The Texas Association of Business named him "Fighter for Free Enterprise." Young Conservatives of Texas presented Christian with their "Torch of Freedom Lifetime Achievement Award." Vision America named Christian, who is of the Baptist denomination, a "Hero of the Faith." The Texas County Extension Service named him "Man of the Year in Texas Agriculture." The Texas branch of Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum presented him with its "Freedom and Family Award" and also recognized Christian as one of the sixteen "most conservative" members of the legislature, out of a total of 181 members who serve in both legislative chambers. In the 80th legislative session, Mike Hailey's Capitol Insider declared Christian's voting record to be "100 percent conservative." During the 82nd Legislature, Christian was awarded "Legislator of the Year" by Texas Conservative Digest, and scored a 100 percent conservative rating on the Texas Eagle Forum scorecard, as well as an A+ rating from Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, an interest group founded by Michael Quinn Sullivan. During the session, Christian worked on lingering issues such as the future of power plants in East Texas, issues surrounding the exploration and production of natural gas in the Haynesville Shale, and settling the 30-year water level problems of Toledo Bend Reservoir on the Sabine River, located on the Texas/Louisiana border. Christian won his initial term in the State House in 1996 with less than 51 percent of the general election vote, making him the first Republican elected in deep East Texas since reconstruction. In 2004, he made an unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for the United States House of Representatives for the seat now held by fellow Republican Louie Gohmert of Tyler. In 2007, Christian returned to the Texas House after a two-year absence. He unseated freshman Representative Roy Morris Blake, Jr., of Nacogdoches in the March 2006 Republican primary, and Christian was unopposed in the following general election. In 2009, a controversial amendment sponsored by fellow Republican, Mike "Tuffy" Hamilton, passed the Texas House, allowing Christian and a handful of neighbors on the Bolivar Peninsula near Galveston to rebuild houses destroyed by Hurricane Ike. The measure easily passed the legislature with almost no objection. Governor Rick Perry let the bill, and subsequently the Hamilton amendment, become law without his signature. The measure was strongly opposed by then Commissioner of the General Land Office Jerry E. Patterson, who vowed not to enforce the measure. Christian denied that the amendment was at odds with the Texas Open Beaches Act or an environmental interference but argued that it reflected the right of property owners to use their property as they deem appropriate.