Can you quit being a Christian but still follow Jesus?

Posted on 02. Aug, 2010 by frank in spiritual growth, stories

Anne Rice thinks she can. The famous author wrote a series of vampire novels, one of the most famous being Interview with the Vampire, which was later filmed starring Tom Cruise. Just a few days ago, a frustrated Anne posted the following on her facebook page:

For those who care, and I understand if you don’t: Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being “Christian” or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to “belong” to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.

As the comments quickly began to fly on her facebook post she then wrote the following statement a few minutes later:

As I said below, I quit being a Christian. I’m out. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.

Do you think there is any value or truth to her claims? Do you think Anne’s statements help the church or just add to the problem? Do you think someone can bail on Christianity but still follow Jesus? I’m curious to know what others are thinking…

UPDATE: Here are some comments she made in a video interview on the topic…

7 Responses to “Can you quit being a Christian but still follow Jesus?”

Alisa

03. Aug, 2010

Hi Frank,

A very curious question indeed. I don’t know much about Anne Rice, I’ve never read any of her books and recently had a conversation with a woman who said that she quit reading Anne Rice when she (Anne Rice) became a Christian because she felt that Christians in general were anti-gay, anti-feminist, etc. And I think that we do come across that way. We forget that as followers of Christ we are to love one another as Christ loved us. We preach that a person should come to God “just as you are”, but we live “clean up your act, first”. We judge others when God is the only one who can judge. I’m not saying that we accept certain lifestyles as good, but we should preach the Word of God unapologetically. To quote one of my favorite people, Del Tackett, “What God sees as evil, we should see as evil, what God calls glorious and good, we should see as glorious and good.”

This attitude of quitting Christianity because it is too anti-everything, leads many down the path to the emergent church. The fruit of the emerging church includes: changes in views on sexuality, the desire by emerging leaders to stop identifying with Christianity, eradicating the gap between good and evil (the very goal of Satan’s religion, the New Age), and developing a new missiology which says keep your own religion, just add Jesus. This truly is the undoing of Christian faith.

I’m not saying that Anne Rice is following emergent teachings, I don’t know enough about her yet, but we need to be wary of such opinions and allowing them to infiltrate our churches.
Jeremiah

03. Aug, 2010

Frank

I think it is totally possible to quit being what a Christian means in America and still be a follower of Christ. I don’t think Christianity overall in America equal Christianity of discipleship that the original disciples first called Christians followed.

Christianity in America is more about what we are not rather then Whose we are. There is a lot of “you need to follow God in this way” judgment which usually looks like how we follow God (homosexuality aside how about do you speak in tongues or not or certain theologies).

Christianity in America is usually more cultural and without deep thought or love. Some people equate Republicans with Christianity which is not even close to being true. Just because you may agree on some points doesn’t mean that they are walking in the manner which Christ walked.

Christianity is not a label but a life modeled after Christ, loving God, others, and self. It is trusting God that He is working in others lives and letting Him work in ours. This is often lost in our Christian culture
Don

03. Aug, 2010

Labels can be damaging, and I think that’s what we are talking about. I’ve come close to saying the same thing about political parties and the such. This nation, and the world for that matter, use Christianity to contain a group of statements made. LIke any other label or brand, it has become diluted with the opinion of many who stand up and shout what they believe, and if your voice is strong it is heard over many other voices. It starts to become a matter of flamboyancy, the more flamboyant you are, the more people equate your ideals with a groups ideals.

The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch. They were called Christians because they followed Christ, not because they simply banded together to publicize their thoughts on life and how to live, but because they chose to follow His ideals.

God Bless.
Dale Blanshan

03. Aug, 2010

No, you can’t. Fellowship is an integral part of faith. The author’s complaints are nothing new. Although the facts are lacking, she sounds like yet another deserter who, finding the work too hard for her taste, chooses to drop out and blame someone else. There may be some persons who have wronged her, but after years of experience I am not about to assume that such is the case. The broadness of the brush with which she paints is astounding, and the paint she uses is suspect.
Jerry

03. Aug, 2010

TECHNICALLY. . .one can’t abandon the church if he/she is truly following Jesus, because being a Jesus follower brings you into the community of which He is the Head, His body, the body of Christ the church!…like it or not. Are there PROBLEMS in this body??…clearly so. Tragically so. An interesting read on the community God forms is in Eugene Peterson’s book, “Leap Over a Wall” in the chapter titled “Ziklag”. I recommend it for its amazing hope regarding Christ’s body in the world today.
John Kester

11. Nov, 2010

Hi Frank –
We haven’t met yet, but I feel like I know you a little from Ric’s postings on Facebook. I am Ruth Picker’s brother. I recently wrote an article about Anne Rices comments. I thought I might share some of it here.

I have been thinking about her description of the church for several weeks now. I have been trying to decide if her assessment of the church is valid. Do the words she used – quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious and infamous – describe the church that I have belonged to and loved for more than 40 years? Perhaps in some situations she is accurate. Perhaps there are times that the church has been less unified and less gracious than we ought to be. And I suppose that if we dwelled on the mistakes that have been made by people who bear the name of Jesus we might too become disillusioned as Mrs. Rice has.

But I choose to focus on a different set of events that I have experienced as part of the church. As a member of Christ’s body here on earth I have enjoyed acceptance in spite of my faults. I have experienced comfort in times of sorrow and loss. I have experienced generosity beyond anything I would have ever expected. I have found friends literally everywhere I go who also belong to this grand group of believers. I have been encouraged by the faith and faithfulness of other Christians. I have been instructed by those who studied the word of God and gained valuable insights. I have been challenged to deeper thinking and greater devotion to Christ by people who share a common faith in Jesus Christ. The very best things that I have experienced in this life have been as a result of being part of the church.

I wish that Anne Rice could see the church the way that I do. Oh, I know it is filled with people who make bad decisions and sometimes fail in their effort to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ. But the church is also the people who showed me who Jesus is. The church is filled with people who have made it their goal to make Jesus known and loved. The church is the embodiment of Christ on earth. I find it impossible to love him and not love the people he died to save.

To put it in a nutshell, I love the church because it belongs to Jesus and because I have experienced his love through this group of people. I wish Mrs. Rice would have enjoyed the experience of the church that I have. Maybe then she would love the church like I do.

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