A recent whole page editorial in the USA Today newspaper asked the question, "What is a 'real' Christian?" The thrust of the article was how the answer to this question might affect the GOP presidential field in the upcoming primary elections. It seems that there is considerable controversy as to how the term "Christian" applies to the various candidates. Evidently just being a baptized member of a church is not sufficient in the eyes of some evangelical zealots. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, seems to be the country's leading spokesman for the evangelical viewpoint and the most politically influential voice of the religious right. He questions whether certain candidates are "true Christians."

For example, Fred Thompson is a baptized member of the Church of Christ and professes to be a believer. But Dobson doubts if professing belief is a clear-cut affirmation of his Christianity.

John McCain has hired a top-notch evangelical activist to control his image as a social moderate. What the term "true Christian" means to Mitt Romney, a Mormon, is not clear. Mormons are not generally seen as Christians by traditional churches. Most Catholics, Lutherans, and Episcopalians would say that anyone who has been baptized is a Christian, but most evangelicals would not agree. Baptism is the initiation, but it may not indicate true faith. Being "born again" is used to denote those who are truly faithful. But, what is the difference between a "born again" Christian and an ordinary Christian? Russell Moore, dean of the School of Theology of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, believes that, "It is a question of the heart: has someone turned away from his own works to put his trust in Jesus Christ, and does he believe in the Jesus that the Bible portrays? If so, that person has been "born again."

Well, that seems to be a pretty straightforward definition of a Christian. But the whole question of acceptability has shifted recently, and now the criterion seems to be a candidate’s position on abortion rights. Any candidate who espouses pro-choice casts serious doubt among evangelicals as to his suitability for the office of president. This means that Thompson and Romney, who are both pro-life, need not worry about being "true Christians" after all.

But how about you and me? Can we be classified as 'real' Christians?

This question has dogged the church ever since John Wesley and George Whitefield in the 18th century introduced the notion of "true religion" as distinguished from "traditional" or "routine" religion. There is a religion that has the "form of godliness but denies the power thereof." The apostle Paul states that if you believe in the death and resurrection of Christ and accept Him as Lord and Savior, then you are a new or "born again" person. This is what it means to be "a 'real' Christian."