Who Is a "Christian?" (#466)
About this episode
This episode explores the definition of 'Christian' amidst cultural debates and theological distinctions.
In the wake of the Pentagon’s recent effort to simplify its religious affiliation codes — and the resulting controversy when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was initially listed separately from other Christian groups — Utah senators Mike Lee and John Curtis publicly pushed back, insisting that Latter-day Saints are unequivocally Christian. The online debate that followed highlighted a much larger and older question: In a culture where anyone can claim any label, what does the word “Christian” actually mean? What are the historical and theological criteria, and who has the authority to define them? Building on our previous episode about the visible criterion for orthodoxy, we trace how the early Church clarified the boundaries of authentic faith amid heresies, through the creeds, councils, and the role of Peter’s successor in safeguarding unity. We examine why self-identification, while sincere, has never been sufficient on its own — and why the same logic that leads some to say “anyone who feels like a Christian is a Christian” creates the same problems we see when words like “woman” are detached from objective reality. Along the way we look honestly at specific…
More episodes of Considering Catholicism
- "Dear Doubting Thomas..." Part 2: Why Confess to a Priest? (#470)
- "Dear Doubting Thomas,..." Part 1: Is the Catholic Church for Real? (#469)
- Mary in the Dock, Part 7: Her Bodily Assumption into Heaven (#469)
- Mary in the Dock, Part 6: Her Perpetual Virginity (#468)
- How Do Altar Rails Make You Feel? (#467)
- Where Peter Is (#465)
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