Christian

:This article is about the religious people known as Christians; for the 1980s British music group, see The Christians.For other uses of the term Christian, see Christian (disambiguation).

Related Topics:
The Christians - Christian (disambiguation)

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As a noun, Christian is an appellation and moniker deriving from the appellation Christ, which many people associate exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth. The first known usage of this term can be found in the New Testament of the Bible, in Acts 11:26. The term was first used to derogate those known or perceived to be disciples of Christ.

Related Topics:
Appellation - Moniker - Christ - Jesus of Nazareth - New Testament

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As an adjective, the term may describe an object associated with Christianity. For many this also means to be a member or adherent of one of the organized religious denominations of Christianity. The term Christian means "belonging to Christ" and is derived from the Greek noun Χριστός Khristós which means "anointed one," which is itself a translation of the Hebrew word Moshiach (Hebrew: משיח, also written "Messiah"), (and in Arabic it is pronounced Maseeh مسيح). According to the New Testament, those who followed Jesus as his disciples were first called Christians by those who did not share their faith, in the city of Antioch. Xian or Xtian is another word used to describe Christians and is similar to using Xmas in place of Christmas; the X or Xt used as a contraction for "Christ" ("X" resembles the Greek letter ? (Chi), the first letter of "Christ" in Greek (??????? ).

Related Topics:
Christianity - Christ - Hebrew - Moshiach - New Testament - Jesus - Disciples - Antioch - Xmas - Christmas

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The vast majority of those who refer to themselves as Christians are grouped into ecclesial communities called denominations which are separated by the nuances of their respective theologies. The liturgical denominations, including Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy, Roman and Eastern Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Lutheranism, along with many constituent components of the reformed traditions of Presbyterianism, Methodism, Moravianism, et al., teach that the title Christian is honorificly bestowed upon those who have received the sacrament of Baptism, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Most of these groups are paedobaptist in their traditions, meaning that they sanction the baptism of infants as well as adults.

Related Topics:
Denominations - Baptism - Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit - Paedobaptist

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For a minority of those who refer to themselves as Christian, the only requirement to be called a Christian is to believe in Jesus as the Son of God. Some Christian denominations require a formal committment to become a member. Other denominations (The Church of Christ, International Churches of Christ, and the Independent Christian Churches) teach that the definition of a Christian is someone who has been baptized as a repenting adult ?in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.?? (). For them, adult baptism is the transition from non-Christian to Christian. These varying definitions arise from different biblical interpretations and differences regarding the authority of scripture in context with tradtion.

Related Topics:
Son of God - Church of Christ - International Churches of Christ - Independent Christian Churches

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A small but significant minority of ecclesiastical groups are often referred to as Christian whose creeds consider Jesus to be theologically significant but not God. Movements along these lines include Jehovah's Witnesses.

Related Topics:
Jesus - Jehovah's Witnesses

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