I have been struggling with my identity as a Christian. Not
so much if I am a Christian (I think I am, I think I am, I think I am…), but
more what kind of Christian I am. Here are some options that are before me:
Progressive Christian
Liberal Christian
Conservative Christian
Fundamentalist Christian
Bible Believing Christian
Evangelical Christian
Progressive Evangelical Christian
Emerging Progressive Evangelical Christian
Orthodox Christians
Neo-Orthodox Christians
Annoying Christians
Shouting, Annoying Christians
Etc…
As you can see there are a lot of options before me. The
struggle is that I don’t feel like fully I identify with any of these labels. I
come out of a progressive background but I have eschewed much of that tradition
(but not all so don’t freak out). I am part of a traditionally evangelical
movement, but I’m not welcome in many of those circles unless I do not mention
certain things (guess what those things might be). The emergent folks make me
feel squeamish, self-conscious, and a little to gimmicky. Plus I never like a
worship service where you might be asked to take off your shoes and worship in
your socks or barefoot .
Fellow theologian (although he is a professional!) and
friend Scott Paeth posted this comment on the Facebook recently
So my question is: If I no longer feel at home among
"normal" mainline Christians, and I can't take self-identified
evangelicals, where's the church for the freaks?
For me Scott hit the nail on the head – where is the church
for the freaks?
I have recently been listening to some HomebrewedChristianity podcasts which are ok and which also have piqued my thoughts and
struggles on the topic of identity. They offer a podcast that claims to be for
progressive Christians but overall something seems to be amiss. It may be the flagrant
use (and misuse) of culture. For example, I heard that there will be a show
about how pirates can offer us a good example of discipleship because they were
working class folks rising up against the rich. Maybe, but they were also
robbers, murderers, and overall troublemakers. This is an example of letting
culture guide one’s theology to one’s determent. Or it is because there is such
an effort to shock people with ideas that really aren’t very shocking, or to
critique tried and true tropes of mainline Christianity which seem to be tired.
Honestly I can’t say just what it is, but something jars me.
It feels like sloppy theology.
I think this is what bothers me; sloppy theology. I guess
that is why I have taken the name “theosnob” for this blog. My experience of
progressive Christians is that the theology is based primarily on experience,
on making sure no one’s feelings are hurt, and thus the theology is sloppy. On
the other hand, I can’t find a place to belong with the conservative’s theology
– it may not be sloppy, it is just wrong (can I say that? Sure, it is my blog
after all). So I’m with Dr. Scott looking for the freaks – the people who
believe the gospel is for everyone, who believe that God’s love is for
everyone, and at the same time want to be sure to have a well thought out, consistent
theology that does not sacrifice core understandings of Christianity for the
sake of inclusivity (for example holding to the ideas that means all roads do
not lead to the same God, that all religions are not basically the same, and
that the Trinity is an important, basic part of Christian faith and doctrine).
Something like this may emerge in different ways – these are
our freak flags. Many like to embrace the high-church traditions and rituals. I
don’t think we have to become a church that gets all prettied up with
liturgical garb unless that is your freak flag. Mine is an evangelical language
with a broader, non-atonement focused theology than one might normally find in
an evangelical church. That is my freak flag so far. I am calling all other
freak Christians to speak out, to say who they are without apology and to be
articulate and clear without holding back.
Its time to let our freak flags fly!
2 comments:
are these labels really that vital? does the label actually provide the sense of tradition and community that we desire? Or, is it just that living in a consumer culture we are conditioned to have marketing and labeling give us a sense of identity? The subtle science of this whole consumerist culture is that it convinces us that tradition and history is not important, even that it doesn’t exist. These are not the things that give us a sense of identity and place. That comes from the products that we buy. We are fooled into thinking that our identity is something that we construct, so that we will construct it, through purchasing a brand identity.
In other words, as far as I’m concerned, all of these labels are bullshit. Creating all of these options is the symptom of a church that is parroting consumer culture by fixating on branding.
http://bit.ly/QYkDXk
Darin, I think you are speaking to a real trend in humanity - we certainly like to label and categorize things. For example, labeling this time as "the most significant time in Christian history" is presumptuous. Things could get worse.
I don't think people during the reformation described the time as the great reformation. More often than not labels are contrived constructs politely forcing stereotypes upon people.
On the other hand, there is something about finding a community of people where you feel connected. Many of the more historical Christian labels speak to a particular view and understanding of history and tradition. Labels are not always bad.
Labels do facilitate a commercialism (see the Acts 29 network or the Willow Creek network). On the other hand I should be able to embrace certain assumptions when someone is identified as an American Baptist vs. a Souther Baptist, etc.
Your point, however, drives what might be a deeper crux to the matter - how do I understand myself as a Christian and where can I find community with similar values and understandings.
Maybe my struggle comes out of a perceived and projected need to find a label. If I have a label then I can be put into a box and others will be able to make assumptions about me. It is not easy to avoid labeling because then there is ambiguity which leads to anxiety on both the individual and those encountering the individual.
Your point is well taken. Maybe we should for a group of "anti-labels" Christians. We are Christians who are known for standing up against the idea of labeling Christians.
I still want to see people's freak-flags fly.
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