I recently got my hands on a copy of COLLIDE magazine: a publication that caters to Christians (?) who are involved in the area of worship arts.  After reading several of the articles and being immensely entertained, one particular interview caught my attention. 

The brief Q&A featured Tom Greever of Community Christian Church in Chicago.  His ministry has received a lot of attention recently due to a series of videos that they produced, which parodies the Mac v. PC ads seen on TV.  In the interview, Greever encourages Chuchgoers (am I using the right term?) to call themselves “Christ-followers”, as opposed to “Christians.”  Greever argues that, in modern times, the word "Christian" has taken on a derogatory connotation among non-believers and believers alike.  He also states that being identified as a Christ-follower would incite more conversation (a point with which I am willing to agree).  Is this how believers should respond to a society that has already stripped us of so much?  If you ask me, it is the duty of every Christian in the world to give the phrase a new meaning.  As opposed to reidentifying ourselves, we should fearlessly move forward in our faith and change the way people view Christians.  By being bold and telling people, "Yes, I am a Christian but I do not hate gays or judge you," we will change the minds of our culture and bring the focus back to Jesus and away from what secular society calls "Christianity."  While we as Christians should look upon our spotted past with a degree of shame, we must move on, and be proud (in Christ) of our ability to call ourselves "Christians."  Just think: people in other countries would die to have such a privilege - in fact, many have.