Labeling people with a "dry erase"

05/20/09 04:32 PM

"Labeling" is a culturally loaded term. It is almost as if no one knows what they mean when they use the term, but everyone knows what "it" means. I think it is kind of funny that people label people who are "labelers?" So instead of being irrational I like to think about the way people use terms with each other. For example, if someone says they hate people who label people...I will ask them what they mean. After we define in more words what we are talking about we almost always come to consensus. Here are the pro's of labeling people. I will ask them, "Do you think it is wrong that we label sex offenders for the benefit of society?" Society does not label sex offenders because it hates them per se but because society seeks to protect the innocent from a re-ocurring evil. The label helps. It keeps them from getting jobs working alone with young children. That surely is a good thing for the children and the offender. Another thing I like to think through is when we label tupperware according to its contents it is useful for organization. However, if one day I open the salt tupperware and discover it is sugar I will re-label that tupperware. I think labeling people can be positive or negative. I think labeling must be done with a "dry-erase" marker rather than a "permanent" marker. Labeling is something Paul engaged in when He marked out heretics or good leaders in the church (2 Tim 1:15-16). Paul labeled heretics and good leaders with a "dry-erase" when he left room for heretics to repent (2 Tim 2:25-26) and good leaders to apostasize (1 Tim 4:16).

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