Hey – I just found out that Stephen Harper (Canada’s next PM) is a member of the Christian & Missionary Alliance – the denomination I am a pastor in. Interesting.

 

There is a short, well-written article on Christianity.ca about this at:

 

 

I wonder if it bothers Stephen Harper that people automatically assume they know him and his future decisions because he is part of certain categories?

 

There are times when categories bother me (ok, most times). For instance, when people find out I am a pastor they automatically assume I am a flaming conservative (is that possible). People like categories – we embrace categories becuase we are lazy I think. Being affiliated with a category means I have less work to do in terms of self-definition and growth because somebody’s already done it for me. I don’t have to thoughtfully work out a position on anything because I can simply look up the current position of my category (hmm, let’s see what the Quakers think about this – then I will think that too).

 

That is not to say there are not commonalities between individuals and categories – there certainly are and it can be useful to know who thinks somewhat like you. But it is dangerous to allow others to do there thinking for you because before you know it you’ll be goose-stepping your way to doom.

 

Categories remove our freedom as individuals. They subdue us. It was a revolt against the historical categorization of the "common" people that led to the Reformation. Living outside of the category obviously requires more work in terms of decision making and belief. You may get labelled as a fence-sitter <CATEGORY> because you refuse to anchor yourself to a particular group or paradigm in terms of opinion.

 

Allowing yourself to be categorized means that you are much like a fallen leaf in a fast moving stream. There is little you can do to move yourself in a direction of your choosing. Rather you are moved along by the eddies of culture always being in danger of getting pulled under by a whirlpool or swept over the falls.

 

The term POST-MODERN is an abused one terms of constant categorization "Oh, I’m post-modern" or "s/he’s post-modern" as though that actually helps. The only good thing about the term is that it has resisted categorization for years and likely won’t be a definitive label until well past our deaths.

 

Schools and other cultural insititutions (work etc) endanger us because they are often built around the philosophy of categorization. In school you are a jock, or a geek, or a nerd, or a prep, an honor role student, a trouble maker, so-and-so’s sibling, etc. but rarely are you a Jockish nerdy geek prep.

 

Sometimes categories are attractive because we believe they give us an excuse. "It’s not my fault becuase I am OCD or ADD or (you name the acronym)". Disorders exist and are serious but we are always in danger of wanting to be a part of the category to excuse our behaviour (or even enable it). Psychology can be a great help but it can also be the worst absuer of categorization. You are not a person you are a <FILL IN THE BLANK> and with the right medication / custom program you can join the rest of us in <BETTER CATEGORY>.

 

It is easy to get categorized – you don’t even have to be trying – simply walk into the office and confess a particular thought, attribute or habit and people will diagnose you into one – "oh well if you feel this way you are a <BLANK> and since you are a <BLANK> you dress this way and live like this and eat these things – get used to it." The person who does not know any better (or who is tired of doing all the work that comes with maturity) simply agrees and – POOF – their life becomes defined.

 

I recognize that not everything changes. That there are safe places to root yourself. I choose to root myself in the changeless God. In all ways I define myself by this bedrock foundation in my life. That being said even though God does not change I change and so does the world around me and the temptation to get lazy and fall into a cultural category is always there and we must think against this.

 

BTW – if someone thinks it is easier to follow Christ that some nebulous nothing, they should try it for themselves. Christ is not a category. Christ is the living, changeless God enfleshed and existing amongst us. Christ does not make our decisions for us but rather sacrifices Himself for the decisions we made/make/will make. Christ is not static law, He is dynamic life and enigmatic. Enigmatic becuase He is both God (changeless) and Human(dynamic).

 

Quite frankly it is our culture of categorization that continues to work at corrupting the Body of Christ (a futile task). The culture of categorization asks:

 

"What are you?"

 

We respond: "I am a Christian"

 

"Aha so if you are a Christian you are <INSERT OFFENSIVE CATEGORICAL LABELS HERE>"

 

When Christians recognized that the word Christian had become a damning category (like Fundamentalist, Evangelical, etc.) we changed our language and now many of us simply call ourselves followers of Christ. Of course the culture of categorization will not succumb to the ploy of using more than one word in our label and soon there will be a categorical definition for that phrase as well "ah, you are a FOLLOWER OF CHRIST – well then you are <INSERT OFFENSIVE CATEGORICAL LABELS HERE>.

 

Is this a rant? Am I a ranter? I wonder how a ranter dresses?   🙂