The Mosaic of Christian Belief: Twenty Centuries of Unity & Diversity

by Roger E. Olson

Christian is a person who affirms basic Christian beliefs—otherwise known as orthodoxy. That may sound exclusive and intolerant to many readers. Don’t slam this book shut and put it back on the shelf (or do worse with it!) just yet. Let me explain. To be sure, there are other legitimate definitions of Christian. A Christian is a Christ-follower. A Christian is a member of a Christian church. A Christian is a person transformed by the Spirit of God into a living witness to Jesus Christ and his gospel. A Christian is someone baptized in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit (or perhaps in Jesus’ name) who continues to claim and affirm that baptism. I could go on, but let us return to our first statement of the meaning of Christian above. Orthodoxy simply means “right belief” or “doctrinal correctness.” In that sense it may be used broadly or narrowly. Lutheran