“Jesus Christ, Superstar, do you think you’re what they say you are?”
A memorable lyric from the 1971 Broadway musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. And also a poignant question for today as American Christians seem to gravitate toward one of two names for the Son of God.
It turns out, once again, there are two kinds of Christians: Those who talk about Jesus and those who talk about Christ. And then there are a few who split the difference and talk about Jesus Christ, and not only when they hit a thumb with a hammer.
For example, would you normally say, “Jesus calls me to follow him” or “Christ calls me to follow him”?
I recently posed this very question on Facebook, and a lively discussion ensued. In a day’s time, 82 comments piled up. Lots of personal preferences, mixed with a few really deep commentaries on when to use one name over the other.
“Jesus” may be the “name above all names,” as the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians, but for a lot of Christians, “Christ” is sometimes more specific.
“Jesus” may be the “name above all names,” as the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians, but for a lot of Christians, “Christ” is sometimes more specific.
Just by way of review, the baby born to Mary in that Bethlehem stable was given the name “Jesus.” And in the fashion of the day, he would have been known around Nazareth as Jesus bar Joseph, meaning Jesus the son of Joseph.
All three synoptic Gospels record the confession of Peter when asked by Jesus, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responds: “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.”
“Christ” comes from the Greek word χριστός (chrīstós), meaning “anointed one.” The Apostle Paul in his epistles often refers to “Christ Jesus our Lord” or “Jesus the Christ.” In fact, except for Philippians 2 where he is most likely quoting an early hymn, Paul in his letters rarely uses the word “Jesus” alone. Almost always it is either “Christ” singular or “Christ Jesus” or “Jesus Christ.”
In modern American English, Christians often refer to Jesus Christ as though Jesus were a first name and Christ a last name. And yet, each individual word more often gets used by itself.
What causes some people to speak of “Jesus” and others to speak of “Christ”?
My question is this: What causes some people to speak of “Jesus” and others to speak of “Christ”?
Pedantic, perhaps. But still curious. Is this like the regional differences in what one calls a generic Coca-Cola? It’s a “soft drink” in some regions, a “soda” in others, and “pop” in other locales.
Probably not. I suspect there’s an underlying theological statement at work, even if subconsciously.
The renowned British theologian N.T. Wright is said to have quipped that he could tell within 15 minutes whether churches had heard mostly the Gospels or mostly the epistles from the pulpit. Gospels people tend to talk about Jesus, and epistles people tend to talk mostly about Christ. (I can’t find this citation because Wright has written and spoken so very much, but it has the ring of authenticity.)
And yet, clearly, there are regional and dialectic differences at play. Southerners — the folks who may ask you if want a “Coke” while they serve you a Pepsi — seem more inclined toward “Jesus.” There are many reasons for this, among them a likely emphasis on the Gospels in preaching and the popularity of a kind of “me and Jesus” theology.
There also are denominational and worship style differences. Pastors and parishioners in the higher-church traditions seem more inclined toward “Christ” as a more formal way of speaking. This spills over even into the music of churches where more liturgical choirs are singing phrases such as “Christ we do all adore thee” and revivalistic choirs are singing “Jesus, keep me near the Cross.”
Don’t underestimate the power of music to shape our theology and language.
Don’t underestimate the power of music to shape our theology and language.
My Facebook friends opened all sorts of additional thoughts on this, too.
Darrell Hamilton II, a minister in New York City, recalled hearing a white Protestant minister once say ahead of Easter, “Jesus is dead, but Christ is risen.”
“That was profound for me because it gave me some insight into why and how this distinction can play out theologically and culturally,” Hamilton said. “In this minister’s cosmology, ‘Christ’ is an idea. In the Black church I grew up in, Jesus is not an idea but a historical and ever-present reality.”
Stacy Cochran Nowell, pastor at First Baptist Church in Huntersville, N.C., distinctly recalls facing the “Jesus” versus “Christ” dilemma her first semester of seminary.
“People only used ‘Jesus’ when they were referring to his 33 years on earth. Otherwise, it was more of a cosmic ‘Christ’ language. And if one used ‘Jesus’ to refer to the ongoing presence of Christ in our lives today, there was an implied sense that person was less theologically sophisticated.”
This explanation carries an important adjective we need to pause and consider for a moment: “Cosmic.” There’s a whole line of theology — made popular anew by the author Richard Rohr — that speaks of the “Cosmic Christ,” typically referring to the transcendent Christ of creation.
Nowell’s seminary experience is borne out by others who finely parse their usage of Jesus versus Christ.
