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The term cultural Christian refers to individuals who identify with Christianity primarily due to their cultural background, upbringing, or societal norms, rather than through a strong personal faith in God, active participation in Christian practices, and living according to the teachings of Jesus. These individuals may celebrate Christian holidays, participate in rituals, and hold Christian values.
In this post:
Definition
Concept feature list
Concept assessment
References
Cite this post
Sutton, G. W. (2025, January 28). Cultural Christian: A psychology of religion concept. Psychology Concepts and Theories. Retrieved from https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2025/01/cultural-christian-psychology-of.html
Concept Use: Cultural Christian may be used in the psychology of religion and spirituality, which is a subfield of social psychology.
There is no standard definition of the concept, cultural Christian. I offer the following suggestion.
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Features of the Concept Cultural Christian
The following positive features characterize a cultural Christian:
Celebrates some Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter
Participates in some Christian practices such as infant baptism, a church wedding, a church funeral
Participates in some Christian ministries, which may include occasional attendance at Christian services, volunteering in a Christian ministry, performing Christian music
Demonstrates a commitment to several Christian values such as forgiveness, peacemaking, social justice
The following features are absent:
Expresses strong belief in Christianity’s supernatural realm
Expresses strong belief in Christianity’s core theological claims
Expresses a strong commitment to a branch of Christianity (e.g., Catholic, Protestant denomination) or a recognized grouping (e, g., evangelical, progressive).
Does not identify with another religion or expression of spirituality
Does not identify as nonreligious, none, atheist, or agnostic
Cultural Christian: A Qualitative Questionnaire
The following questions may be useful in interviews and research focused on Christian types. The answers may be categorized in terms of the features noted above to distinguish people are more like a cultural Christian than a committed follower.
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What Christian holidays do you celebrate?
Briefly, how do you celebrate those holidays? For example, do you attend church?
What Christian ministries do you participate in? For example, do you sing or play an instrument in a church or serve as a volunteer in a church ministry?
What Christian practices are an important part of your life? For example, prayer, bible reading, or regular church attendance.
What Christian moral values are important to you? For example, what are your beliefs about the following moral issues Christian leaders preach about?
Abortion
Contraception
Divorce and remarriage
Sexual relationships outside marriage
Same-sex relationships and marriage
What are your views about Christian virtues such as the following?
Demonstrating compassion for the poor
Forgiving those who hurt you
Expressing gratitude
Expressing generosity
Living a humble life
What are your views about Christian doctrines or beliefs? Following are a few examples:
Jesus is the Son of God.
God is a triune being referred to as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Jesus was born to Mary who was a virgin.
People who do not accept Jesus as their personal savior will spend the afterlife in hell.
God heals some people in response to prayer without any human interventions.
Are there any other beliefs that are highly important to you?
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Resources
Available on AMAZON
Related Quantitative Measures
Christian Beliefs Index https://statistics.suttong.com/2017/08/christian-beliefs-index-measuring.html
Christian Sociomoral Values Index https://statistics.suttong.com/2022/08/christian-sociomoral-values-index.html
Pentecostal, Charismatic Spirituality scales https://statistics.suttong.com/2018/05/measuring-pentecostal-charismatic.html
References
Davies, M. (2024, August 21). The rise of cultural Christianity: Why religion is thriving in a non-believing age. The New Statesman. Retrieved from https://www.newstatesman.com/cover-story/2024/08/the-rise-of-cultural-christianity
Frankiel, T. (2003). The cross-cultural study of Christianity: An historian's view. Religion, 33(2), 123-137.
Gaskill, A. L. (n.d.). Are you a cultural Christian? Patheos. Retrieved 28 January 2025 from https://www.patheos.com/answers/are-you-a-cultural-christian
Greene, T. M. (1953). Christianity, culture, and academic integrity. Journal of the History of Ideas, 14(3), 291-306.
Sutton, G. W. (2025, January 28). Cultural Christian: A psychology of religion concept. Psychology Concepts and Theories. Retrieved from https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2025/01/cultural-christian-psychology-of.html
Williams, N. (2020). Cultural Christians in the Early Church: A Historical and Practical Introduction to Christians in the Graeco-Roman World. Zondervan Academic.
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