by Rowan Williams Rowan Williams is archbishop of Canterbury.
This article is adapted from a speech he delivered in 2006 at
the assembly of the World Council of Churches in Porto Alegre,
Brazil. This article appeared in The Christian Century, (March
21, 2006, pp. 29-33.) Copyright by The Christian Century
Foundation: used by permission. Current articles and
subscription information can be found at
www.christiancentury.org. This material was prepared for
Religion Online by Ted and Winnie Brock. How do we as Christians
identify, ourselves? We carry the name of Christ. We are the
people who are known for their loyalty to the historical person
who was given the title of "anointed monarch" by his followers
-- Jesus, the Jew of Nazareth. Every time we say "Christian," we
take for granted a story and a place in history, the story and
place of those people with whom God made an alliance in the
distant past, the people whom he called so that in their life
together he might show his glory. "Identify yourself" says the