That's pretty obvious;the belief that Jesus was the "Son of God",and the acceptance of him as ones personal savior.

I have a pretty hard time with the theological notion of God checking membership cards or looking for hand stamps.

Man, there seem to be a lot of rules and a lot of complex interpretations. I was expecting it would be a lot simpler. Something along the lines of - believe that Jesus was the son of God sent to earth to show people by way of example that you could lead a good life and make the world a better place - and qualify yourself for eternal reward at the same time. For bonus points follow all 10 commandments.

The truth is no one is really qualified to be a christain. There is no prequsite to be a christain and you can make all the right choices in life and still not qualifiy to be a christain.People think by doing good deeds and trying to be perfect makes you a christain. No it don't it just makes you a good person, but even good (nice) people will go to hell. Some people think because they believe that God Exists that they are saved and a christain.But I tell you the truth even satan believes and knows that there is a God but he will still spend eternity in hell. See know one deserves to be a christain because we are all sinners saved by grace. That means every human is a sinner and not worthy, but jesus died on the cross for our sins so our sins can be forgiven. Jesus Sacrifice his life so we could be forgiven for our sins. So he died and rose again in three days so we can be worthy. We are not worthy by ourselves but because of what Jesus did. To become a christain you don't have to be perfect, you come just as you are. You say Lord forgive me of my sins ,come live in my life ,I believe in you and what you did for me. Help me to stop sinning on purpose and help me live my life according to your will and your way. God comes into your life and the change begins slowly. Your still a sinner,but the price has been paid.Your a person who Occasionally cusses or has a nasty temper with bad habits but now You have Jesus on your side helping you fight lifes battles with you. Life dosen't get all perfect, and you still go through hard times the only difference is you now have a best friend to help you that will never let you down.

Ask God...

UPDATE: Since someone has taken it upon himself to take issue with my answer, perhaps I shall expand my review. For the record, I think predestination is absolute bunk, but it is my expirience that God qualifies Christians to be Christians by His grace since we are incapable of qualifying ourselves. When we stop asking God for direction we are not accepting his message, and the idea that we know what He is thinking is a presumption on par with the Original Sin of Adam and Eve, so I prefer to ask God about everything and assume nothing.

"But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." -- Romans 10:8-10.

" 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.' " -- John 3:16

(Scriptures are quoted from the New King James Version).

Since Christians can't seem to agree on who's a Christian, how is the agnostic fundamentalist supposed to answer this riddle?

Jesus said to Nicodemus that you must be born again.  You must accept Jesus as your Savior and repent of your sins.

As cheesy as it may sound, I think the WWJD bracelets are a simple way of looking at how to be a Christian. It is not through words alone that a person can be a Christian, but by their actions. By making conscious choices to live your life in accordance with the lessons of Christ is to be a true Christian.

My views are a bit "unique" by most mainstream standards I suppose. As far as what qualifies anyone as anything in the eyes of God- I would say that is up to God. As far as a definition: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". Obvioulsy, the root word of Christian is Christ. Regardless of variations on or levels of belief, He reamins the greatest gift mankind has ever received.

The only quality, based off of a simple definition of the word, "Christian", is simply to believe that Jesus is the son of God and the path to ones salvation. As long as one believes this, they are classified as being a person of Christian faith.

Nothing Qualifies you to be Christian!!! Christ did everything for us when he died for all of our sins. I think the question should be what is the charactor of a Christian?

Try to live the way Jesus lived to the best of our ability, and by being kind to one another. And if you're a Christian, count it a blessing when you get unhelpfuls for taking your stand.

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. That is from Matthew 15:8.so many people say they are Christian but you can't be sure unless you see the fruit of the spirit.

A Christian is many things but one thing is for sure a Christian should not be a negative force in the universe in all aspects of life. Thats why as a Christian you are constantly evolving and changing in order to reach goals which as a basic set of guidlines the Ten Commandments are as are the seven deadly sins. No one is perfect but the two most important things about being a Christian is 1) You shal worship one God only, the Lord, with all your heart and give your life up to this all Holy entity and 2) You shall love your neigbor as you would love yourself. It's not that difficult but the second one is something we all need to work on with regularity especially when you are treated poorly by someone. Some people are very quick to judge others and seem to have no faults in thier own minds. Those are the people that need to re-evaluate their lives the most. No one is perfect but if we could all just treat each other as we would have others treat us this World would be a much better place and that seems to be the basic principle in Christianity.

It should be that one should attempt to emulate the life and philosophy of the prophet. . .too often it means treating ideas and philosophies that are different than yours with derision and fear. . .

That's a very interesting question to which I'll try to give a fair answer. I guess true christian is the person who believes in his faith, in God, and in Jesus. Who is following Christian teachings, believes in Bible, and ten commendments. Who loves God unconditionally, prays, and follows his rules. That should sum it up.

