What Kind of a Christian Are You?

Let me kick this off with a hypothetical conversation. Try to follow along.

Person A: What kind of a Christian are you?
Person B: What do you mean? I’m a Christian.
Person A: Well, yes, but what is the basis of your beliefs?
Person B: The Bible! Duh!
Person A: Okay, but how do you understand the Bible?
Person B: What do you mean?
Person A: How do you see the Bible and how do you interpret it?
Person A: The right way!
Person B: Uh-huh. Well, everyone says that. But what is the basis for —–

And that’s about where we lose most people.

Most people believe a bunch of stuff when it comes to their faith (or lack thereof) and don’t really examine why they believe what they believe. They also don’t really appreciate the historical and cultural influences that led to their beliefs. We all think we’re independent intellectual and moral agents making intelligent decisions based on adequate information but in reality…

We only know what we know, and (when it comes to what we think and how we feel) we’re heavily influenced by what we hear from sources we trust and by the culture in which we grow up.

This brings us back to the question…

What kind of a Christian are you?

A lot of people think denomination when they hear that question, and they answer accordingly…

I’m Baptist.
I’m Catholic.
I’m Anglican.
I’m Methodist.
I’m Greek Orthodox.
I’m Russian Orthodox.
I’m Presbyterian.
I’m Episcopalian.
Pffft…I’m (clears throat) non-denominational.

You get the idea. But denominational affiliation is only one dimension to the question that headlines this article. Just one dimension. And, as we get deeper into the twenty-first century, it honestly is becoming less important of a dimension.

In the 19th-century United States, denominations did matter. A lot. This was the case even into the early 20th century. Denominational labels told you what different churches thought about baptism, Communion, church governance, and a host of other issues. These differences came down to how various churches and seminaries (each denomination typically having its own seminaries) interpreted the Scriptures.

The biggest differences were between Protestants, Catholics, Anglicans, and Eastern Orthodox. In those cases, it came down to whether one looked to the institutional church (and, if so, which one) or whether one looked primarily to the Scriptures.

Today, things are a whole lot more complicated.

First, let’s consider the term “Christian.” The term means different things to different people, ranging from someone who simply has a cultural or historical connection to Christianity to someone who actively follows the teachings of Jesus Christ. Even then, what teachings? Thomas Jefferson regarded Jesus as a great teacher, but not as divine. Yet Jefferson described himself as a Christian.

For the purposes of this article, I’m using the term “Christian” more as a social descriptor to refer to those people who identify in some way or form with the movement that began with Jesus. As to whether people are truly Christian or whether they will go to heaven when they die, that’s for another article.

So, getting back to the differences between Christians – again, defining that broadly. Today, it’s not so much about denominations. I have more in common today with a theologically conservative Presbyterian than I do with a liberal or progressive Baptist. Why? Because most disagreements within the Christian landscape today have less to do with textual-interpretative differences over biblical passages and more to do with foundational approaches to divine revelation.

I pray I haven’t lost you. If I have, then please go back and re-read this article up to this point. This is of vital importance. Understanding this will help you understand the modern Christian landscape and it will help you appreciate why so many self-professed Christians disagree so fundamentally over so many things.

You see, many people attend church, call themselves Christians, and focus on living out their faith without giving much thought to the deeper theological frameworks at play. But what we often don’t realize is that beneath the surface, there are different ways of interpreting and understanding the Christian faith—approaches that shape what churches teach, how they worship, and how they engage with the world.

It’s like owning a car. You may know how to drive it, but understanding what’s happening under the hood gives you a fuller picture of how it works and why it matters. Exploring the main schools of Christian thought helps us see where our beliefs fit into the broader history of the church and why it’s important to anchor our faith in truth.

The main developmental perspectives or schools of thought in Christianity are as follows:

Apostolic Christianity (33–100 AD)
Nicene/Orthodox Christianity (4th century onward, following the Councils)
Catholicism (developing alongside Orthodoxy, formally splitting in 1054 AD)
Eastern Orthodoxy (formalized after the Great Schism of 1054 AD)
Anglicanism (16th century, originating from a king’s divorce and the English Reformation)
Protestantism (16th century, sparked by Martin Luther’s Reformation)
Liberal Christianity (18th–20th centuries, during the Enlightenment)
Fundamentalism (late 19th–early 20th century, as a reaction to Liberalism)
Neo-Orthodoxy (20th century, responding to Liberalism and Fundamentalism)
Evangelicalism (18th-century roots but distinct by the 20th century, shaped by revivalism)
Progressive Christianity (late 20th–21st century, building on aspects of Liberalism)

All of us should want to get back to apostolic Christianity. That is authentic, true Christianity. Unfortunately, Jesus ascended back to heaven and the apostles are all dead. So, our best access to “the apostles’ doctrine” (see Acts 2:42) is the Bible, especially the New Testament.

And therein lies the rub.

Each of the succeeding theological movements or schools of thought listed above sees the Bible differently. Catholics believe God anointed the institutional church–as in the Roman Catholic Church–with sacred authority, whereas classic Protestants declared Sola Scriptura (the Scripture alone). Catholics look to the Church. Protestants (historically) looked to the Bible.

Of course, the Catholics themselves broke apart. The Eastern Orthodox believe theirs is the divinely sanctioned institutional Church today. Same with the Anglicans — who themselves broke apart, thanks to the American Revolution. That’s why we have the Episcopalians.

Confused yet? Well, we’re just getting started.

