We read in the Acts of the Apostles: “it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.” The followers of Jesus had developed a distinct identity that made them stand out from the rest of the population. They were nameable as a group because, according to contemporary accounts, “they loved one another.” In a previous life doing youth ministry we used to stage “trials” to see if there was enough evidence to “convict” the person of being a Christian. The clinching arguments were not about church going or about how well they knew the catechism. Rather, the “prosecutor” would probe for evidence about kindness, about generosity, about forgiveness. That’s how the “jury” would judge if the person was a Christian or not.
