Hello my friends,

One of the phrases I constantly get in the comment section of my social media posts is “they aren’t real Christians.”

What is even more interesting is I will hear this from people who consider themselves conservative and those who consider themselves progressive. This phrase gets said from people on all sides of the political and theological spectrum. Of course, it is directed at people on the “other side” of the spectrum they oppose.

When I write about political idolatry, some progressives will respond about Christian nationalists, saying “they aren’t real Christians.”

When I write about American Christianity needing to be more compassionate, gentle, and inclusive, some conservatives will respond about progressive Christians that “they aren’t real Christians.”

This phrase has always made me uncomfortable. I think it is deeply dismissive, arrogant, and exclusionary. I’d like to share with you why I think that way and invite us into a conversation to perhaps find a better response.

But before we get into that, here are some resources to consider:

​-Why does Christianity have so many denominations? Have you ever wondered why there are so many Christian denominations? If so, this short article is really rich with history and perspective. It's a good one to keep in your back pocket for reference.

​-Dr. Natalie Crawford: Female Hormone Health, Fertility & Vitality I was recently introduced to the Huberman Lab Podcast, which is led by Dr. Humberman, a neuroscientist and an associate professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine. This particular episode features Dr. Natalie Crawford who is a double board-certified physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, fertility and reproductive health. I found her insight into these topics so deeply helpful and illuminating. In light of our cultural conversation around reproductive health, I found it to be an immensely informative episode.

-The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta. I have had this book recommended to me by many people I respect and admire. So I am bumping it up to a higher spot on my reading list. I have read some of Tim's other pieces through the Atlantic and have found him to be very insightful. Thought I would put this here in case you found it interesting as well.

Okay, onto today's content.

“They Aren’t Real Christians”

As you might imagine, I get people telling me I'm not a "real Christian" quite often online. I'm always left asking, "why do we Christians say this phrase?"

I think asking this is an important place to start.

A rare reason why I think this phrase is said may actually have legitimate roots. Even Jesus said, “you will know them by their fruit” (Matt 7:16). If a person claims to be a follower of Jesus, yet lives, acts, and treats other people in ways that are so harmful and unloving, it is fair to say that their actions (fruit) do not line up with the teachings of Jesus and even is using his name in vain.

Yet, even if our reasons may be justified, is saying “they aren’t real Christians” the right or productive response? Is it just calling out bad fruit with more bad fruit?

The major reason I think this phrase is said by Christians is because we are trying to protect an image of Christianity that is important to us. When we see other people who are not embodying our image of Christianity, yet claiming to follow Jesus too, it seems only logical to conclude, well, “they aren’t real Christians.”

Every time I hear it used it is in opposition to another Christian's particular interpretation of the Bible or their views on society, culture, politics, gender, or human sexuality. None of which are mentioned in the creeds of Christian orthodoxy. It is as if to say, "you aren't Christian enough if you don't share my particular bent on moral and social issues."

But, if church history and our current cultural moment has taught us anything, we Christians tend to get more upset at other Christians who don’t believe and act the way we think they should than we do towards those who don’t believe in Christianity at all.

Saying “they aren’t real Christians” is also a really clever way to not only shirk the responsibility we have for others within the universal and diverse body of Christ, but also to shirk the responsibility of collective repentance within Christianity as a whole.

I will often hear this response to my writings on Christian Nationalism. Christians on all ends of the political spectrum will say “they aren’t real Christians” about Christian nationalists. I will hear some progressives say this as a way of condemnation. I will also hear some conservatives say this as a way of denial. Collectively, it seems to be a way of saying “the harm they have caused has nothing to do with Jesus and therefore has nothing to do with us.” Therefore, “we don’t have a responsibility to repent and bring healing ourselves.”

My heart always breaks when this phrase is used in this way because our culture doesn’t make that distinction at all. They don’t look at the crowd filled with Christians on January 6th 2021 or the Christians supporting legislation that would impose their views on others and say, “well, they must not be real Christians.” No, they see Christians doing those things. They see people who claim to follow Jesus doing those things. Why are we so quick to not see them as Christians ourselves as well? Are they not our siblings in Christ? Do we not share their reputation whether we want to or not? Do we think we can confront and repair the harm being done by separating ourselves from them?

