I am a conservative, but not in the way you might think...
I am a conservative. So often we want to see a persons label, are you liberal, are you conservative, are you a Christian or are you a (insert label here)? our labels go far beyond those I just mentioned, they go into Christendom... are you a baptist or a pentecostal, lutheran or methodist, catholic or (again insert label here)
Labels are a funny thing, we buy cloths because of labels, shop in certain stores, or dont shop in certain stores because of them. And we love people, or should I say we dont love people because of them. You know what I mean, we are stereotypical because of certain bents we have toward different things; things like what area a person lives, what kind of music an individual listens to, what is the color of their skin, what school di or do they go to. Even things like what denomination they are. But the one we so easily stereotype is the one I began with, are you a liberal or a conservative, are you moderate with your views or are you radical with them.
It is funny to watch how easy it is to stereotype a liberal because of their beliefs... but you know what, the Christian conservative is stereotyped as well. Have you ever thought that that stereotype is causing us to loose our right to speak the life and words of Jesus into peoples lives? Have you ever thought that our hootin and hollerin has denied us the chance to be the very thing Jesus called us to be. We conservatives Christians boycott everything under the sun that doesnt line up with our theology. we boycott lost people being lost because we dont like how lost people act. we boycott secular business because they do what secular business' do, they sell things. we just only want them to sell to "right behaving people"
Scripture tells me that the community of faith God created and called His own was a people group that "had favor among all the people" (see Acts 2 in the Bible). how do we have favor enough to speak into anyones life the power of a Great God to transform situations and struggles... to transform the very life of those we seek to impact, when we have no favor, and we have been stereotyped with every other "non favor" weilding Christian.
I would rather have favor and the ability to speak when God give the oppertunity than I would to have my label. So I am laying down my label, I am not a conservative, I am not a part of a denomination, dont call me a Christian; call me a God lover and a God servant, call me a people servant. That didnt change my beliefs or my desires. I would still vote the same, I would still teach the same, still raise my children the same, but I would strive to change the world through touching individual lives God gives me favor with rather than lumping myself in with the stereotypical conservative Christian which our world simply disregards anyway!
So whats your label? Tell me about it.
Labels are a funny thing, we buy cloths because of labels, shop in certain stores, or dont shop in certain stores because of them. And we love people, or should I say we dont love people because of them. You know what I mean, we are stereotypical because of certain bents we have toward different things; things like what area a person lives, what kind of music an individual listens to, what is the color of their skin, what school di or do they go to. Even things like what denomination they are. But the one we so easily stereotype is the one I began with, are you a liberal or a conservative, are you moderate with your views or are you radical with them.
It is funny to watch how easy it is to stereotype a liberal because of their beliefs... but you know what, the Christian conservative is stereotyped as well. Have you ever thought that that stereotype is causing us to loose our right to speak the life and words of Jesus into peoples lives? Have you ever thought that our hootin and hollerin has denied us the chance to be the very thing Jesus called us to be. We conservatives Christians boycott everything under the sun that doesnt line up with our theology. we boycott lost people being lost because we dont like how lost people act. we boycott secular business because they do what secular business' do, they sell things. we just only want them to sell to "right behaving people"
Scripture tells me that the community of faith God created and called His own was a people group that "had favor among all the people" (see Acts 2 in the Bible). how do we have favor enough to speak into anyones life the power of a Great God to transform situations and struggles... to transform the very life of those we seek to impact, when we have no favor, and we have been stereotyped with every other "non favor" weilding Christian.
I would rather have favor and the ability to speak when God give the oppertunity than I would to have my label. So I am laying down my label, I am not a conservative, I am not a part of a denomination, dont call me a Christian; call me a God lover and a God servant, call me a people servant. That didnt change my beliefs or my desires. I would still vote the same, I would still teach the same, still raise my children the same, but I would strive to change the world through touching individual lives God gives me favor with rather than lumping myself in with the stereotypical conservative Christian which our world simply disregards anyway!
So whats your label? Tell me about it.
posted by Carl at 7:37 PM
2 Comments:
First here is my label: christian-wife-mother-teacher-friend-soccermom-individual. That probably explains most of me.
Here is what I think about labels. They give us an unspoken security. It makes us feel safe when we are with others that carry the same label "Christian", "homeschooler". I was grateful for the acceptance but once you make known you have the same label and appear a couple of times there is then no question of your character.
I can see where this has caused great travesty...look at the catholic priests who were trusted and committed great assaults on young boys.
On the flip side there are some great people in the world that dont carry the right label so they are not even given a chance to impact or be impacted by our lives. For example look at the homeless or single parents etc.
We definitely need to stop letting our labels define or circle of friends and acquaintances.
Excellent comments, I wish we could deconstruct the security in labels and find our security in Christ, and in the community of Christ's followers! I for one am looking forward to the relationships with those on the flip side of our labels.
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