The Polite Disease: Unmasking the Comfort of Nominal Christianity in the Canadian Church

"To be a mere nominal Christian and go to church is cheap and easy work. But to hear Christ's voice, follow Christ, believe in Christ, and confess Christ, requires much self-denial." — J.C. Ryle

If you have been a Christian for a while, you have likely heard the expression "nominal Christian." A nominal Christian is a person who identifies as Christian by name, culture, or family tradition but lacks a personal, transformative faith in Jesus Christ. But how do we know if we are nominal Christians or not?

One of the problems with our understanding of this is the assumption that nominalism stems from tradition, liturgy, and structure. Consequently, the "solution" became the modern evangelical church—experiential, highly emotional, and spontaneous. What many failed to see is that the problem was never the church model or style, but the hearts of the Christians within it. Now, we have evangelicals who are clearly nominal Christians, but the situation is even more dangerous because they are certain they are exempt; they belong to a movement that defines itself as the antithesis of nominalism.

This is not a defence of the traditional church; again, the problem is in the heart. Nominal Christians are everywhere, in all denominations and all theological traditions. The evidence of nominalism is a lack of self-denial. Nominal Christianity goes beyond cultural markers like the style of preaching or music. It is comfortable, it is cheap, and it is easy work. It is the type of Christianity that costs you nothing, where the problem is always "out there," and where carrying our cross is a nice concept that has no bearing on reality.

Nominal Christians imagine they would endure suffering if a Great Persecution arrived, forgetting that the world only persecutes those who actually obstruct its path. They forget that the "cross" is not a future event, but a daily execution of our own sin and the idols we harbour. They forget that suffering is an everyday reality in our battle against the grain of this world—the battle against becoming exactly like everyone else, only with different ideas in our heads.

The nominal Christian says that salvation is by grace alone, but this grace is cheap. This grace is not treasured, not loved, and not responded to. The nominal Christian might love God in a general sense, but he forgets that the evidence of salvation is not just a vague affection, but to love God above all else.

Nominal Christianity is a disgrace because it deceives the individual and lowers the bar for the Gospel. Nominal Christians multiply and create more nominal Christians so that they can remain comfortable and unchallenged.

In Canada, nominal Christianity is a polite disease. It allows us to fit perfectly into a secular culture while maintaining a religious hobby. It is a slow corrosion from within, and it is killing the church. We need to stop it.

Thanks be to Jesus, who prunes and purifies his church. He promised to build his church, and He will not fail.

Nino Marques