labelling

Ron Willoughby suggests we have a break from 'labelling'.

I have a confession to make. I'm not normally inclined to confess to an audience I can't see, but confess I must. I'm a labeller. (My computer says it should have two l's, I think one would suffice.) No matter how you spell it, that's what I am. Well, actually, now that I think about it, that's not who I am, it's what I do. I label people. Maybe you know some labellers yourself.

Labellers live and operate as if everyone fits into nice, neat, definable, knowable categories. By assigning someone a label or labels it gives the assigner a sense of security, knowing, maybe even of power. We have Ian or George or Sybil all figured out once we can give them a label or two. 'Well that's George. He's a southerner after all.' 'Ian's an evangelical, would you expect any less from him?' 'Of course Sybil's a good student, she's Asian.' Then we all nod knowingly, as if that word, or those words, captures the essence or explains the behaviour of George or Ian or Sybil.

I remember when I pastored in the United States, people would come to see me and they'd begin their conversation with: 'Well Ron, my problem is that I'm your basic OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) . . .' or 'I think I might be a manic . . .' or 'I've had ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) my whole life.'

It used to blow my mind how we sum ourselves and others up. Who taught us to talk like that? And when did we become convinced that we could adequately synopsize the totality of our or another's existence by a label or two or ten?

It happened to me a few months ago. (Now don't tell anyone this, it's kind of embarrassing.) A buddy of mine from the States was over for a visit. We were chatting about whom I worked with and that sort of thing, when I get to telling him about this fellow I work with that I respect a good bit. I said something like 'Yeah, he's an Irish Evangelical Missiologist . . .' (I told you it was embarrassing.) I just paused and we both laughed. When did I start talking like that? When did I start talking about other people like they were brands of cereal or appliances or something other than living, breathing, complex, mysterious, human beings?

What I should have said about my colleague was something like: 'Yeah, he's originally from Ireland. Been through some stuff in his life. He came to Christ as a teenager, so he hasn't forgotten what it was like to be lost. He loves Jesus. He's an intelligent man who will challenge your worldview.' That's what I should have said.

Notice the difference? The former lacks a certain humility, don't you think? And I remember reading in the Bible somewhere that humility is a pretty good idea. Come to think of it, Jesus said something about those of us who follow Him should serve one another. Labelling and stereotyping doesn't strike me as terribly servant-like.

So, here's my proposal. I propose we go one week without labelling others. I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but I think we can do it. Just one week. We'll put words like conservative, liberal, traditional, modern, post-modern, charismatic, etc. all in our vocabularic closet. (I know vocabularic isn't really a word, but I'm a tutor so it's ok.) What do you think? Then we'll be free to get to know people and we won't have to pretend that we have them all sorted. And maybe, just maybe, along the way we'll discover that following Christ is easier without the use of labels.

It's just a thought.

Ron Willoughby - Tutor of Contemporary Christian Studies CLIFF COLLEGE