A cultural Christian is someone who identifies himself as a Christian but does not have a living relationship with a living God. A cultural Christian views God as someone more distant than near. If you ask a cultural Christian if they are Christian they may answer, “I was born Christian” or “I am not a Jew, Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist”. It is not the words we say but the life we live that reveals what is on the inside. A bad tree can’t bring good fruit.

To say that all Americans are Christians is to misunderstand a true Christian. Cultural Christians may go to church but it is duty, guilt, or habit, not the fruit of a personal relationship with God. Cultural Christians will not talk about God and may feel ashamed to talk about religion. Cultural Christians may pray memorized prayers a certain times but find little or no meaning in the ritual. Cultural Christians find God far away or not relevant to everyday life. Cultural Christians become Christians when they are challenged, or when they experience a hardship and they pray for help.