Labels

Who are you?

I have never been a great fan of labels when it comes to describing members of the body of Christ. eg. he is anglican, she is Baptist, they are Charismatic, etc. etc. I remember once causing a man to become increasingly hot under the collar when he asked me who I was? To which I replied I was a disciple (follower) of Jesus. He was meaning which Church did I attend (presumably so he could classify me and decide whether I was bona fide or not) and my answer did not bring him peace, but I refused to go any further. 

Why?

Because, as I said, I am not a great fan of labels, but also because for me there is a very important distinction between primarily identifying myself with Jesus and identifying myself with Church. Of course, I recognise that by becoming a follower of Jesus I become part of the body of Christ, but that can be very distinct from being a member of a Church. To me this is the crucial difference between vibrant faith and dusty religion. 

• I want to introduce people to Jesus, and a living relationship with Him, rather than simply introducing them to Church. 
• I want people to be constantly and continually transformed by the power of the gospel into the image of Christ rather than being conformed by Church members into their image of a Christian.
• I want people to grow as disciples of Jesus rather than as members of Church.

In all of these if we focus on the former then the Church will indeed be a fruitful vibrant body, witnessing to the glory of God through works and words. If we focus on the latter then we do not necessarily get the former.

Being part of an inter-denominational mission organisation has been a real blessing in my growth as a disciple of Jesus and those denominational labels are not so apparent, it has also brought with it some challenges as differences of secondary doctrinal, theological approach or conviction have needed to be worked through at times. However, on the whole, it has been a very enriching experience for my growth as a disciple.

I have always had a dislike of being labelled an evangelical and in recent years this has grown. If I analyse what I believe to be true doctrinally and theologically, of all the labels we might give to Christians, then I would probably be most suited to this category. Indeed, I liked the definition found on the Evangelical Alliance website:

What is an evangelical? 

• We're passionate: about God, about the Church and about the Bible. 
• We've decided to live our lives with Jesus –the saviour of the world and son of God –at the centre. 
• We humbly and lovingly believe that the best thing for our families, friends, neighbours, nation and world is that they live their lives with Jesus too. 
• We believe that God is with us and empowers us by His Spirit. 
• We love the Bible. It bears witness to God's revelation in Jesus Christ. It invites us into the story of God and the world. It guides us in how we live our lives and has so much to say about what it is to be human and how we should do life together: with God and with each other. 
• So we just can't keep quiet about it.

However, the problem is that this is but one definition and there are many more out there, which can then be multiplied by the myriad forms in which these definitions can be expressed. Thus the label becomes somewhat unhelpful at best, and a real hindrance to the spread of the gospel at worst as it means biggoted, narrow-minded, defensive etc. On top of this people then spend a great deal of time and energy defending the label as they consider this to be the same as defending the name of Jesus. (Which I think we are called to proclaim rather than defend, but there we are!)

The box is too small...

My concern however is not just with these matters, but with a deeper issue that often flows from it. Tied into a singular definition of what 'I' mean by evangelical is often a construct of a systematic theology - a description which may help tie our doctrines together and I concede that there may be a place for using them as a starting point to try and help people to grasp just how awesome and wonderful the Creator is, and the awesome work that He has accomplished for us on the cross. However, it should not be our goal to grow in knowledge and understanding of systematic theology such that we grow increasingly intolerant of others who do not hold the same perspective, or use it as a yard stick to whether something else is, or isn't, Christian! But rather to grow in our understanding of who He is and deepen our relationship with Him.

Mystery...

Some people love mystery and are very comfortable with the unknown, others are not. But this is the mystery of God - that the unknowable one has made himself known to us primarily through the incarnation of Christ and the impartation and indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and also through the scriptures. However, there will always be mystery as our minds cannot comprehend who He is and so we struggle to contain the infinite One in our finite minds.

However, as we all know that we do not have the total and complete understanding of who He is or what He is doing nor why He is doing it then our discussions of faith and doctrine should be entered into with a grace and humility that facilitates exploration together as the body of Christ. 

Our understanding of God, in Christ, is a relationship to explore together and not an argument to be won. I believe this is also the environment in which questions can be openly explored such that people do indeed grow as disciples in their relationship with Jesus, as His disciples.

Malcolm Muggeridge put it: "Jesus, for me, has been a long process of discovery-a process that is by no means over, and never can be. Like an infinitely precious and rewarding human relationship which goes on developing and constantly reveals new depths and possibilities of intimacy."

Press on!