Why are labels important?

One question that might come up at this point is: "why bother with labels anyway?"  There is a fast-growing segment of Christians in the United States who do not identify with any kind of denomination or group.  A recent survey indicates a growth in their numbers from less than 200,000 in 1990 to over 8 million today (link here).  These nondenominationals (I used to be one) tend to look down on any other label than "Christian."  They don't want to be known as "Baptists," or "Presbyterians," or "Methodists," but instead would prefer to simply be called "Christian."  Others have gone farther and prefer to be called "Christ-followers" or "followers of Jesus" because of some of the negative connotations that have become attached to the "Christian" label.

In my previous post I threw out a few other labels: nominal, fundamentalist, evangelical.  Why is it important to call yourself something anyway?  Well, I felt similarly to others coming out of my background in the generic evangelicalism of nondenominational Christianity, and I wondered why I needed a label myself.  It was through my time in graduate theological education in a mainline seminary where I became increasingly aware of the importance of labels.  In this milieu where others had been raised since birth in a form of Christianity where they would call themselves by their denominational name instead of "Christian," I had to figure out what I actually believed anyway.  It wasn't long before I began to understand that there was no such thing as a generic evangelicalism, or the simple label "Christian."  This type of thinking denies the historical and theological background that lies behind the beliefs and practices of every form of Christianity - including the "generic" versions.  Really, this is a viewpoint born of hegemony and homogeneity.  But, when the "Christian" radio stations, the "Christian" bookstores, and the rest of the evangelical ghetto culture all reinforces your generic evangelical beliefs, it's tough to break out to see the historical situatedness of what you think and practice.

So, for me, this meant understanding that I was really a closet Baptist of sorts.  In that, much of what I believed about sacraments/ordinances (baptism, communion, etc.), polity (church government), ecclesiology (the doctrine of the church), and even soteriology (the doctrine of salvation) was essentially Baptist.  I liked to think that my beliefs had essentially popped into existence right after the events of Acts 26, but instead I had to come to grips with how they emerged over time and see how I fit into the historical continuity of the Christian tradition.

So, yes, I think labels are important.  They show how we are situated in culture and history.  They help us recognize that our beliefs are but one of many types of belief, and they help to deconstruct the idea that there is only one right way of belief.  They provide us with humility by showing how we are all part of a tradition.  They connect us with others who have shared our beliefs before us, and they allow for dialogue by differentiating us from others who assume different labels today.  The downside to labels is that they can be used exclusively (i.e. if you do not claim the same label that I do - then you are an outsider and I disagree with you).  But, I think labels are helpful when used in a spirit of humility.