Labels get a lot of bad press today but they are really very helpful if they are accurate and honest. I will concede that much of the labeling we see is neither. When a package of candy says it is “fat free” it may be accurate but the impression it gives is not honest. It is all sugar which turns to fat.
When the media talks about “Fundamentalists” in regard to Christians it is usually inaccurate and dishonest. It is inaccurate because it is a technical term that they don’t take the time to understand. It refers to a branch of devout believers who believe in turning the other cheek and going the extra mile. They are dishonest because they lay deceitful impressions on top of the label. They equate these people with fundamentalist Muslims who believe that it is okay to strap a bomb onto your child’s body and send them into a crowd. Guilt by association.
One overlooked reason people don’t like labels today is because they are accurate. Have you noticed that some Liberals are now Progressives? Others call themselves Moderates. That is because people have caught on to the agenda of the left and don’t like it. So, change your label. Have you noticed that Communists like to call themselves socialists? These people don’t want you to know who they really are.
Moving into the church world, have you noticed that few people are willing to admit that they are Calvinists any more? They like to call themselves Reform. What they refuse to understand is that Wesley and Arminius were also part of the Reformation. Have you noticed how many people claim to be Christians and at the same time reject things like the physical resurrection or the existence of Hell? They reject the label of pagan, even though it is more accurate.
I find labels helpful. When I walk into a Baptist church I have no trouble worshiping and calling the members “brother” and “sister.” It does help to be warned ahead of time that I am going to need to filter out the TULIP proclamations. I don’t hold it against them even if they consign me to the depths of hell. When I talk to someone who rejects the traditional values of America it helps to know that they are on the left. When I go to a family restaurant I want to know that it doesn’t have a rating of $$$$$ in the AAA Guidebook.
Labels help. Why are they a problem?
To be continued...
homo unius libri
I currently call myself a Christian with Baptist leanings, but I don't swallow the entire TULIP thing, just the T and the P. And most folks don't even believe that much.
ReplyDeleteWhy am I not surprised that you know what you believe? Too many who attend church don't know much except they feel good. We had one guy who complained because the sermon made him feel like he wasn't a Christian. Well, if it walks like a duck...
ReplyDeleteBut what do I know about ducks? I am a city boy after all.
Grace and peace.