What Kind of Christian Are You

What kind of Christian are you? Does your faith resemble Joel Osteen? Billy Graham? Bishop Spong?

Answer these 21 questions on what you believe about the Bible, Jesus, prayer, and more, and discover your Christian identity. We don’t guarantee that you’ll be pleased with the results, but we promise you’ll have much to discuss with friends—and that you’ll be inspired to deepen your faith.

The Bible is...

A flawless, timeless, authoritative record of God's will and plan for humankind.

God's love letter to us, full of inspiration and tools for our daily lives.

An anthology that traditional Christianity deems authoritative, but that is rooted in complex cultural circumstances and requires careful, ongoing interpretation.

A contradictory and often racist, misogynist, and violent book that has done at least as much harm as good.

The first two chapters of Genesis are...

An imaginative, instructive poem about creation, the one true God, and human identity.

An historical record of how the universe was made.

Historically reliable, but more importantly, they are the first indications of God's loving plan for our lives.

One of many early cultural myths, no more literal than similar mythological accounts in the period.

The historical portions of the Old Testament are...

History, plain and simple. Lots of modern archeology proves that the Bible's record of human history—from the Great Flood to the reign of King David—is accurate.

Reliable, but that's not what's most important about them. What's important is how the stories communicate God's plan for our lives.

A mixture of history and myth. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the church has deemed them authoritative and useful for moral and spiritual instruction.

Largely mythological, and only accepted by people who are blinded by faith.

I became a Christian when...

I realized I was a sinner destined for hell and in need of God's saving grace made available through Jesus' death on the cross.

I found out God had a wonderful plan for my life.

I identified with Jesus' message about the kingdom of God.

It was more or less culturally mandated that I become one. I've been revising my sense of what it means to be "Christian" ever since.

The four gospels...

Are four of several accounts of Jesus that appeared in the first few centuries after his death. No single account is necessarily more accurate than the next.

Each reflect the author's perspective, culture, and bias, but they interweave into a complete picture of the historical Jesus. No one knows for sure who wrote them.

Do not contradict each other in any way, and are the historical proof that Jesus came to save humankind as prophesied in the Old Testament.

Are clear accounts of God's love for us and are filled with encouragement and instruction for how to live better lives today.

Which statement describes your view of Jesus' parables?

They are often intentionally obscure stories meant to provoke the listener and describe the mysterious kingdom of God.

They are uplifting stories that tell us how to improve our lives everyday.

They are sermons that help us see ourselves as sinners in need of God's saving grace.

They are a collection of stories that may or may not have been told by someone named Jesus.

Jesus considered himself the unique Son of God.

True

False

Maybe. Probably

Probably, but it doesn't matter, because he was.

Jesus looked like...

A first-century Middle Eastern peasant: swarthy, bearded, short, and skinny.

A tall, good-looking man to whom anyone would be drawn.

The Renaissance artists' depictions of him are probably the best indication we have.

It's impossible to know because Galilee was ethnically mixed.

Jesus' friends would have described him as...

Happy, generous, and warm—the gregarious sort.

Complicated but compelling.

Intelligent, determined, focused.

Bewildering, frustrating, enigmatic...if he had friends or even existed in the first place.

If I had to pick the verse that best summarizes Jesus' message, it would be...

John 3:16 ("For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.")

John 10:10 ("...I came that [you] may have life, and have it to the full.")

Luke 4:18-19 ("The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.")

It depends on which gospel writer you're talking about, because each one has a different idea of Jesus' message.

Jesus' message was primarily...

About the importance of forgiveness, love, and how to have all God wants for you.

About how to attain eternal life through belief in him.

About the kingdom of God.

A voice of peasant social protest.

For Jesus, the kingdom of God was...

Heaven.

The realization of a society rooted in selfless love, generosity toward others, and equanimity.

A revolutionary slogan encouraging his countrymen to revolt against Rome.

A fulfilling relationship with God and others.

Jesus was executed...

As a political revolutionary.

For blasphemy because he called himself the Son of God, and because Pilate had to throw a bone to religious leaders.

Because he had to be, in fulfillment of prophecy and God's plan for humankind.

The resurrection was...

Jesus in a new body, returned from the dead. It was also a picture of what will happen to all of our bodies.

Jesus in a new body, returned from the dead, after he defeated sin and death.

Jesus in a new body, returned from the dead, as the first instance of how we can all be over-comers in God.

A story made up by early Christians symbolizing his divinity, like other myths of a rising god.

Mary...

Was a virgin chosen by God and impregnated by the Holy Spirit. She was an important vessel, but the Bible doesn't say much else about her.

Conceived Jesus with Joseph out of wedlock...or maybe with a Roman soldier. (The poor thing.)

Was a vessel and the first Christian disciple. The Catholics and their tradition of Marian devotion have it mostly right.

Is such an inspiring figure, especially for today's Christian women.

My favorite translation of the Bible is...

The New International Version or New King James Version.

The English Standard Version.

The Revised Standard Version or New Revised Standard Version.

The Living Bible.

What do you believe about the United States of America?

It is the land of opportunity, and I'm grateful God has me here.

It is an empire, and it is subject to all of the critiques in the Bible against corrupt power.

It is God's nation—founded by him, for his purposes. It has lost its way, but it can return to God again.

Why is this question on a quiz about Christianity?

What is the best way to pray?

Any way to pray is fine, as long as you allow everyone else to pray however they choose.

Prayer can take many forms, but it's important to be mindful of Christian traditions and observe a habit.

In faith, believing that God has already done whatever you are asking him to do.

Prayer is a conversation with God. Don't complicate it—just talk to him.

When God looks at our lives, what does he care about the most?

Whether or not we've accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

How much we have aligned ourselves with the kingdom of God.

Whether or not I am a good person.

How we feel day in, day out. He longs to make our lives better.

What will happen when you die?

I will go to heaven because I have accepted Jesus as my savior.

There are different ideas about this, but the dominant biblical tradition suggests that I'll go to a holding place until God redeems all of creation.

I have no idea. No one does.

What will happen to people of other faiths when they die?