When did "Christian" change meaning?

Question

Or did it? I always thought that a Christian was someone who believed in Jesus Christ. But nowadays in some people's usage the word only means members of certain denominations (evangelicals, apparently) and doesn't include other believers in Christ like Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc. When did this happen?

I'm not trying to make a comment; this is an honest question.

By the way, in case you're curious, I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members of my church are often accused of not being Christian for doctrinal reasons. This question isn't necessarily about that, though, rather a denominational definition of Christianity.

Answer 1

That's a good question. Technically, a "Christian" is not someone who believes in Jesus Christ (Muslims believe Jesus existed as a great prophet), but somebody who follows his teachings and way of life. That's were the definition has changed. To determine if a religion or an individual is a Christian, learn of Jesus' teachings and examples and see if somebody or some religion is closely emulating it as much as imperfect people can.

Answer 2

You are right, a Christian is someone who believes in Jesus Christ. Catholics, Lutherans, Jehovah's Witnesses are also Christians, these are just different denominations. Many people express it in writing, for example: Christian-Catholic. Evangelists are not the only Christians.

Answer 3

What is a Christian?
Who defines what a Christian is?
How do you become a Christian?
After becoming a Christian, then what?

A Christian is a person that has repented of their sins and has accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. They are wash clean with the precious Blood of Christ.

God defines Christianity.

What's next?
The Father leads a person to His Son Jesus Christ and then that person must make a decision of life or death. Choose life and become part of the Body of Christ. Or choose death and join Satan when he make that walk into the Lake of Fire.

If you took the time to study the Catholics dogmas and theologies along with JW teachings, you would find out many things that will make you wonder if they are Christians.><>

Answer 4

A Christian is a follower of Christ. Any religion that follows his teachings or aspires to be like him is Christian. I think some people have narrowed it down to only include their own religion. That personal narrowmindedness doesn't change the definition. People who alter a word to fit themselves are people you most likely shouldn't consider the final authority on a subject. Stick to what you already knew it meant.

Answer 5

Misuse of the term "Christian" results from either bigotry or ignorance.

Similar to the accusations against LDS, trinitarians repeatedly pretend that Jehovah's Witnesses are not Christian. Trinitarians use an artificial, trinity-specific definition of the term "Christian" which excludes anyone who does not believe that Jesus is God Himself, rather than the Son of God. Interestingly, pagans in the first century pretended that Christ's followers were Atheists(!) because the Christians had a somewhat different idea from the pagans about the nature of God.

Jehovah's Witnesses teach that no salvation occurs without Christ, that accepting Christ's sacrifice is a requirement for true worship, that every prayer must acknowledge Christ, that Christ is the King of God's Kingdom, that Christ is the head of the Christian congregation, that Christ is immortal and above every creature, even that Christ was the 'master worker' in creating the universe! Both secular dictionaries and disinterested theologians acknowledge that Jehovah's Witnesses are a Christian religion.

The Trinitarian arguments are intended to insult and demean Jehovah's Witnesses, rather than to give a Scripturally accurate understanding of the term "Christian".

In fact, the bible most closely associates being "Christian" with preaching about Christ and Christ's teachings. Review all three times the bible uses the term "Christian" and note that the context connects the term with:
"declaring the good news"
'teaching quite a crowd'
'open eyes, turn from dark to light'
"uttering sayings of truth"
"persuade"
"keep on glorifying"

(Acts 11:20-26) [The early disciples of Jesus] began talking to the Greek-speaking people, declaring the good news of the Lord Jesus... and taught quite a crowd, and it was first in Antioch that the disciples were by divine providence called Christians.

(Acts 26:17-28) [Jesus said to Paul] I am sending you, to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light and from the authority of Satan to God... Paul said: “I am not going mad, Your Excellency Festus, but I am uttering sayings of truth and of soundness of mind. ...Do you, King Agrippa, believe the Prophets? I know you believe.” But Agrippa said to Paul: “In a short time you would persuade me to become a Christian.”

(1 Peter 4:14-16) If you are being reproached for the name of Christ, you are happy... But if he suffers as a Christian, let him not feel shame, but let him keep on glorifying God in this name


So why do anti-Witnesses try to hijack the term "Christian" and hide its Scriptural implications? Because anti-Witnesses recognize that it is the preaching work that makes it clear that the relatively small religion of Jehovah's Witnesses are by far the most prominent followers of Christ:

(Matthew 28:19,20) Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded


Learn more!
http://watchtower.org/e/ti/
http://watchtower.org/e/20050422/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/pr/article_04.htm

Answer 6

Another possibility is that you thought you owned the word and the catholics and JWs etc have always considered themselves christians. You're just waking up to the fact.

LUTHER didn't come along for a long, long time. Those evil catholics controlled "your" christianity for most of it's existance. Read a book and do the math.

Answer 7

Well, there are some people who 'believe' their religion, and others who live their religion.
Most American Christians go to church on Sundays, and the rest of the week are tacit American Pagans, swearing, lusting, indulging in porn, being swayed by advertisements, engaging in topless dancing, lending money to people who ask for it and charging them interest, not giving twice as much as anyone asks of them, worrying about what they wear, worrying about their haircuts and other people's haircuts, getting angry at the results of sporting events, determining which people ar going to hell and telling them about it, I could go on forever.
Then Sunday comes around and they bare-facedly sing those same songs again.
Are those people Christians?
I tend to call them 'Churchians', particularly when they come to my door and ask me to join them and believe as they believe and live.

I think Catholics are Christians, and so do most Cathoilics I hear.
I think a lot of protestant Churchians feel that Catholics are not Christians because they seem to engage in idolatry and pray to beings who are not God, but again, Jesus taught with the parable of the speck and the plank that the only righteousness any Christian is supposed to be concerned with is his or her own.

Jehovah's Witnesses? I don't know. They seem more annoying than most Churchians.......

Answer 8

The term being a Christian began changing in the time of the Apostle Paul, who felt he had worked for nothing because they had begun returning to man made observances.

Answer 9

Christian did not change meaning, only the way they worship.
Example, the Sabbath is suppose to be the true Christain day of worship, the RCC changed that, and Christianity follows.....The Bible clearly warns us not to follow the traditions of man, but to obey the word of God.

Answer 10

I think it means an insufferably arrogant religious whacko, and that happened when I saw Pat Robertson on TV.