Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian
From: lvron@earth.lerc.nasa.gov (Ronald E. Graham)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: christian or Christian?
Message-ID: <Sep.18.03.47.20.1990.8983@athos.rutgers.edu>
Date: 18 Sep 90 07:47:22 GMT
Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center
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Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu

[There was some discussion about the significance of Christian
vs. christian.  --clh]

With all due respect to both Mr. Olson and to the moderator, may I point 
out that "christian" (with the small c) is often used in the form of an
adjective (to modify words like "values", for instance), while Christian
(with the big C) is, of course, a "proper" noun.

Another note about the adjective: it shows the way the term "Christian"
has been watered down over the years.  The fact that the word has been 
turned into an adjective, describing things instead of people.  (Per the
mention of Antioch in the book of Acts, the original use of the word
was meant to flame followers of Christ, and we've lost that too.)

C. S. Lewis points this out in _Mere Christianity_, comparing the use of 
"christian" to that of "gentleman", which originally was one who owned a
piece of land and had his own coat-of-arms.

RG