“I use Jesus to refer to the person— the teachings and ministry of Jesus. And Christ as the radical reality of God’s love made real.”
Annette Thornburg Owen, pastor at Community Baptist Church of Warrenville, Ill, gave a simple distinction: “I use Jesus to refer to the person— the teachings and ministry of Jesus. And Christ as the radical reality of God’s love made real.”
Ditto for Amy Mears, pastor at Glendale Baptist Church in Nashville: “The group I run with rarely uses ‘Christ’ as a name; it’s a title. So we refer to Jesus as the person we attempt to follow. We refer to ‘the Christ’ (always with the article) when we’re talking about the messianic role.”
And yet another turn on this idea from pastoral theologian Eileen Campbell-Reed: “For my theological understanding, Jesus of Nazareth is the human person, born to Mary and Joseph, grown up to be a Jewish rabbi, and first century person who gathered followers and stirred up trouble with a deep understanding of love. Christ is the incarnation of God’s love, cosmic presence, transcendent being, the fulfillment of messianic promise. Jews and Gentiles who became followers on the Way came to understand Jesus as the Christ. And one of the early confessions of the church was ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ (Philippians 2:11) or simply ‘Jesus is Lord.’ So I’m more likely to pray in the name and spirit of Christ. But to talk (or preach) about what it means to follow Jesus and teachings of Jesus.”
Important reminder here that the earliest confession of the church, still used in baptisms today, is the declaration that “Jesus is Lord.” Of course, nobody would say, “Christ is Lord” because that would be redundant.
I hope I haven’t just compared Jesus to dinnerware.
Which brings me personally to want to come down on the side of “Jesus” for everyday conversation and “Christ” for special occasions and references. I hope I haven’t just compared Jesus to dinnerware.
Back to the main question now. Here is a sampling of the brilliant insights my Facebook friends offered:
“Jesus implies a specific single historical figure to be venerated and worshiped. Christ, meaning the anointed, implies something that all of humanity can participate in to do the works of God. Incidentally, Jesus’ favorite term for himself was not the Son of God but Son of Man. He is humanity fully alive. — Jennifer Mayeaux
“I believe there is an underlying theological difference. Christ is a more political usage that accentuates power and authority, while Jesus tends to accentuate a way of life and living.” — Quentin Lockwood III
“The personal name, Jesus, emphasizes his relational and salvific engagement with humanity. The title, Christ, has Jewish roots and identifies him as the fulfillment of the messianic hope. Both are valuable and have an important place in our understanding of the God-Man. Our audience and context may indicate the best nomenclature to use.” — Patrick Wilson
“I use Jesus because Jesus is the teacher. Christ denotes theology and really creepy history. And I pretty much roll my eyes at any theology other than ‘Jesus is Lord.’ As such, I claim myself a disciple of Jesus rather than a ‘Christian.’” — Nancy Kiker Bean
“Jesus is the man, Jesus of Nazareth, whereas Christ speaks to a greater reality. I see Christ as the Christian name for God that grounds Ultimate Reality in the historical person Jesus.” — Chuck Queen
“Since Jesus is a common name in the culture and language in which I have mostly ministered, I typically use Christ or Jesucristo to ensure there is no confusion about which Jesus I am talking about.” — Dexton Shores
“The more I seek to follow Jesus the Christ, the more I use ‘Jesus.’”
“The more I seek to follow Jesus the Christ, the more I use ‘Jesus.’ There seems to be an immediacy and intimacy in that proper name that is absent, for me, in the title ‘Christ.’” — Charles Foster Johnson
“I’m anxious about people who want to over-emphasize the distinction, largely because I feel like they tend to ignore the idea of hypostatic union in some really unhelpful ways. There is something scandalous about the particularity of the incarnation that I do not want to lose in our present, digital, disembodied age. Thus, I tend to use Jesus.” — Aaron Coyle-Carr
Lots of wisdom on a fascinating question. You say “Christ,” I say “Jesus.” We both follow the same Lord. But one of those just might be easier to follow than the other, according to Stephen Shoemaker, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Statesville, N.C.
He wrote: “It’s the Sermon on the Mount or the Apostles Creed; the religion of Jesus or the religion about Jesus; loving your neighbor or accepting Jesus as your Savior. Jesus is closer to snakes in worship, Christ closer to incense. Jesus generally is harder to follow than Christ is — and sometimes more dangerous.”
Amen to that.
Related articles:
Who is Jesus Christ for us today? | Opinion by David Gushee
Jesus is not the same as Christ | Opinion by Chuck Queen