A Christian

Is there any Christian Church that doesn't take the whole Bible as the word of God"?

Originally posted by Palynka
Is there any Christian Church that doesn't take the whole Bible as the word of God"?

Do you have to belong to a church to call yourself a Christian?

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Do you have to belong to a church to call yourself a Christian?

A word is a word. If you don't belong to a church why call yourself a Christian?

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Do you have to belong to a church to call yourself a Christian?

Maybe you could ask if you have to be a Christian in order to call yourself a Christian.

Originally posted by Palynka
A word is a word. If you don't belong to a church why call yourself a Christian?

Somebody who followed Christ's teachings without belonging to an established church could surely be considered a Christian.

Originally posted by dj2becker
Can a person that does not believe that the entire Bible (includes all 66 books) is the inspired and infallible word of God call him/herself a Christian?

Yes. If a Christian is one who is saved by Christ. Because we know that absolutely no works are required to be saved, and if having to believe such about the Bible was required for salvation, that would be a 'work'.

Besides that, once a person becomes a Christian, then their mind is opened by the Holy Spirit, to see the beauty and perfection of His Word! Just like anything else we experience fully only after we have entered into it; marriage, the famous red hot pawn chess site, the country club, the masons etc.

Believing that the whole Bible is God's inerrent Word, however, does make it much easier (should I say possible?) to grow as a Christian. If I spent all my time second-guessing God's Word, deciding whether verse so and so was valid and applied to my life, I would not be very well 'abiding in Christ.' I would be like the branch cut off from the vine.

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Somebody who followed Christ's teachings without belonging to an established church could surely be considered a Christian.

It's a valid position, but I disagree.

Denominations are made for a reason and the word Christian is already taken (in my opinion) to describe a very significant established set of beliefs.

This feeling of belonging without really belonging sometimes sounds to me like insecurity in one's beliefs. Why does that person need the label Christian?

Originally posted by Palynka
It's a valid position, but I disagree.

Denominations are made for a reason and the word Christian is already taken (in my opinion) to describe a very significant established set of beliefs.

This feeling of belonging without really belonging sometimes sounds to me like insecurity in one's beliefs. Why does that person need the label Christian?

That person might need no label whatsoever, but what other word could we choose to describe a follower of Christ than Christian?

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
That person might need no label whatsoever, but what other word could we choose to describe a follower of Christ than Christian?

You are saying it's a personal view, not attached to any institutional religion, correct? Use his name. 🙂

Why do we need a word to describe a belief that is personal to one individual alone?

Originally posted by Palynka
You are saying it's a personal view, not attached to any institutional religion, correct? Use his name. 🙂

Why do we need a word to describe a belief that is personal to one individual alone?

I like that. Very neat.

Look at this though:

Are Quakers Christians?
Not all of them. Quakerism has deep Christian roots, and most Quakers consider themselves Christian, but many do not. Quakers have always held that Christ as spirit is universally available, and has been at work since the beginning of creation. This "universalist" perspective is especially strong in the unprogrammed branch of Quakerism. Unprogrammed meetings are often characterized by great theological diversity, while still experiencing profound spiritual community.

http://www.quakerfinder.org/faq.htm

Originally posted by dj2becker
Maybe you could ask if you have to be a Christian in order to call yourself a Christian.

I curious about how you evaluate Christians on this site. Who are some people on the site that you would say are Christians and who are some that you do not think are Christians?

Originally posted by Palynka
A simplification, but one I'm willing to accept. Note that this means that the Bible would be the word of God, since the Creed holds this as true. ("He has spoken through the Prophets" )

Technically, "He has spoken through the Prophets" would refer to the Old Testament.

I am tempted to use the much simpler Apostle's Creed than the Nicene Creed but for the fact that the latter has a much more definitive statement against Arianism (I do not consider those who say that "Jesus was just a good man" to be Christian).

Originally posted by lucifershammer
Technically, "He has spoken through the Prophets" would refer to the Old Testament.

Is this the official interpretation or a take on the word Prophets?

Originally posted by dj2becker
So, can an "atheist" call him/herself an atheist if he/she actually believes deep down in his/her heart that a God does exist?

??? I don't understand the question? The person would not be an atheist by this admission. A person can call themselves anything they want and behave or believe the opposite.

Originally posted by Palynka
Is this the official interpretation or a take on the word Prophets?

I'm willing to bet this is the official interpretation, but I'll need to check.