What does it mean to be a Christian?
Were you born a Christian or a ‘Born Again’ Christian?
Have you realized that Christianity is like a virus? It is spreading very quickly, and there are many strains.
These ‘strains’ in Christianity separate it from other types of beliefs or religions. When I was young, I remember what my teacher said about religion.
She said that religion is a ‘way of life’.
What are the strains that I am talking about, then?
Like viruses, if you have the original virus, it will have different virus strains with different names but totally different from the original virus, a ‘fusion’ of some kind.
Now, in Christianity, we have the ‘original Christians’. The ones who followed Jesus Christ until he died, rose again, and ascended to heaven.
I will not go into details about the strains of Christianity because it involves learning the whole Christian history, and I am not an expert on that.
In my experience, though, I was born and raised a Christian. My father was a Christian pastor. I grew up attending our church, although at first I didn’t understand why I had to go to another church as well. You see, my mother was also a Christian; she was a Catholic but married to a Protestant pastor. So, now you understand why I had to go to another church when I was younger—around 5 or 6, I guess.
Being ‘another’ Christian in the school was also a difficult one. In the class of 50 students, I was the only one who belonged to ‘another’ Christian, in other words, a minority. My classmates called me ‘PUTIS’ (protestant), which may sound a little bit racist nowadays. But I never had a problem with that.
I wanted to show them what ‘putis’ are. Why are we different from others?
But then I had questions about being ‘Putis’. I have learned that in our community, there were at least 3 or 4 protestant denominations that were different from us and had different names.
I was so confused!
As a young boy, I had in mind a question about the Christian denominations, what is the best, and why we have so many 'STRAINS'.
Today, when somebody asks you if you are a Christian, it may sound uncomfortable, especially when you are inside the church. You will know immediately what that somebody is trying to ask—another strain'. You may think, We are inside the church; we worshiped, and then somebody will ask us if we are Christians. It may mean that while we are born Christians and baptized Christians, without accepting Jesus as a savior, we are not at all Christians. We need that ‘particular’ event in our lives (accepting Jesus), and then we can be called Christians, adding another strain to our Christian life.
I’ve met a lady deacon of our church sometime around 1980, when my father was assigned to a church in Quezon City. I remember being a young Methodist Youth Fellowship guy. Then we had this personal biblical sharing. I forgot her name, but I remember what she said. She was from Mindanao, south of the Philippines. She shared that in her town, when somebody asks you if you are a Christian, you have only two answers, yes or no.
Mindanao, being a Muslim island, has people who are Muslims, if not Christians (minorities). So when people ask you, you only have two answers, being a Muslim or a Christian. You are a Christian simply because you are not a Muslim, as simple as that.
Yes, I am a Christian, but... and the one without... and...
What about the ‘new’ Christians?
I know a pastor who is against ‘religion’. He created his own ‘fellowship’ because he feels that Christians should only have Jesus Christ as the center. He eventually called it a church and created some ‘branch’ churches in other Asian countries, but their main church office is in the US. I attended the church and it is growing alright, but it is just the same as other church denominations; why create a new one?
He once said in one of his sermons that he pray to have a church in Bangkok, Philippines, etc. But why? As if Bangkok doesn’t have Christian churches, or the Philippines either. Or if they are ‘not really Christians’?
I don’t want to think that this pastor made his own church because he was fired from other existing churches or because he just wants to have his own church. But why? He found out that being a Baptist is not a good choice, or that being a Methodist is not good for him either. Or does he consider the existing churches religious? And what about his? Not a religion? Only a ‘fellowship’? I don’t understand. I’m lost. When people ask me now who I am, I say that I am a Christian.
I haven’t gone to any Methodist church for many years now, and this is not a matter of choice. It just happened that the countries in which I’m based do not have Methodist churches. But I am a Christian. I go to a Catholic church without the sign of the cross. How many of you protestants feel uncomfortable going inside a Catholic church? We are Christians, and surely we can adapt easily to each other.
I've been living in Vietnam for many years now. I am enjoying it very much.
Before coming here, though, I read some articles on how they are strict with religions. I heard from pastors from Bangkok that there are a lot of religious persecutions here.
Now, I understand.
If you travel to the countryside here, every 5 minutes you will see beautiful Catholic churches and big buildings on the left and right of the road. Actually, Vietnam is the second largest Christian nation in Asia, with the Philippines being the first. Not only Catholic churches. There are a lot of mainstream local Protestant churches, many of them. I attended a church by Korean protestants, and they are big, huge buildings.
So, where is the religious persecution?
I also attended the church of the pastor that I told you about a while ago. It is not called a church, but a ‘fellowship’. They do not possess any right to own a church; they cannot get the license, I was told. They are moving from one hotel to another because the police are after them. Why are they not allowed? Why is it so difficult for them to get a license?
When I heard complaints from the fellowship goers that they were persecuted, I wondered why those big churches that I have seen and attended were able to worship freely. That is, if you don’t consider Catholics and those local Protestant churches Christians.
When somebody asks me whether I am a Christian, my answer is yes, I am. The 'strains' separate us from being one, together in faith. Muslims are Muslims. Buddhists are Buddhists. No other strains'. Please correct me if I am wrong.
I believe and am a follower of Jesus Christ, our Savior, who died for us sinners, rose again, and ascended to heaven.
Yes, I am a Christian.
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