What Do People Mean When They Say They Are a Christian?
This morning this poem was presented to me in a church bulletin. Considering the pastor’s message, the poem was right on time. I confess, I do not attend Sunday church services regularly. I know some people that know me personally are probably thinking wow she actually went to church this Sunday, Praise the Lord! 
Funny… This morning the pastor made the point that just because a person sings in the choir, marches on the usher board, sits in the pulpit, or attends church every Sunday…does not mean that they are saved and/or are going to heaven. I’m glad he mentioned this because too many people get it twisted…
Anyway, I found this poem and today’s sermon thought provoking on so many levels. Perhaps you will too, enjoy!
When I Say, I Am a Christian
by Carol Wimmer,
When I say, “I am a Christian,” I’m not shouting, “I’ve been saved!”
I’m whispering, “I get lost! That’s why I chose this way”
When I say, “I am a Christian,” I don’t speak with human pride
I’m confessing that I stumble-needing God to be my guide
When I say, “I am a Christian,” I’m not trying to be strong
I’m professing that I’m weak and pray for strength to carry on
When I say, “I am a Christian,” I’m not bragging of success
I’m admitting that I’ve failed and cannot ever pay the debt
When I say, “I am a Christian,” I don’t think I know it all
I submit to my confusion asking humbly to be taught
When I say, “I am a Christian,” I’m not claiming to be perfect
My flaws are far too visible but God believes I’m worth it
When I say, “I am a Christian,” I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartache which is why I seek His name
When I say, “I am a Christian,” I do not wish to judge
I have no authority–I only know I’m loved
Popularity: 20% [?]
April 7th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Whoa…..
“I’m admitting that I’ve failed and cannot ever pay the debt”
You’re right friend, right on point!
April 7th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
That’s deep huh?
April 9th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
“I’m admitting that I’ve failed and cannot ever pay the debt”- nice one!
I agree going to church everyday is not an assurance that you will be saved.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Interesting poem…I will direct my Christian friends to it. Stumbled and reveiwed.
April 11th, 2008 at 10:24 am
** what do you really mean? **
** Those not with us are against us. (Luke 11:23 NIV) **
Xian intolerance and self-righteousness were traits noted with distaste by Romans two thousand years ago. (See R. Wilken. The christians as the romans saw them. Yale Pr. 1984)
The new religion appealed to poor, uneducated, displaced people pushed into swarming slums in the eastern roman empire. With Jerusalem destroyed and the province of Palestine subjugated in 70 CE, thousands of anti-roman jews escaped into Antioch, Ephesus, Corinth, Alexandria, and Rome where there were already jewish enclaves.
Cults of Jesus appealed to marginalized jews and pagan malcontents who wanted a world cleansed of roman occupation, who hoped for a religious military leader, who wanted revenge.
First among them appears Paul of Tarsus, an apostate hellenized jew, whose letters to xian cells are considered “holy writ” even today. Paul fashioned a mythical being of cosmic proportions. Christ would return from an otherworldly reality to purify his believers, destroy the roman empire, and bring about a magical end of the world.
In short, Paul and his fellow revenge seekers needed a god sharing their nihilistic values. He and the primitive church had a perverse self-understanding:
27 God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are. . . .” 1Cor1:27-28 NIV
Xianity still appeals to those who believe themselves mistreated. To those in whom resentment surges. To those who must blame others. To those who must punish their guilty selves. Xianity is practical nihilism.
Directed inward, hatred of self. Directed outward, hatred of others and the world.
Xianity is also highly addictive nihilism. The ‘New Testament’ is pure christo-myth.
bipolar2
© 2008
April 11th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Not to bad of poem, to bad jesus never existed.
April 11th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
I don’t know why but whenever I hear anyone to say that I am christian that sound to me like he/she is trying to have some excuse to do of to escape frm any situation.
April 14th, 2008 at 4:57 am
“I’m admitting that I’ve failed and cannot ever pay the debt”
April 15th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Its funny that Trio says “…too bad Jesus never existed.”
Anyone that knows history knows that Jesus existed. Even atheists know that as a fact. Study up on your history, Trio. I think Joseph Smith was out of his mind, and I certainly don’t agree with him, but I still believe he existed.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Powerful.
