What Kind of Christian Are you?
When asked, “What kind of Christian are you?”
I typically respond with, “I’m a regular, Bible-believing Christian. No extras.”
This usually prompts clarifying questions such as “What kind of church do you go to?” “What's your church denomination?” “What does your pastor teach about ______?” (Fill in the blank with any controversial topic, from the end-times to homosexuality to whether Christians should consume alcohol).
So, what kind of Christian am I?
Many believers who follow the teachings of scholars and theologians will call themselves after those men. When someone says, “I’m Methodist,” it means they identify with the doctrines of John Wesley. When someone says, “I’m a Calvinist,” they’re affirming an alignment with the (flawed) interpretations of John Calvin. I could go on with the claims of Southern Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans...you get the point. These identity statements have stoked centuries of hatred and division in the body of Christ.
Herein lies the issue. Every religious denomination and sect has a founder (e.g., Martin Luther is the founder of Lutheranism). Well, there’s only one Founder of Christianity and that’s Jesus Christ. Our faith should not come with a list of ingredients. Furthermore, the apostle Paul—under the anointing of the Holy Spirit—rebuked believers who credited their faith to the name, character, and interpretations of mortal men.
"When one of you says, 'I am a follower of Paul,' and another says, 'I follow Apollos,' aren't you acting just like people of the world? After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God's servants through whom you believed the Good News...It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow."
- 1 Corinthians 3:4-7
Paul warned the Corinthian church about the sin of sectarianism (religious discrimination) and pointed to Christ as the source of their salvation (1 Cor. 1). The Savior never intended for His followers to harbor animosity or superiority or pronounce judgment against fellow believers. Only the wisdom and knowledge that comes from the Lord will be exalted (Ja. 3:13-18). No matter how scholarly someone is, I refuse to be deadlocked into their narrow, earthly view of eternal things.
Thus, I maintain: I’m a regular, Bible-believing Christian. No extras.
What kind of church do I attend?
Religious folks brace yo-selves for my controversial response to this question.
When you read the New Testament (particularly the Book of Acts), you find only one kind of church. It's not “Evangelical,” “Baptist,” “Episcopalian,” "Nondenominational," or “Reformed.” There was no such things as these in the first century. The only church you will find in Scripture is Pentecostal.
To reiterate, the Church was birthed when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost (or Shavuot). Thus, I view Christianity as a Pentecostal faith that was established on the proclamations, testimonies, and exploits of Jewish apostles. Only when we accept the truth that Jesus is not the Founder of a Western, intellectual, seeker-friendly, celebrity pastor, megachurch movement, then we will understand how to live out what’s written.
In the Book of Acts, we read about an Upper Room, the martyrdom of faithful believers, Paul’s often violent missionary journeys, radical salvation experiences, miracles, and spiritual warfare. Church was never meant to be boring! And, yes, we also discover a gift referred to in all four Gospels as the baptism in the Holy Spirit. In Acts, we see this activation come with tongues of fire! The first Christians also practiced laying on hands which led to an impartation of spiritual gifts, healing, and deliverance.
This is our inheritance in the faith. I worship with those who believe in the continuation of these things.
Sadly, the 21st-century American Church doesn’t resemble the Acts 2 Church because the faith has been hijacked over the last 1,800 years. As I said, those men of renown, who sounded smarter than the average Christian—and read their Bibles more than the average Christian—were very successful in their reformation campaigns. Weird doctrines infiltrated seminaries and pulpits along with ritualism and high-minded theology that rendered believers ineffective.
Christians who are unskilled in discerning prophecy, who've never cast out a demon, or who believe salvation always comes by repeating a “simple prayer”—these believers are the product of a passive, inoffensive, sanitized interpretation of the Gospel. They’ve been robbed of part of their inheritance in Christ; they’ve settled for man-made traditions and comfort. I say, let’s get back to the basics!
Who are my heroes in the faith?
By now you know I don’t make identity statements based on whose ministry I follow. However, like anybody else, I have my go-to preachers and apologists whom I believe possess an authoritative revelation of Scripture. If you must know, my short list includes the likes of David Wilkerson, Leonard Ravenhill, and A.W. Tozer (all deceased).
Also, I confess I'm not the star-struck type. In the presence of well-known and accomplished individuals, my heart doesn't skip a beat. Had I met the apostle Paul face-to-face, I don’t know that I would’ve considered him the “hero” many charismatic preachers make him out to be. The Pharisaical zealot turned radical Christian is often very direct and triggering with his statements. Yet, I’m convinced it is the Holy Spirit—God, who indwells humankind—expressing Himself through Paul’s epistles!
As far as heroes of the humankind go, I think we’re all capable of making profound statements in one moment…and uttering the dumbest thing anyone’s ever heard in the next breath. Furthermore, whenever someone commits daring acts that forever change the course of human history, I consider it basic on our part but extraordinary on the part of God. I strive to remain unimpressed and, thereby, avoid idolizing flawed creatures. A man or woman of depth, conviction, and wisdom may earn my respect and admiration, but Jesus is the only Man I will ever sincerely refer to as my Hero.
Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to those church doors is often romanticized as a heroic act when, in his day, it was considered an act of rebellion against the powers that be. I don’t know that Luther was so much a “man’s man” as he turned out to be a provocateur who caused violent debates, resulting in generations of people defying the status quo of a corrupt religion—Catholicism is still a corrupt religion today. Protestant revivals and the rediscovery of God's perfect, unmerited grace were the inevitable byproducts of Luther’s actions.
Luther’s existence and daring exploits were preconceived in the Lord’s mind. And, to my previous point, Luther was, at the same time, a deeply flawed man (even antisemitic in latter years). I’m glad God allowed him to come into the world and dramatically change the course of Christian history, but I don’t personally find any reason to “celebrate” him. Protestants should carry some form of gratitude for Luther’s boldness and accomplishments, but all the glory for the Reformation solely belongs to God (1 Cor. 3:7).
Leaving a legacy
Whatever legacy Christian scholars and theologians intended to leave behind, we can agree that much anti-biblical nonsense passes under their names today. This is true for Lutheranism, Calvinism, Protestantism, and, yes, Pentecostalism (a movement marked by tent revivals and televangelists who operated under a “peculiar anointing”). These men and movements are not inherently bad, but as time passed, the body of Christ devolved and divided itself into the same sword-fighting factions the apostle Paul warned against in the early Church (read 1 Cor. 1-3). And for that, every denomination and sect of Christianity is getting something wrong.
I encourage believers to get rid of human idols and stop using the names and ministries of flawed people to form their identity statements. It is better to imitate the the Berean Christians (Acts 17:11) and test the spirits of those who claim to speak on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 4:1-6). Discipline yourself in reading, fasting, and prayer, and have confidence that if you're born again of the Holy Spirit, you can receive revelation directly from Him (1 Cor. 2; 1 Jn. 2:27).
When you earnestly seek the Kingdom of God, He will set you free from the bondage of religious pride, rituals, and the approval of mankind. Only then will you be able to give an authentic response to the question:
So, what kind of Christian are you?