Geographical Christianity?

For those of you who have never heard of William Wilberforce, you should look him up. Born in 1759, he became a Christian man of great respect in England. He is most well known as the man who led the charge, in the name of Christ, to abolish the slave trade in the Western world. He also wrote a classic book (which I just finished) called A Practical View of Christianity. This incredible little work is weighty, but it deserves a good read since it gives us a view into the mind of a man who loved God and who loved to do His work.

Towards the end of the book, Wilberforce speaks about what he calls “geographical Christianity.” Wilberforce claims that a majority of Christians in 18th century England were (in a way parallel with the modern USA) simply Christians in name only, forgetting the love of their Savior and believing that the word “Christian” was “properly applicable to all those who have been born and educated in a country wherein Christianity is professed” (Ch. 7). This view is surprisingly as popular today as it was back then. While I won’t get into the argument as to whether America is a “Christian nation,” it certainly is undeniable true that Christianity is the professed religion of a majority of Americans. According to the CIA World Factbook, around 76% of Americans profess to be Christians, and 51.3% profess to being Protestant Christians. Understanding these facts, it does seem that the United States is a county where, as Wilberforce says, “Christianity is professed.” The question then becomes why so many in America profess to be Christians.

Do most people polled claim to be Christians because they live in a land where Christianity is the majority? Are these simply “geographical Christians” who, living in a world where churches are on every street corner and whose parents were on the rolls of a church, simply assume themselves to be Christians? Are these people who occasionally or maybe even always attend church assuming themselves to be labeled a “Christian” simply because of church attendance? I believe that this and many other scenarios must be the case, for if 76% of the America population were indeed born again Christians, then this country would be in much better shape that it currently is. I think much of the American public doesn’t quite understand exactly what a “Christian” is. Wilberforce is helpful here. He states that a Christian is one who has a “renewed nature, as expressive of a peculiar character, with its appropriate desires and aversions, and hopes, and fears, and joys, and sorrows” (Ch. 7). A Christian is not one who is born in an area where most people are Christians and who associates with Christians (although this is frequently the case). A Christian is one who has been born again, one who was once uninterested or even spiteful towards God, but who now, through the work of the Spirit, has been convicted of their sin and has thrown themselves on the mercy of God through Christ’s sacrifice for sin on the cross. Essentially, a Christian has a renewed nature of love and dependence towards God, not simply just one who lives in a Christian area. So my exhortation to both you and me is to examine our own lives to determine whether we are really born again with new natures of love towards Christ, or if we are merely those who falsely assume ourselves to be Christians because we live in a country where most are Christians. We would do well to remember that.