Labels by Chad Hess

When I was a kid, I used to draw a lot.  One day when I was probably eight or nine, I drew a picture of Jesus on the cross and signed it "Chad Hess - The Christian."  I don't remember much about the picture, nor do I remember why I felt the need to add a title like that.  But I do remember wondering whether I should put "The Christian" or "The Adventist."  I knew that I was both a Christian and an Adventist, but I didn't really know the difference.  For some reason, I've always remembered this picture, and I've often gone back to the question of how I should have signed it.  

At some points in my life I think I should have signed it "The Adventist."  The Seventh-day Adventist denomination is a subset of Christianity as a whole, so it's more specific to say "The Adventist."  At other points I've thought that I should have signed it "The Christian" since my identity is not found in what church I belong to or what doctrine I espouse; my identity is found in Christ.  More recently I've felt that any label can have different connotations and lead to stereotyping and judging.  

What would happen if we didn't rely on labels to describe our religion?  What would happen if all churches dropped denominational titles and you had to visit the church to find out what their picture of God was?  I'm not suggesting that all churches or all denominations are the same.  They are not.  Nor do I believe that all churches of a particular denomination are inherently better than any church of another denomination.  They are not.  Nor am I saying that denominations are not important.  They are helpful for organization and identifying potentially like-minded people.  But too often denominations have been used for cloistering and judging.  What would happen if we viewed people not based on their labels, but based on their heart and their relationship with Jesus?  After all, I think that's how God sees us.

Chad Hess