This question comes from a student at Columbia international University www.ciu.edu.

It can be challenging to define terms these days.  Check out this doctrinal statement as one I often use when asked what I believe.  THE LAUSANNE COVENANT .

Words tend to be colored by how we see them being used.  Several of my African American friends struggle with being identified as “evangelical”.  They have told me it brings up many distasteful images.  These Christian brothers affirm all of the essentials of the faith that I do but we have difficulty finding a term that has not polluted by its usage by certain groups or the media.  The church we attend has been using terms like: “progressive multi-ethnic church” and a “Christ centered Acts 1:8 family”.  These are both very long and still carry some baggage or may not be understood by some groups.

I think maybe I will just go back to “Christian” or “Follower of Jesus Christ” and try to live in such a way that others get a good definition from my life.