The term “Cafeteria Christian” is a very controversial term used in modern-day Christianity. Sometimes, it can be used to accuse others of being a Christian with no loyalty to any religious doctrine while it can also mean, positively, that Christians have the freedom of choosing what practices to follow.
In this article, we shall tackle the different meanings of what a cafeteria Christian is, both the pros and the cons, based on the different arguments raised in the present day.
A cafeteria Christian can mean a “pick and choose” Christian. This means that it is a Christian that selects doctrines from different Christian organizations to fit their own beliefs.
This may seem like a bad thing, especially because there are strict rules to abide in every Christian denomination, and picking and choosing defeats the purpose of abiding with what God has demanded from us.
Another downside of being a “pick and choose” Christian is that it is easy to fall victim from false teachers. It is easy for a person to believe in heresy especially if his faith is not deeply rooted, or he has not understood every detail of his faith.
On the other hand, a “pick and choose” Christian is not as bad as it seems as long as one has deeply studied the different doctrines of each Christian denomination. After all, we are reminded in Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.
For this reason, it is certainly not right to judge a cafeteria Christian by being a “pick and choose” Christian because nobody in their right mind can choose what to order in a cafeteria setting anyway. After all, the Bible reminds us never to judge.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-5).
Nevertheless, being a “pick and choose” Christian does not mean that one should stay that way. A well-rounded diet is still the best way to practice Christianity.
We can do this by studying and learning Jesus Christ’s teachings and His ways as well as praying to God Almighty through His Son Jesus.
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34).
However, there is a reminder when studying in detail. We must be sensitive to oneself while studying and learning because the downside of having learned so much is the possibility of making mistakes or misinterpretation and also the possibility of thinking one knows better.
Let us remind ourselves that the most important teaching of Christ is love.
And one of the scribes came and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” And Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is, ‘Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength’: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandments greater than these.’”
And the scribe said unto him, “Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.” And no man after that durst asks him any question (Mark 12:28-34 28).
And in Luke, “He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself’” (Luke 10:27).
A cafeteria Christian can also mean a lenient Christian or in other terms, a lax and tolerant Christian, but it can also mean being a compassionate and merciful Christian.
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14-17).
Being a lax and tolerant Christian means a Christian that knows about one’s faith but does not actively follow it. He merely chooses which faith he follows for his benefit. This can be a bad thing because there is a warning in Paul’s letter to the Corinthian that says,
I gave a warning when I was present the second time, and now I give a warning while I am absent to those who sinned before and to all the rest: If I come again, I will not be lenient. (2 Corinthians 13:2).
However, a lenient Christian can also mean being merciful or compassionate. It means one is emollient and soothing to others, especially those who are not yet in the faith.
As Christians, it is our duty to carry others to faith, and being an emollient Christian means showing others that we are not bound by religious practices but by the ideas that you are the light to others. The world is already dark in itself, and through encouraging others, we become the light. Scripture tells us that,
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was at the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not (John 1:1-5).
Some argue that being a cafeteria Christian means saying “yes” to Christ but “no” to the Church. This means that a Christian loves Jesus Christ and follows His teachings but does not follow what the Church as an organization does or does not want to be part of a Church at all. Scripture says,
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him, the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God (2 Corinthians 1:20).
This practice can be very convenient for modern-day Christians since most of them live with an individualistic point of view. With all the misconceptions of the Christian faith today, some believe it is better to practice one’s faith alone than going to Mass or a church service and being with fellow brethren.
But others argue that you can’t love Jesus without loving the Church, and they say that this practice of saying "'yes’ to Christ and ‘no’ to Church” is spiritual individualism.
Spiritual individualism is an extreme practice that prioritizes a personal relationship with Christ but not with His Church. But following and being with Christ means serving His Church, as well; being a spiritual individualist defeats the purpose of prioritizing God.
Scripture tells us,
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Here we are commanded to meet and encourage each other.
In conclusion, the term “Cafeteria Christian” remains to be a term that can sometimes be derogatory for Christians who are lenient in faith, who pick and choose doctrines and those who choose to follow Christ but do not want to be part of a Church. But however bad the connotations may seem, there are some points of it that may be positive.
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Glory Dy has been a content creator for more than 10 years. She lives in a quiet suburb with her family and four cats.