems of faith and worship. These systems are sometimes at complete odds with each other. If all of these groups, and many more, don't share a common system of faith and worship, how can they be the same religion? By definition they can't be and they aren't.
There are many Christians who would say that those with opposing views aren't real Christians. This is an empty arguement and can be used both ways.
What Christianity Is
Christianity is an umbrella term to describe the group of religions that are based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is not itself a religion, but is the title of a group of religions. There are many religions that claim the title "Christian" so it’s best not to jump to conclusions about the beliefs and practices of a group or person based on that title alone. Very often we will see that large denominations should accurately be called religions and those denominational titles often give a much deeper insight into what that person or group believes.
A better definition of Christianity is: A term that describes the group of religions that are based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Why it Matters
If we better understand words, we can better understand each other. Any person and any religion who accepts Jesus as the Christ, or Savior, can be called Christian even though their systems of faith and worship can be quite different from one another. Using generalized terms that don't actually offer any true understanding of what a group believes or practices causes confusion and false assumptions. This often leads to misconceptions and false judgements based on your own concept of "Christianity", often independent of what the group actually believes. Christianity should not be divided, but it is, and if we don't acknowledge this fact, we continue the idea that we are all accountable for each others beliefs and actions.