I know most of you heard this before... going to church does not make you a Cgristian any more than going to McDonald's makes you a hamburger. Most people who call themselves Christian, don't even know who Christ is. That's stated by God Himself, not me.

Faith in the finished work of the cross makes a christian. Sins will only be accounted to you if you die in them. If you are washed in the blood of Jesus then you are justified as if you had never sinned. Your actions don't make you a christian. I had been taught to "ask Jesus into my heart" or "ask Jesus to come into my life." That doesn't save you. It has to be what Jesus has done or he died for nothing. When the holy spirit led me to the truth, my life changed forever. I know now that I was not saved and I thought I had to be good but my deeds are like filthy rags. When I prayed a prayer to ask him into my heart that always lasted about a week and I went back to the same lifestyle as usual but when I live in God's grace, my wants and needs have changed for good. It didn't happen as a feeling or made me perfect overnight but my heart has been changed and my soul and spirit will be in heaven someday and I am a christian. It's not a church or a ritual or a tradition. It is faith.

Putting your trust (faith) in the God that raised Jesus from the dead. This is what qualifies someone to be a Christian. "Believe on the Lord Jesus the Messiah and you shall be saved".

What's the dispute, outside of the neverending hypocrisy of the moral losers who buy into this gutter religious belief? The non-thinking, all-accepting sheep who actually believe all this crap feel that just by taking a certain fictional character to be your personal saviour, presto!!!: you're a Christian. If it were only that easy. I've seen, countless times, Bible-thumping exemplars of several Christian sects who constantly farted out what great moral beings they were, making the specious show of false piety at church every Sunday, yet cheating on their spouses, shorting their business partners, abusing their kids, and otherwise conducting themselves as ethical bags of crap. Very few of the most vociferous "Christians" I've known actually practiced the preachings of that aforementioned fictional character with vigor, rather, they used their phoney baloney faith as a shield against their toilet-like moral character. Actually, the atheists I've known displayed more in their behavior and values a moral valence that approximates the essential Christian virtues. Imagine that. So, the qualifications are unclear: are you a Christian because you say "Jesus loves me" while you're having sex with your daughter, or are you a Christian by merit of living your life in a decent and moral fashion? Here's another one of those bogus, false and self-defeating issues of the self-deluding fools who feel they're going to be saved because of their adherence to some ludicrous faith system conjured up by other limited human beings.

Kwhyman, you've done a good job at coming up with the requirements to being Christian in my honest opinion. However, I feel it is entirely necessary to clarify that there is but one unforgivable sin as laid out in Mark 3 and Matthew 12. The Holy Spirit persuades and enables men to accept Christ and enjoy the saving benefits of the gospel, but if anyone refuses to submit to the Spirit's gracious constraint, preferring to call good evil and evil good, how can the gospel avail for him? The deliberate refusal of the grace of God is the one sin which by its very nature is irremediable.

SZinhonshu, allow me to clarify the requirements for becoming a Christian. If you open your Bible to Romans, the road to salvation therein says we need to accept that we are not perfect and that we must confess. I believe the particular verse is "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the Truth is not in us, but if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Now forgiveness is a two step process. The first half is confession, and that means absolutely everything. Hold nothing back. He already knows, just He needs you to acknowledge sin so He can take it from you. Secondly, forgiveness has an obligation for you, that of change. Whenever Jesus healed someone in the Gospels, He always told them that their sins are forgiven, and to go and sin no more. You can't wallow in your old life if you want to recieve God's promise of new life. Get clean in the Blood, and ask God to help you emulate Christ from then on out, since He is not only our Redeemer, but our example. The first step is easy compared to the challenge of the second, and that is where God can help, if you ask Him. Believe it, accept the gift of grace, then live it out. Being a Christian is a way of life, not just something you profess to believe on Sunday, and won't live the rest of the week. True, we're not perfect, but when we ask God for help, He's there to keep us from stumbling along the path. The change makes all the difference. It's not for me to say this person has it, or that other person does not. I'll let God take care of that part. I will keep my eyes fixed on my Redeemer, and keep to the path He has for me.

Correct me if I'm wrong, especially as I don't hold myself out as an expert on the subject, but any man can become a Christian so long as he accepts that he is flawed, repents his sins, and most significantly, accepts Jesus Christ in his mind and heart as his saviour/salvation. In theory, no man is beyond salvation. Or do I misunderstand the situation/belief?

