Being a Christian is not the same as being Religious

Posted on May 11, 2026 
Filed under Resources

Tim Thorburn writes at The Gospel Coalition Australia –

“One of the interesting facts from early church history is that Christians were accused of being atheists.

They didn’t do the religious things that were expected by their contemporaries in the Roman world. That might be a surprise to many in the secular West, where Christians usually look obviously more religious than their secular neighbours. After all, Christians have faith, they pray, they attend worship services. Many go further by wearing crosses, carrying Bibles, fasting, and orientating their lives around priests, festivals, saints and pilgrimages.

As many of us witness an uptick in interest in religion, including Christianity, especially among young men, I wonder what these new inquirers are attracted to. Is it Jesus and his saving work? Or is it religion, with the trappings of symbols and rituals?

Exploring why the early Christians were accused of being atheists could be a helpful exercise for us in this moment. …”

– Read it all here.