According to Wikipedia the term gentleman originally “signified a man with an income derived from property, a legacy or some other source, and was thus independently wealthy and did not need to work”. Today it is merely a polite term for a man, regardless of social stature.

A post on a blog I found thanks to Sid, called Unreasonable Faith, says much the same about Christianity. Or at least it asks the questions “Is the only thing that unites Christians the fact that they all call themselves Christians? Is anyone who finds the golden rule a good idea a Christian? Are we all Christians now? Are none of us?”

As we have gotten further afield from the origins of these words they do seem to have become diluted in their meaning. In some cases the later title has even picked up a few negative connotations. I’ve read of Christians distancing themselves from the title because of that. Part of the blog post I linked to (which I encourage you to read) goes on to say that

“The only reason I bring this up at all is that atheist blogs are frequently beset by commenters who are eager to explain the real Christianity. The more even-handed just want to be clear that there are many different interpretations, and that fundamentalism isn’t the only form of Christianity. The latter group is right, of course, but when pressed to provide a criteria for their interpretation, things get vague.”

The biggest question he has and one that resonates with me most is, does anyone have the right to define what Christianity is? Certainly I as an individual have the right to define what it means for me, but should I try and define it for others. Is it my job to divine the sheep form the goats? Is Christianity like porn, in the sense that you’ll know it when you see it? I think that’s a good working definition since the Bible does say that we’ll be known by our fruits.

What do you think? When you use the term what do you mean? What do you think of? Do you use it to divide or unite? Is it a term of derision for you?