Identifying as a Christian has certain requirements that are outlined on this sites Code of Conduct. This is not always evident to people because they are under the impression that if they go to church regularly, often, or at least some times that they are considered a church member. This is a regularly occuring misnomer that has come into focus lately because of stay at home orders for everyone, and concerns about reduction of religious freedoms.
Like with any membership in a developed nation, association must most often be mutually consensual. There are rare exceptions that go beyond the scope of this website such as family names, states of residence, national origin, or place of citizenship.
In a normal request for association, a person like an evangelist reaches out to the public asking if anyone would like to be associated with their church, organization, club, or group of people. Often the next step would be to request a code of conduct document, and ask about ongoing costs such as dues, tithes, or gift offerings. If everything is agreeable, and both parties still consent after questions and answers, then the association takes place and membership can begin.
Christians are often sought after to be impersonated because they are perceived to be of moral and upright character, righteous in all their ways, without flaw or error, and knowledgeable in all things of the Earth, and of the Universe.
While some of that may be true, in a modern context, very little of that would apply to someone that is a church member, or is attending a church, or church visitor center to work on behaviors that can preclude membership or prevent long term success as a church member or minister/ministress. Most church members participate in ministry at least sometimes and the membership is usually implied to be long term even if there is an ability to terminate the membership agreement.
The grammar and vocabulary has also changed to be comprehensible when used with contemporary languages. For example a church might have membership policies, that require compliance with acceptable conduct, and have ethics guidelines to follow for situations where a policy is not yet defined but may have long term considerations, stipulations, ramifications, or consequences for expression of certain behaviors. Loss of reputation or long term injury to an associated group are usually the first two areas of examination when studying ethics.
Ethically, a church member must have certain conduct in order to maintain an accurate representation of the membership for the entirety of the associated group. They must also be in compliance with church membership policies that often stipulate ongoing self observed analysis, introspection, and reflection of behaviors and their causes; and how they affect compliance and long term success with church membership. Meditation on how those behaviors can change is usually a requirement but less well defined and not as specific about how to implement the required changes since different modification plans will achieve varying levels of success for each person.
Morality, is not often discussed as those are theoretical and philosophical contexts that are too complex for modern church members and visitors exploring church membership. The topic can be discussed but is most often with members who attend regularly to talk about motivators and drivers that allow a person to achieve success with certain behaviors that are seen as a positive characteristic of their church membership.
With this decision of association made, it is important to understand the different contexts of church membership and the implied or explicit associations made as part of the church member agreement.
Most often these will cover the following areas of life:
- Cultural Rights and Expression
- Associations and Representation
- Rabinnical Teachings
- Orthodox Teachings
- Catholic Teachings
- Protestant Teachings
- Prophets
- Priests
- Church Elders
- Modern Societal Contexts
- Contemporary Teachings
- Grammar and Vocabulary Updates
- Behaviors and Human Interaction
Overall Christianity is an expression of certain behaviors which can be expressed by peoples outside the context of Christianity. However, these behaviors alone will not necessarily qualify someone for church membership. Often it is necessary to obtain membership to participate in socialization, and to address legal concepts that arise such as mutually consensual associations, representations of the church and its membership, and an administration to address if there are human interactions concerns or compliments within a geographical area.
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Matthew 7:15-20, KJV
Another way to say this in a modern context using updated grammar and vocabulary is that Christians have certain behaviors and that their behaviors will be evident because they will be unable to express contrasting behaviors, either due to church membership policies and compliance requirements or because their expressions have become a behavioral trait and anything that can cause a conflict of expression or neural dysfunction will be unexpressable. That is not to say that a Christian is unable or unwilling to participate in adverse behaviors, just that it is unlikely and rare.
The Bible verse has also been translated as “By their works you shall know them” which can be examined in a different post using the context of etymology, history, and cultural expression.