You see, when we say “they aren’t real Christians,” we are not only denying the part we need to play in bringing healing and restoration for the harm done in the name of Jesus by others, but we are denying the hard work of holding others accountable within our same religion. The world then watches as we divide and disown one another all while the harm goes unchecked and unhealed.

This mentality falls inline with the “No True Scotsman” argument, which arises when someone is trying to defend their particular group from criticism by excluding those members who don't agree with them. So, instead of accepting that some members may think or act in disagreeable ways, one dismisses those members as “fakes.”

An online example put it this way:

Person A: "No Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge."

Person B: "But my uncle Angus is a Scotsman and he puts sugar on his porridge."

Person A: "But no true Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge."

Using this argument within Christianity represents a deep in group bias where Christians are "true Christians" only when they are the kind of Christian we approve of ourselves.

The reality is, there are over 200 different sects of Christianity within the United States alone, all with their own unique theology, doctrines, and interpretations of scripture. By some estimates, there are over 45,000 different Christian movements within the world. Some sects like the Anabaptists are strictly nonviolent while others are not. Some sects like the Southern Baptists do not approve of anyone but men preaching, while others do. Some sects are very active on the political right while others are very active on the political left.

All this goes to show that even with a shared belief in the Trinity, the resurrection of Jesus, and the holy scriptures, how these things are interpreted, understood, and practiced within the world can vary wildly.

Christianity isn’t a monolith and it hasn’t been from the beginning. This is also not even to mention that Jesus was Jewish. When we Christians squabble over who is the "truest Christian," this is to completely forget that our religion began by following a Jewish reformer in his own religion.

This causes me to desire greater humility from all who call themselves followers of Jesus. To look at all the movements with so many interpretations of Christianity, isn't it rather arrogant to assume that only our particular Christian sect has the corner market on God's truth? That only we read the Bible correctly? Instead of getting dismayed by thinking that there isn’t any way to discern the truth of God, this compels me to be in awe of the depth and magnitude of the truth of God. It causes me to ponder how Christianity is a way of ongoing discovery, it is a way of being in this world, rather than a strict destination. It motivates me to remember how Jesus calls for us to strive towards unity together in humble love rather than clamoring for our own power to somehow own the truth of God for ourselves and impose it on others.

So while there is such a desperate need for followers of Jesus to hold one another accountable to the teachings Jesus and strive together to embody the fruit of the Spirit in our world, I don’t think designating who is a real Christian and who isn’t really helps us with that goal. In fact, I think it's deeply counter productive.

After all, isn't that exactly what we get upset at other Christians for doing to us? For acting as if they are the only ones actually following Jesus and no one else is? Isn’t this just another example of an “us vs them” mentality?

I think if we took this approach to someone like Peter in the Bible, we would find that we would call him a "real Christian" when he acts the way we think he should on one page then not a "real Christian" when he denies Jesus three time on another page. How often do we judge someone’s Christianity based on knowing only one page of their lives?

Jesus continues to challenge me on this topic. He had such diverse disciples, from John to Judas. Yet, he isn’t seen telling them how some are on the “inside” and others are on the "outside." He doesn’t even do this with the religious leaders, like the Pharisees.

What he does do is teach a better way of being in the world that produces good fruit, all while living out the reality that there is just one humanity and we are all created in the image of God and loved by God. Even when this teaching leads him to call out the hypocrisy of those around him, he isn't doing this out of arrogance, but of deep love for them. He was working towards deeper unity together and working out our problems together. He was not creating and “us vs them” religion.

I just think that when we Christians get preoccupied with who is in and who is out, who is right and who is wrong, it distracts us from actually working together to pursue the truth of God and embodying the fruits of Jesus in our world together. It distracts us from repenting and healing the real harm people have done in our world while claiming to follow Jesus. It distracts us from the reality that we are an incredibly diverse group of people and sometimes we really don't like each other, but as the body of Jesus, we are called to work out our conflicts and disagreements in humility and love.

So, at least for me, Jesus compels me to not get preoccupied on who is a “real” Christian or not, but to be preoccupied with producing good fruit in the world and encourage all Christians to collectively embody Jesus by loving others well together.

Now I'd like to hear from you.

What would you add to this conversation? Have you heard this phrase before? Send me a note and let me know.

Also, is there something you'd like me to write on in the future? Please drop me a note and let me know.

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As always, thank you all for reading and for all the ways you support me and this project every week.

I truly appreciate you all,

Ben

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