You see, from the time of Christ until the 1500s, most people didn’t have direct access to the Bible. It was the churches — and Catholics (and Orthodox and Anglicans) would say, the Church — that preserved, compiled, and canonized the Bible. Protestants and later conservatives, fundamentalists, and evangelicals would say the canon was discovered–not determined.

Even so, from the fall of the Western Roman Empire (5th century AD/CE) to the printing press (15th century), most people were illiterate and relied on paintings and priests for their understanding of God’s truths. They couldn’t read the Bible. This made people very dependent on the Catholic Church and later as well the Eastern Orthodox and Anglican Churches.

The printing press and the Protestant Reformation ushered in the Modern Age and the Enlightenment. People began to read the Bible for themselves — and began to think more for themselves. Religion, at least in “Christendom,” became less centralized.

Protestantism began to fragment. We shouldn’t be surprised. Luther let the proverbial genie out of the bottle. If it was okay for people to protest the Catholic Church, it was okay to protest any church. Or critique any theological or philosophical community or school of thought.

Before long, you had multiple Protestant denominations spreading throughout the world and you also had people questioning the Bible — and questioning Christianity itself.

Starting in the 1700s and coming into its own by the 1900s, liberal Christianity took root. And began to influence the various Protestant denominations. Liberal Christianity is a theological approach that seeks to reconcile the Christian faith with modern scientific understandings and more contemporary cultural values. It often views the Bible not as the inerrant Word of God but as a human document shaped by the historical and cultural contexts in which it was written. Liberal Christians emphasize ethics, social justice, and Jesus’ role as a moral teacher over doctrines like miracles, the resurrection, or the divinity of Christ. Today, liberal Christianity is most associated with mainline Protestantism.

In response to liberal Christianity, the fundamentalist movement began. Pioneered by clergy like J. Gresham Machen and R.A. Torrey and influential lay leaders like William Jennings Bryan, fundamentalism emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and emphasized the inerrancy of Scripture, the literal interpretation of the Bible, and the defense of key doctrines like the virgin birth, Christ’s resurrection, and His second coming. To this day, fundamentalists often stress separation from secular culture and other Christian groups they view as compromising biblical truth.

Neo-orthodoxy emerged in the early 20th century as a response to both liberal theology and fundamentalism. The movement was led by figures like Karl Barth and Reinhold Niebuhr, who sought to recover a sense of God’s transcendence and sovereignty while rejecting the overly rational and optimistic views of theological liberalism. Neo-orthodoxy views Scripture as a vehicle for God’s Word rather than as the literal Word of God itself. Its popularity has waned in recent decades.

Evangelicalism grew out of the revival movements of the 18th century and gained distinct identity in the 20th century, differentiating itself from both fundamentalism and liberalism. Evangelicals emphasize the authority of Scripture, the necessity of personal conversion, the centrality of the cross, and active evangelism.

Unlike fundamentalism, evangelicals tend to engage with culture and broader Christian traditions rather than separating from them. Evangelicalism remains highly influential, with a significant presence in global missions, parachurch organizations, and denominational life.

And then we come to the newest kid on the block…

The most recent theological school of thought…

Progressive Christianity is a modern movement that reinterprets traditional Christian beliefs through the lens of contemporary cultural values and social justice. It emphasizes inclusivity, equity, and compassion (at least as progressives understand those terms), often focusing on issues like LGBTQIA+ inclusion, racial justice, and environmental stewardship.

Progressive Christians tend to view the Bible as a human work that reflects spiritual truths rather than as divinely inerrant, and they prioritize the ethical teachings of Jesus over doctrines like atonement or miracles. In this, they are similar to liberal Christians, and there is considerable overlap between the two schools of thought today. But…

Progressive Christians tend to be more postmodernist in their thinking, whereas liberal Christians tend to be more modernist.

Today, when you look at the denominational landscape within Christianity, you’ll find that there are liberal, progressive, orthodox, and/or conservative variations and shades within each denomination. This makes things confusing for the average church-goer.

What’s more important than the name of the church is that church’s Statement of Faith. That is what you want to ask for and read. And, as you read through it, write down questions for the pastor. Then, meet with the pastor and ask your questions. The most important questions to ask are:

Who is Jesus?
Is the Bible the word of God?

In case you’re wondering where I stand…

I was raised as a fundamentalist Christian. My parents had me in a very strict Baptist church and enrolled me (from third grade through twelfth grade) in a fundamentalist Baptist Christian school. I now identify as an evangelical. Theologically, I want to stand on apostolic Christianity and relationally, I draw my identity not from a tribe, but from Jesus.

I want to draw as close to God as possible.

As for the answers to those two most important questions…

Jesus is God. Salvation is only possible through Him.
The Bible is the word of God. To disobey the teachings of the Bible is to disobey God.

What about you? Where do you stand?

It may be that, after reading this, you have more questions than answers. That’s fine. I encourage you to read more about this. Here are some recommendations:

Christian Theology by Millard Erickson
Systematic Theology, Second Edition: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine by Wayne Grudem
Church History in Plain Language, Fifth Edition by Bruce Shelley
The Story of Christianity: Volume 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation by Justo L. Gonzalez
The Story of Christianity: Volume 2: The Reformation to the Present Day by Justo L. Gonzalez
Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine by Gregg Allison

I can’t say I’ve read all those titles cover-to-cover, word-for-word. But they have been helpful study resources for me, and I encourage you to check them out if you want to dive deeper into this.

God bless you!

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What Kind of a Christian Are You?

Pastor Tubbs

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