Though salvation is a gift, not earned. What identifies a person as a Christian? One time I heard a question from a youth pastor...If Christianity were illegal, would there be enough evidence to convict you? I know many people who have accepted that free gift. Then set it up on a shelf somewhere and seem to have forgotten about it. That actually touches on a lot of doctrines that are debatable, but I wanted to make a point that it is not about being religious or just going to Church and carrying a Bible. It is about living in a growing day-to-day relationship with Jesus Christ. IJR-- you can debate the divinity of Christ till the cows come home. Once you've met Him, it is no longer a debate. The real test comes when you find time to yourself, ask Him if He is really this Christ. This Son of God. Let Him be for you. Test Him. It is pointless to test those of us who are followers. Another interesting phrase I heard came from a book entitled "The Hiding Place". It is a beautiful story of a Dutch family that hid Jews during the Nazi occupation of Holland. The father was criticized by a local pastor out of fear. When his outraged daughter declared "How can that man even call himself a Christian?" Papa calmly replied, "Just because a mouse lives in the cookie jar, does not necessarily make him a cookie." So I find this an interesting question. I know for myself, though there are times my ugly selfish nature shows, that I am a Christian. I have been through some incredible experiences. And no, dpsotkie, I am QUITE independent and wind up doing more for others who can't do for themselves. I have cooked food for homeless people, paid bills for friends who have lost jobs, even though they don't accept my faith, I have walked into crack houses to retrieve a friend and take him home, I have spent hours scraping lead based paint off of walls of an old house so it could be renovated and given to a needy family. I don't say this to brag, because I can only do this through Christ who gives me strength. When I start to slip in my walk, I have also gossiped and cursed and acted and thought in depraved ways. For those things I am ashamed and know that I would be held accountable before the throne of Christ, were it not for His blood that covers it in forgiveness. I cannot do that alone. What qualifies a person as a Christian? It is not a gene, or psychological dispensation. It is not a thing to be littered with linguistic profundity. It is clear, simple and free. The greatest freedom of all. It is a love, a relationship, that every one of us was designed for, but not all of us are willing to accept. We rationalize it away and leave it for others. We "try to be good enough", but inside we know we have failed. What qualifies a person as a Christian? What a great question. If you say you are a Christian, what are your qualifiers? Do you have evidence? If you are not a Christian, what do you see in those who call themselves? Why not meet the Christ? If He is fictional, you have nothing to fear, If He is real, then you have everything to gain. HE WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Be ready. I am not saying this for personal gain, as a matter of fact, I will probably be slammed and put down for it. But if even one person is able to become free, then it is all worth it. Regardless of what you think of my post, through Christ, I love you all. I may disagree, sometimes emphatically, but I care about everyone of you. At least allow me to pray for you when you come to mind......okay?

There are many deep-seated qualifiers that dispensate someone towards theological leanings, all of which start off symptomatically in childhood: frustration, alienation, oral fixations, low self-esteem concerns resulting in overcompensation, etc. Many of these attributes are found in the early developmental stages of nontheists, as well. However, at varying points at varying times for varying reasons, rationales diverge along specific pathways littered (clumsily and/or elegantly) with broader exposure to a host of other influences (geographic, familial, societal, political, et al). Biology may even be a determining factor (recent citings of the so-called "faith gene"). When confronted with similar queries, my surface answer has always gone something like "nontheists wonder, while theists worry"; while I prize its succinctness, I haven't failed to realize that on-going, in-depth analysis of these subjects must be undertaken for the sake of clarification.

Without falling into the abyss of scripturial assessment,basically one who knows,loves and serves God.

If they do the ABC's of Christianity. A: Accept the fact that you're a sinner. B: Belive that Christ died for you. C: Confess your sins to him and he will forgive them. Then do F F: Follow in the ways of Christ.

I agree with the others, none of us are qualified. It is by the grace of God and the shed blood of Jesus that any of us can become a Christian. It is not something earned, it is something received when we ask for forgiveness. Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice on the cross for me, for your shed blood and for your love. Thank you for forgiving me when I didn't deserve it and lifting me up when I fall. I accept you as Lord of my life and invite you to live in my heart forever.

Nothing! Salvation is not based on our merits or our good works. Salvation is a free gift from God. All as we have to do is knock, ask, seek. Knock - Start praying in faith to Jesus. Admit that you are a sinner and in need of salvation and tell Him the fact that you believe and acknowledge what Jesus did for you on the cross. Ask - For forgiveness of all your sins and that you repent, and ask for Jesus to come into your life and be the Lord and saviour of your life, and to direct you into the will of the Father. Seek - After that, you have been saved. All as you have to do now is to seek an intimate relationship with God and get to know Jesus intimately and talk to Him on a daily basis.

In the eyes of the bible thumpin types, I'm definetely hellbound. I'm a heethan, a hedonist and a heretic. But I live by the rule of karma, which has served me well. I think it would be foolish of me to say what a good Christian IS, but I know what a good Christian IS NOT.

Weakness, a desire to follow others, wanting to be accepted, or possibly they need someone else to instruct them on how to be a good person and they need an ultimate reward or horrible consequence in order to contribute to society. Basically, someone who cant do anything without assistance from others.

A love for Christ.