Save These Labels…They’re Redeemable for Great Prizes!
As you’ve probably noticed, it’s not enough to be a just a follower of Jesus Christ anymore. When I first enter a Christian chat forum or comment on a blog, everyone wants to sniff out what I am. Reformed? Arminian? Liberal? Conservative?
So it’s time for the Foolish Sage to foolishly run up his colors, put on his team jersey, and sew his label to his sleeve. I’ve decided that, for now, I’m probably a post-conservative evangelical Zen-Calvinist.
There. Now you can know ahead of time whether this blog is worth reading. 
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November 7th, 2005 at 9:33 am
“Wanna go, pretty boy?” [I will be greatly amused if any of your readership recognizes my Youngblood allusion.]
November 7th, 2005 at 10:02 am
Hah! I was just talking with my good friend (and brother-in-law) last night about this whole issue of labels. I’m finding that at time goes on, I’m finding less and less definition in labels based on professed beliefs. It’s more like I find out where I don’t fit by the questions I ask. Is there a label for people who feel like they know less as time goes on? (Other than the local Alzheimer’s support group, I mean!
) It’s not that I’m less confident in Jesus, quite the opposite in fact! I’m just less confident that I used to be in my ability to predict what Jesus might do or think about a particular thing. (And therefore in my ability to label myself or someone else.)
It’s interesting–we like to know where we stand. These people are on my side; those people are not. We are right; they are not. Labels are about dividing ourselves up. Hmmmm, perhaps we sometimes mistake ourselves for God when we read things like that sheep and goats parable? I mean the resemblance is striking after all!
November 7th, 2005 at 11:17 am
And I’m sure, Mark, that you’ve read our friend Keith’s thoughts on this subject?
I’m afraid that they’re a necessary evil, just like those inane “What’s your major? Where are you from? What year are you?” questions at college mixers.
November 7th, 2005 at 1:46 pm
Matt…in most places, claiming not to be absolutely certain about everything is seen as proper humility. In the circles I run in these days, it is seen as a sure mark of apostasy.
Geof: I had not, but I will.
November 7th, 2005 at 1:48 pm
And just in case anyone might be wondering why I bothered to post a label? He who has eyes to see and ears to hear will appreciate the delicious (and intentional
) irony of the juxtaposition of the two links.
November 7th, 2005 at 8:02 pm
The LAST time I was asked if I was Reformed,
I said, No,
I am still a reprobate.
November 7th, 2005 at 8:06 pm
Should we start Reprobates for Jesus?
November 7th, 2005 at 8:46 pm
“Should we start Reprobates for Jesus?”
I hate to burst your bubble, Mark; but I’m afraid a Jewish carpenter already started that one about 2000 year ago.
November 7th, 2005 at 8:49 pm
November 8th, 2005 at 7:42 am
Okay, with this and Mark’s following entry, I feel the need to run my colors up the flagpole as well. Sorry all, in advance for the impending lack of humor…
As Derek Webb correctly writes, Jesus is *not* a white, middle-class Republican. He’s not a black, militant Communist, either. There’s nothing inherently *wrong* with being a white, middle-class Republican, nor a black, militant Communist. The problem is when we let any of it get in the way of our understanding of God, worship, and witness.
There are, of course, plenty of easily identifiable idols associated with being middle-class, but I’m not sure how being Republican or Democrat or any other political stripe for that matter effects that. I have often mused over the fact that in Biblical times at least one class of idols were pretty concrete and pretty recognizable. If you were worshipping an idol, you really couldn’t deny it. Of course they had all of the more intangible and more difficult to identify idols that we do today, but I suspect that simply having the more concrete examples around made it easier for them to have a mental attitude that recognized idol worship for what it is.
How this relates to my reaction to Derek Webb’s, “Jesus is not a white, middle-class Republican,” statement is that while I completely recognize the archetype that he is critiquing, and fully empathize with it, I find it a little hard not to bristle at the implied piety of being “other-than.” I think that as Christians of all stripes we publicly and intellectually divorce ourselves from our economic and social conditions and mouth the mantras: I’m nothing without Christ; I’m saved, not by anything of worth in me, but in the merit found in Christ, etc. But how many of us don’t find it hard not to put a little asterisk on those comments and think, “yes, I’m no better than anyone else, but I’m a little less worse than…”
Anyways, off my soapbox… Pray for France.
November 8th, 2005 at 4:23 pm
Interesting you should post that, Mark. It’s something I blogged/ranted about a couple weeks ago. Though you’re a little more lighthearted about it. I think I tried to read too much into it. Heh.
November 8th, 2005 at 4:35 pm
Dear Keith: Beat you to it … third comment down.
Dear Mark: Shame on you for stripping permalinks from comments! BOOOOOOOOOO!
November 8th, 2005 at 8:38 pm
Keith: I read your post and was typing a long reply when my computer froze. But thanks for your thoughts.
Geof: If I did, it wasn’t intentional. How do I get them back?
November 8th, 2005 at 9:01 pm
Merrick wrote:
Exactly true, of course, Merrick. I suspect that Derek is “picking on” white, middle-class Republicans not because he thinks the opposite is better or holier, but because there has been a segment of American evangelicalism that has seemed to identify Jesus with the values held by that group.
However, while I’m glad that Derek wants to stir a pot that needs some stirring, the more I look at the lyrics for the new album (I’ve posted some on the Derek Tour thread) the more I think that he’s opened himself up for the charge of “cheap, easy shot” all over the place.
November 9th, 2005 at 11:21 am
I’ll have to do some digging. If I can find it, I’ll put it back myself.
GFM <– is just going to file a ticket in TasksPro so we can both follow it and stop boring your readers
November 9th, 2005 at 11:59 am
No, Geof! This is just the kind of high drama that people come to SJ for!
November 9th, 2005 at 12:46 pm
Oh, I forget that you seminarians are often inflicted with stress-induced insomnia and need a cure.
November 9th, 2005 at 10:12 pm
‘Tis fixed. The date and time a comment is posted are now the permalink to comments here on Sacred Journey. This may be useful for those of you who wish to link to Mark from your own Weblogs and want to highlight any of your responses in that entry. Also, you may be weird like me and want to leave yourself a breadcrumb trail of comments you’ve posted across the Internet.
Or you could have a life.
GFM <– Weblog flunky