Im confessing that I stumble-needing God to be my guide.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
When I say, “I am a Christian,” I do not wish to judge
I have no authority–I only know I’m loved
April 19th, 2008 at 9:14 am
With over 50 historians during the time of in which Jesus was supposed to exist none of them wrote anything about Jesus. The first time Jesus was mentioned was a whole 200 years after his supposed death. The Christen religion is mainly based off of Horus but it is also based off of a bunch more. Now do your research and do it well and you will see that I am right. Though I will say that there is a POSSIBILITY that Jesus existed.
April 26th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
TRIO here’s a dude that was around less than 200 yr anniversity of Jesus accension.
Tacitus Roman Annals (c.115-117 C.E.) “They got their name from Christ, who was executed by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius. That checked the pernicious superstition for a short time, but it broke out afresh–not only in Judea, where the plague first arose, but in Rome itself, where all the horrible and shameful things in the world collect and find a home.
there are eyewitness accounts to the life of the historical Jesus. The Bible tells us that there were ovwer 500 eyewitnesses to the resurrected Christ. The archaeological evidences point to the fact that within a few years of the death and resurrection of Christ, the people in Jerusalem were posting inscriptions on the ossuaries to their faith in who Christ was and what He did for them. The fact that there were descendents from Jesus’ family for 300 years after his death, and who served and led the church and died as martyrs in their faith of who Jesus was and what Jesus did for them, becomes important. If the evidences from the early church or the evidences from inscriptions were not true, then as leaders of the church, these descendents would have identified the error in understanding.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Ok then prove to me that the Bible is correct and is based on facts.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:57 am
The bible is mainly based of Horus the Egyptian sun god (though there are many more religions). Christmas was a holiday that was stolen from “pagan” religions. Christmas was called “Natalis Solis Invicti”, “Yule”, etc. Oh yea and the birth of Jesus is a very old tale passed on from one religion to another for thousands of years and ending with Jesus. Three kings follow the guiding star to the son. Now what this really means is that “The Three Kings” is really talking about the three stars in orion’s belt (they have been called that for over 13,000 years) and during the 25th of December in Rome or generally in that part of the world the Stars in orions belt line up with sirus (the guiding star) which points at the sun. So the three kings follow the guiding star to the son. This story has been in so many religions before Jesus that i just can’t keep count.
June 20th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Trio Says:
“April 19th, 2008 at 9:14 am
With over 50 historians during the time of in which Jesus was supposed to exist none of them wrote anything about Jesus. The first time Jesus was mentioned was a whole 200 years after his supposed death. The Christen religion is mainly based off of Horus but it is also based off of a bunch more. Now do your research and do it well and you will see that I am right. Though I will say that there is a POSSIBILITY that Jesus existed.”
Trio, this is interesting point of view… Let say I agreed with your point of view, you will need to work really hard to make history so your name become part of the history, otherwise you won’t [possibly] exist.
Trio Says:
“May 9th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Ok then prove to me that the Bible is correct and is based on facts.”
Trio, can you prove to me that the Bible is incorrect and is not based on facts?
Trio Says:
“May 9th, 2008 at 11:57 am
The bible is mainly based of Horus the Egyptian sun god (though there are many more religions). Christmas was a holiday that was stolen from “pagan” religions. Christmas was called “Natalis Solis Invicti”, “Yule”, etc. Oh yea and the birth of Jesus is a very old tale passed on from one religion to another for thousands of years and ending with Jesus. Three kings follow the guiding star to the son. Now what this really means is that “The Three Kings” is really talking about the three stars in orion’s belt (they have been called that for over 13,000 years) and during the 25th of December in Rome or generally in that part of the world the Stars in orions belt line up with sirus (the guiding star) which points at the sun. So the three kings follow the guiding star to the son. This story has been in so many religions before Jesus that i just can’t keep count.”
What references are you use to support this? I will be interested to know and read about it. Thanks in advance.
June 20th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Dont listen to the non-believers the time for their conversion will come. It is a great poem and a great site God Bless You for putting this here.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:33 pm
@Trio
The Bible never says that there are “Three Kings,” it says there were “magi” (plural). Magi can refer to sorcerers, but it is also the title of a line of Persian wise men / astrologers / interpreter of dreams.
Also, anyone who carefully reads the Bible can tell you that there’s no way Jesus was born in December. Based on Elizabeth’s pregnancy and the part of the Jewish in which Zechariah had temple duty, Jesus was probably born in Sept-Oct. Choosing Dec. 25th was largely to appropriate a pagan holiday, as with Yule logs, Christmas trees, etc.
Don’t confuse the traditions of men, which the Bible warns us against, with the writings themselves.