Christianity is a Relationship, Not a Religion

I know I am going to get in trouble with this, but here goes ...

The catch phrase "Christianity is a Relationship, Not a Religion" has, I suspect, only come into use over the past few years. I don't know its origin (I suppose I could look it up in Wikipedia or Google it), but I do know when I started to hear it. It was about 7 or 8 years ago at a church I was attending. I believe it showed up in some Sunday School material, and then seemed to permeate throughout the entire church. In fact, it used to be used as a reason for why something was the way it was. For instance, someone would make a comment and then end it with "after all, Christianity is a relationship, not a religion."

Don't get me wrong - I know exactly what is being said here. I grew up a Baptist, and constantly heard about other religions (and other denominations within Christianity) being way too "religious" in their faith; the idea being that they were more concerned about tradition and works and the details of their particular set of beliefs and not so concerned with their "personal relationship with Jesus Christ."

The point in using such a catch phrase is, I think, to try and emphasize the "personal" aspects of Christianity - personal in that we have a God who is intimately involved in our lives, we have a saviour who loves us and intercedes for us with the Father, and we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us! That's a rather personal belief system.

Here is the problem - Christianity is, without a doubt, a religion. So to say that Christianity is a relationship but not a religion is to tell an untruth. Here is the definition of religion:

1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
3. the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.
4. the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion.
5. the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.
6. something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience: to make a religion of fighting prejudice.

According to this definition, Christianity is a religion, just as Isalm and Judaism are religions.

Words have definitions, and when we communicate with those around us we need to be careful to understand what we sound like to others when we use words just because those words have definitions. To say that Christianity is not a religion, is to ultimately sound foolish because the common usage of the word "religion" defines a category that Christianity fits squarely within.

We do not have the privilege to simply redefine words because we may not like what baggage might be attached to those words, and such is (I believe) the reason for this catch phrase. Instead, I think we need to stress the tenets of Christianity; we should be very clear when we communicate what our beliefs are to indicate that we are not the members of a religion that is so concerned with being "religious" in the way that term is all too often understood. We must also be sure to express the personal nature of our belief system; especially as it relates to God.

Christianity is indeed a religion, but it is also a relationship with our glorious creator God through Jesus Christ our LORD.

-- Brian