For some, "Christian" (adj.) no longer includes Lutherans

[Geoff Nathan]

Today's issue of the Detroit News had an article about Christian
bloggers.  The headline referred to 'God Bloggers'.  The article was an
AP feed, datelined La Mirada, CA.
It is clear from the multiple uses of the word 'Christian' that the word
means 'evangelical Christian'.  For example, the article talked about

    'Christian bloggers, who have worked behind the scenes for years to
    spread the Gospel and infuse politics with religion.  Topics
    included God bloggers' relationship with the traditional church...'


Further along a Biola University professor gave instructions on

    'writing about faith without alienating nonbelievers' [at a workshop
    with the title "When Non-Christians read your blog"]  He stressed
    that blogging 'done wrong [..] can reinforce stereotypes of
    evangelical Christians as angry and close-minded... As Christians
    today we are embroiled in the argument culture.'

Reference is Detroit News, Sunday, October 16, 2005.  Page 10A.  Note
that Detroit is not southern, nor rural, and neither is California.  The
article is clearly just assuming that the word 'Christian', without
further context, means Evangelical Christian.

--
Geoffrey S. Nathan
Department of English/Computing and Information Technology
Wayne State University
Detroit, MI, 48202
<geoffnathan at wayne.edu>
Phones:  C&IT (313) 577-1259/English (313) 577-8621