Are You a Christian?

OK, I promised in my last post that I would devote some time to discussing why I tend to avoid the term Christian. My husband and I have been discussing this question a lot lately - Are you a Christian? I have to tell you that I have come to prefer the title Jesus-lover over the title of Christian. Blasphemy!!!

I'm really not trying to be inventive or trendy by shedding the traditional title. I have just come to realize in recent months that the term Christian carries a lot of baggage with it, and it no longer means to people what it once did. Besides, IMHO, Jesus-lover is much more descriptive of who I am as a person.

How can I explain without offending? The title of Christian now carries with it the stigma of religion. And as one of my faithful readers, you well know that I am not a proponent of religion. I am, however, a huge fan of relationship with Father. Here's the thing, if someone on the street asked me the question, "Are you a Christian?," I would have to ask them, "What do you mean by 'Christian'?" People associate a myriad of meanings with the label, most of which are not complimentary in nature. And many of them have nothing to do with real life in Jesus.

So, at the risk of insulting the sensibilities of some, I am opting for the term Jesus-lover. If using this description does nothing else, I hope it strips away the religiosity from my life. It causes me to think more deeply about who I am as I live outside the confines of ritual and religion and seek to find a deeper walk with my Papa!