What's in a Name?

Elmina Slave Castle - Ghana

Over the years we have been amused by the shop names we have seen on African roadsides.  Today, while driving in Ghana, two in particular made me smile: I Shall Not Die Motors (wanna buy your car from them?) and Father Forgive Them Gift Shop (what kind of gifts do they sell, anyway?) I've seen a hundred others like these over the years, but they still make me laugh.

But another name I read today did not make me laugh. On the contrary, it bothered me greatly.  We were at the Elmina Slave Castle on Ghana's "Gold Coast," where we got a first hand glimpse of how slaves were treated before being loaded on ships as cargo and sent into a lifelong prison in a foreign land.  The cruelty made me cringe.  Within the castle, there was a plaque above the grave of one of the castle's governors.  The plaque called him a Christian man of great character.  I don't make a habit of judging people, even ones who have been dead for over 300 years, but the words "Christian" and "character" did not seem to fit the man buried below.  This I know: as I wear the name "Christian" I had sure better bring honor and glory to the one I'm named for.  After I'm gone, I don't want someone to think about my life and wonder how I could have ever called myself a Christian!