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:''This article is about the religious concept. For other uses of the term see Born Again (disambiguation).
In Christianity, the term 'born again' or 'regenerated' is synonymous with spiritual rebirth—salvation. The term is most frequently used by the Evangelical, Fundamentalist, Pentecostal, and some Mainline branches of Protestant Christianity. It is sometimes associated with non-denominational groups and/or churches.^[1]
The term is sometimes applied by extension to other phenomena outside Christianity; for example, a ''transcendent personal experience.''

Contents

Christian concepts

Recent social usage

See also

References

External links

Christian concepts

The Christian use of the term is derived from Jesus’ words to Jewish leader Nicodemus as recorded in the third chapter of the Gospel of John:
:::::(''Note that some translators consider "born from above" to be a better translation than "born again."'')
Most Christian denominations hold that a person must be ''born again'' in some sense to be a Christian. Thus, all who are true Christians are in fact ''born again'', whether they describe themselves as such or not. However, the meaning of the term varies among Christian traditions:

★ The Roman Catholic Church associates "being born again" with baptism. It holds that "Baptism is ... the sacrament by which we are born again of water and the Holy Ghost."^[2] This is also a belief held by Eastern Christianity, Anglicanism, and Lutheranism, among other Christian traditions.

★ Some Evangelical, Fundamentalist, and Pentecostal Christians associate "being born again" with a conversion experience that involves a personal, and sometimes intense, encounter of the individual with the power of God. It means that the person has been awarded salvation. Some Christians in these groups would assert that those without such a conversion ''experience'' are not true Christians.^[3]

★ Most other Protestant churches place less emphasis on a conversion ''experience'' and rely on the individual's personal statement of belief in and commitment to Jesus Christ as "Lord" and "Savior." While they do not deny the validity of a conversion experience, they would seldom use the term "born again" to describe it.
In theology, the study of salvation is called soteriology. The idea of being "born again" carries with it the soteriological idea that a Christian is a "new creation," given a fresh start by the action of God, freed from a sinful past life and able to begin a "new life" in relationship with Christ via the Holy Spirit. John Wesley and Christians associated with early Methodism referred to the "born again" experience as "the ''New Birth''."

Recent social usage

In recent history, ''born again'' is a term that has been associated with evangelical renewal since the late 1960s, first in the United States and then later around the world. Associated perhaps initially with Jesus People and the Christian counterculture, ''born again'' came to refer to an intense conversion experience, and was increasingly used as a term to identify devout believers. By the mid 1970s, ''born again'' Christians were increasingly referred to in the mainstream media as part of the Born Again Movement.
A 1976 book of that title by Watergate conspirator and convicted felon Charles Colson, describing his path to faith in conjunction with his criminal imprisonment, played a significant role in solidifying Born Again identity as a cultural construct in the U.S. The term was sufficiently prevalent that, during that year's Presidential campaign, Jimmy Carter described himself as ''born again,'' notably in the first Playboy magazine interview of a U.S. Presidential candidate. Modern musicians Mark Farner, Dan Peek, Little Richard, Donna Summer, Bob Dylan, Kerry Livgren, Dave Hope, Dave Mustaine, Nicko McBrain, Roger McGuinn, Johnny Cash, Keith Farley and Alice Cooper were artists whose born again conversions had a significant impact on modern culture. President George W. Bush and Mr T. are also mentioned as being born again.
Reborn Christians are also often referred to as "New Born Christians."

See also

★ Altar call

★ Baptism

★ Evangelism

★ Holy Spirit

★ Reversion (Islam)

★ Sin

References

External links

★ What is a born again Christian by GotQuestions.org

★ Sermon #45: The New Birth by John Wesley

★ Sermon #18: The Marks of the New Birth by John Wesley

★ The Calvinist View of the Doctrine of Regeneration or The New Birth

★ What is Monergistic Regeneration? (Calvinist/Reformed)