labels

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you have seen I am not a big fan of using “labels” like “left wing” or “right wing,” “Christian Right” or “Christian Left,” and so forth. I would personally fit into what would be traditionally called “conservative” by some, and I would also fit into what would be traditionally called “liberal” by some. Now, I do not find the terms, "liberal" or "conservative" offensive. But alone, they are not very accurate descriptively. It simply depends on the issue. I would hesitate to guess I am not alone in not fitting neatly into any category.

A friend of mine recently wrote an observation about this issue that was extremely helpful. She said,

The prime example of that in today's world is the reference to the Christian Right and the Left..........Yes we have Christians that have different philosophies and approaches when doing the work of Christ. Within a liberal frame of mind and a conservative frame of mind sits many common values.

Well said. I did a Google news search on the use of these terms in the public media. Here are the results:

“Christian Left”- 10 uses in the news
“Christian Right”- 345 uses in the news

Let’s be careful about our use of “labels” and let’s hope the media catches on.