It’s Only A Label !

I went for a pre-operative consultation last week at the hospital and was asked by the nurse how I would define my religion ? I had to think about this but eventually plumped for the epithet “Christian” I wanted to say follower of Jesus and then go on to explain this more fully. I felt embarrassed by the designation Christian because it has become an offensive term in some quarters and its meaning has so often been  diluted. The term “evangelical” similarly has many negative connotations, such as fundamentalist, bigoted, dogmatic, whacko . Who do we allow to define us? Which voices do we listen to?  How come words are vested with such  power to bless or curse ? 

I don’t like labels as they can become like prison cells- very confining! . If you had asked me ten years ago how I would  describe my faith I would have said I was a charismatic evangelical Christian , because that was the appellation given to my church tradition. Now I do not want to be tied down by such definitions, restricted by belonging   to a particular denomination .”Oh you belong to the Vineyard don’t you and they believe such and such” No, thank-you, that does not define the totality of my life and faith . In no way am I being dismissive of the particular tribe I belong to, but I value insight and practice from other  traditions.

But surely it’s only a descriptive term that helps people to communicate, to get a handle on things.? There in lies the problem,  people want to fit me into a particular mould and I want to break out of this . I don’t want to be branded like specific commodities. I range over a broader canvas and my theological thinking gives me wings to fly .On the other hand, I cannot escape my heritage, I’m thankful for it , I was brought up in a certain family but I refuse to be limited by it. I do still have to honour my particular roots, but  I have choices. . People’s stickers will not stick any longer, because I am beginning to change and I am feeling more confident about challenging these labels  You continuously get asked where do you fit in, and I’m content not to have a fixed  answer .

A label can provide a lot of comfort and re-assurance, build confidence, offer certainty. Labels are also social constructs, coming from a particular perspective, and culture, so are subject to differing interpretations. It is the freighting of these labels with prejudicial and prescriptive meanings  that I object to. I like the term post-evangelical, it has a certain affinity for me but that in itself engenders negative criticism – liberal, relativist, unbeliever.  I deplore this! Words need to be reclaimed and de-toxed  of any negative connotations. Labels come attached to a certain amount of baggage and it is this baggage which I am most uncomfortable with. But none of us comes from a neutral position and we have to be honest about what we bring to our faith and life commitment.

I aspire to be a faithful disciple of Jesus, come from an evangelical, charismatic tradition and attend a Vineyard Church. I am a companion in the Society of St Francis , a devoted husband to Liz and a soon to be registered Social worker. That is a description,  not a label that attempts to tie me down, to pigeon- hole me. It is a provisional statement open to change. and subject to further candour.

Comments

You are also very tall which means your knees hit the seat in front when you sit in busses.

[Paul]

To paraphrase the slogan from the TV series ‘the prisoner’

“I am not a label but a string of alphabet characters ordered into a visual recording system called written English; itself evolved from an ancient tradition of writing called Latin part of the lineage of the Roman and before them Greek tribes; which is one of several alternative constructs evolved across the word which use the medium of printed characters to communicate…”

I have a lot of sympathy in where you are coming from Gary, in terms of words/labels/descriptors and the baggage of history/culture that come with them. Your intelligent and passionate arguments raise some Qs in my mind…

 to what extent is my negative reaction to “being labelled” in itself a reflection of an attribute of me as typical post-modern who of course wouldn’t describe myself as such because I am an individual not a commodity/abstract philosophy?

 Is my dislike/embarrassment/squirm/enjoyment/use factor more due to my own positive/negative constructs around ‘terms/labels?’ In other words do I bring my verbal baggage which triggers off emotional responses according to my own experiences and perceptions?

 Given the 2 points above can any term/expression ever be scrubbed neutral for every one? Should it instead be an opportunity for me to seek to understand and review where I twitch when poked with a word/term? Instead of scrubbing away maybe seeking to understand why I react in that way and whether it is a positive/healthy reaction or not?

 I wonder then if there is any real difference between a description and a label or is it just my own personal preference to avoid the negative connotations to me of the word ‘label’ and replace them with the more positive sounding term ‘description?’

 I wonder further whether my description is me choosing my own labels rather than letting other people choose them for me as a way of setting out my identity?

 In supermarket terms a label will usually have a nice marketing description of the product as well as giving a list of ingredients and nutrition qualities etc. The product itself comes with a lot of unwritten labels in terms of the brand image etc. Which if any of these labels are an unhelpful thing? And how far does this apply to the personal label and/or descriptor issue?

 Perhaps I am being too internal and whatever labels and/or descriptors I generate will be marketing a positive image of me and exporting my brand in a favourable light?

 What would happen if I followed the example of Jesus say and asked a 2 part question to those closest to me
o Who do others say I am?
o Who do you say I am?
I am no longer seeking to label myself but am now asking people to define me. Creating conversation and exploration and understanding of terms?

 Would I learn/gain more useful truth/insight if for example I told my wife I aspire to be devoted to her, and then defined what I meant/understood by that term devoted – and then asked her how she would describe me, how would she define devoted and do I meet/fulfil who she aspires/desires in her view a ‘devoted’ husband to be… or with a work colleague to I make a positive impression of the term Christian or a negative one for him etc etc…

 Is there a lesson to be learnt for claiming back negative terms so rather than scrubbing them clean we infuse them with new meaning – like black people using the term ‘nigger?’ Is that in some way incarnational and transformational a la Christ the living Word making all things new?

[Kristin]

Really appreciate this post, Gary. I resonate much with not wanting to be labeled. I also must admit that the post speaks to me from the other direction as well; in my frustrations and woundings related to Christians, I know I have labeled huge groups of people, and thus given myself permission to write them off. Ironically, considering doing this (the labeling and writing off) is a kind of self-protective mechanism, I find it so freeing to mellow out (with time, and with influences like this post) and learn that I don't have to feel on the other side of a chasm from every single person that happens to fall under some larger category (evangelical, conservative, etc.). Thanks for reminding me of this freedom and pointing to hope and greater connection with people from whom I don't want to feel so disconnected.

[Silhouette]

Last night I had a dream wherein a female giraffe befriended me and later had a calf, a boy-calf. I never think about, much less dream about giraffes; but this was a long lucid dream that went on for many days in succession (in dream terms). And I developed a very close and friendly relationship with the giraffes and they adored me. The dream was very pleasing and left me with an unusually pleasant feeling.

Now this wouldn't be as remarkable if I hadn't decided to google "giraffe" and "spirit guide". I came to find this link and noticed the posts on labels.

Within the last week or so I have been discussing at another site how labels are a way of moving away from one's link with the Spirit some call God. The reason is that once such-and-such is labelled, it is instantly taken for granted and fixated into place forever in terms of the label. This is the surest way to spirtual demise because it's the ultimate cop-out: If something is such-and-such then it never has to be examined again. Lack of examination breeds all sorts of trouble and misalignment. Flexibility is the key to escape the shackles of the closed mind.

OK, well that's it. I'm not a member of your church, but I am a practitioner of a sort of Spiritual....um...nature. But the dream was so strong as was the link with labels. I found this site and thought I'd let you know about it.