All humor aside (as well as references to Monty Python), the concept of naming is a powerful one. Essentially, to name something is to show authority over it. This is why God named Adam and Eve, why Adam named all of the animals and why Adam and Eve named their children. When God called Abram out of Ur, he renamed him Abraham. When God called Jacob and sent him, he re-named him Israel. From a biblical perspective, we can see what naming is doing.
But this leads me to another thought. When we look at the world today, or at least the world of 150 years ago, civilized people had "Christian" names. When someone of a non-European culture came into contact with Europeans and embraced the culture, they often took a "Christian" name, because having a name connects one to the foundation of that culture.
We are seeing the reverse taking place in our culture today. As America and other European countries move away from Christian foundations, the names that are being embraced is following suit. We are seeing an influx of non-Christian names, that is, names that do not come from a Christian culture. The names that are taken or given are communicating a cultural foundation, or at least a deliberate move away from a Christian one.
This is not to argue that people with names from traditionally non-Christian cultures cannot be Christian. The Christian faith is not about any one particular culture or race. Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for all men, not just white Europeans.
As a closing note, it is interesting that when someone is baptized into the Eastern Orthodox church, they are given a new name, the name of a saint, someone recognized as being particularly holy. This is a great connection to have and to regularly bring to mind.
But this leads me to another thought. When we look at the world today, or at least the world of 150 years ago, civilized people had "Christian" names. When someone of a non-European culture came into contact with Europeans and embraced the culture, they often took a "Christian" name, because having a name connects one to the foundation of that culture.
We are seeing the reverse taking place in our culture today. As America and other European countries move away from Christian foundations, the names that are being embraced is following suit. We are seeing an influx of non-Christian names, that is, names that do not come from a Christian culture. The names that are taken or given are communicating a cultural foundation, or at least a deliberate move away from a Christian one.
This is not to argue that people with names from traditionally non-Christian cultures cannot be Christian. The Christian faith is not about any one particular culture or race. Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for all men, not just white Europeans.
As a closing note, it is interesting that when someone is baptized into the Eastern Orthodox church, they are given a new name, the name of a saint, someone recognized as being particularly holy. This is a great connection to have and to regularly bring to mind.
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