I've been pondering this question this morning: What is a Christian?

If you define "being a Christian" to mean mentally assenting to a creed and a set of doctrines, making a proclamation of faith, and believing that you have been granted inclusion into a salvific cosmic transaction--then pretty much anyone can claim to be a Christian, and who are we to say someone is not?

On the other hand, if you define "being a Christian" more along the lines of how Jesus, Paul, James, John, et al. seemed to define it--as a disciple of Jesus who lives a fruitful life evident by compassion, kindness, humility, patience, generosity, self-control, concern for those in need, joy, peace and love--then it becomes much harder to claim to be a Christian and much easier to spot those who are.

-DC