Why I Call Myself a Christ Follower Instead
I No Longer Consider Myself a Christian. I haven’t walked away from Jesus, in fact, it’s the opposite. I’ve simply stopped introducing myself as a “Christian.” Not because I’m ashamed of Christ, but because the word Christian no longer communicates what it once did.
Today, the term is tangled up in politics, culture wars, and loud voices that often sound nothing like Jesus. Somewhere along the way, “Christian” became more about identity in a tribe than identity in Christ. And that’s not the faith I want to model.
When “Christian” Became Political
For many people, “Christian” doesn’t bring to mind love, service, or humility. Instead, it sparks thoughts of division, judgment, or a voting bloc. And if that’s the first thing people think when they hear the word, we’ve lost something sacred.
Jesus never said the world would know us by our politics. He said:
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
If love is not what people see first, then the label “Christian” is missing its purpose.
Isn’t It Just the Same Thing?
Some might say, “Christian” and “Christ Follower” are the same thing, and at its core, they should be. And that’s true. Both are meant to describe people who belong to Jesus.
But words carry weight. Over time, Christian has picked up baggage that Jesus never intended. For many today, the word sparks thoughts of politics, judgment, or power far more quickly than it sparks thoughts of compassion, service, or humility. That’s the problem.
Yes, the two terms should mean the same thing. But if someone hears Christian and doesn’t see Christ’s love, then the word has drifted from its anchor. For me, saying Christ Follower is a way of making the focus unmistakable: I don’t just claim a label, I follow a Person.
And there’s even a biblical echo of this. The earliest believers weren’t called Christians until outsiders in Antioch gave them that name (Acts 11:26). Before that, they simply called themselves disciples, followers of Jesus. In many ways, using Christ Follower is not inventing something new, but reclaiming that original simplicity: being known not by a cultural label, but by a way of life that looks like Him.
Reclaiming the Focus
That’s why I call myself a Christ Follower. It centers me back on the only One who matters. It reminds me, and anyone listening, that my faith is not about a cultural identity but about a living Savior.
The Apostle James captured it best:
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
That’s the faith I want to live. A faith not marked by slogans or symbols, but by compassion in action and holiness in everyday life.
Living What We Profess
Choosing the term Christ Follower is not a rejection of Christianity, it’s a call back to what Christianity was meant to be. It’s a reminder that the world doesn’t need another tribe; it needs people who look like Jesus.
The real question isn’t, “Do I call myself a Christian or a Christ Follower?” The real question is, “When people look at my life, do they see Jesus?”
Hold Fast to Christ
At Just Hold Fast, this is the heartbeat, anchoring ourselves not in labels, politics, or cultural noise, but in Christ alone. If the word “Christian” feels unclear in today’s world, then let our lives make it crystal clear: we follow Jesus.
Hold fast to Him. Always.
Reflection Question
When people hear you describe your faith, or better yet, when they see the way you live, do they think first of politics and positions, or of Jesus and His love?
