Is Christianity a Western Religion?

“If you are English, you must be a Christian, right? And if you are Pakistani, you can only be a Muslim? If you are Chinese, you must be…?”

It’s common to link different religious beliefs and practices with certain parts of the world. So a person born into a family of a particular culture may accept those religious beliefs and practices as part of their identity—something they did not choose, but which was handed down to them.

In the same way, many people automatically link Christianity with Europe, America, and countries like Australia. They assume that all white people are “Christian”. But the situation is actually much more complex.

Christian faith has been firmly fixed in the culture of Europe for nearly 2,000 years. So it has influenced every aspect of life. But the true meaning of “Christian” is to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Following Jesus is not tied to any particular place or culture. It is not linked to any political system or form of government. Jesus’ followers are found all around the world. In fact most of the world’s Christians now live in Africa, South America and Asia.

Jesus Himself was not European but Middle Eastern. His first followers were Jewish, but people from other cultural backgrounds quickly began to follow Him too. The message about Jesus—the gospel—actually arrived in India before it came to much of Europe. According to tradition, the Apostle Thomas, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples (followers), followed the trade routes to India. In Kerala, in southern India, you can see a beautiful beach where he is believed to have landed. He went on to tell people about Jesus in both north and south India before dying near Chennai.

Non-Western people struggle to separate Christian and non-Christian parts of Western culture today. Some countries are called “Christian”, but there might seem to be very little that is “Christian” about many of the people that live in them. Followers of Jesus in the West also are saddened by the materialism and greed in Western society, and are distressed by the sexual chaos and breakdown of family life. The West as a whole is slowly becoming less religious and rejecting any idea of looking to God for guidance.

So is Christianity a Western religion? It’s true that it has very much influenced Western culture. But following Jesus is not about culture, language or outward appearances. It is about a relationship. Jesus Christ came to open the way to God for all people from every background and country. His message is about everyone’s need for inner change—change to a life with God at the centre. That is our deepest need.

This is an extract from the booklet Jesus through Asian eyes now available from The Good Book Company.