The Problem With Labels

by Aaron
I think I am a bad Christian. I was reading a recent survey about movies made in 2016, and “who had seen what” over the course of the year. The Barna article stated, “Evangelicals were much less likely to view some of the other favorites among the general population including Deadpool (20% compared to 37% among all adults), Suicide Squad (13% compared to 24% among all adults), X-Men: Apocalypse (9% compared to 26% among all adults) and Batman vs Superman (20% compared to 31% among all adults).” What does it say about me that I have seen ALL of those movies listed as “less likely” to be viewed by Christians?
 
The article then says, “They (Christians) also watched Miracles from Heaven (21% vs. 9% among all adults) more than the general population.” Is it bad that I did not see this movie, and had never even heard of it prior to this article?
 
This is the problem we have today of labeling things “Christian” and “worldly.” When someone with any authority slaps a label on something and calls it “Christian,” many Christians begin to blindly consume whatever that thing is. I read a book about the “Christian” music industry a couple of years ago where the author lamented the fact that many “Christian” bands aren’t really Christians; it is simply a market in which they can easily make money.
 
Back in our Genesis series, I mentioned this kind of labeling is a result of chapter 3 (the fall), and not Genesis chapters 1-2 (God’s perfect vision of life and peace). All truth and beauty come from God’s gracious hand, and when we try to label art (in any form) as “safe for consumption,” we will always fail—we are trying to validate something that wasn’t intended to be validated.
 
When God blessed the world, He already validated it, and His voice and opinion are the ones that truly matter. I believe a Christian subculture can be dangerous with its own (often inferior) versions of coffee, stickers, paintings, and movies, because there are some people who will blindly accept it based on the label, who won’t critically think about whether it truly glorifies God. Believe it or not, there are things in our world that scream of truth and beauty and life and holiness that do not come from an approved Christian subculture…and there are dark and ugly things that have nothing to do with Jesus that do come from an approved Christian subculture.
 
As followers of Jesus, we must begin to ask the question about what we consume with our minds: “Does this reflect the harmony and beauty of God's peace?” I am not saying all the movies I have seen this year reflect God’s peace, but I also think it is amazing that God’s truth often shows up in the least expected places. There are many artists telling compelling stories that we should engage with—stories that tell the truth and grace of God in practical ways. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
 
To live on mission means to share the blessing of the Gospel, and this means making it known to the world in ways that speak to people exactly where they are. That means we must be aware of our speech, our actions, and our entertainment in ways that see the broader picture of truth and beauty. We must be able to engage in conversation with people in the beginning of their journey, not the end. We must always live in the truth of the Gospel of Jesus, but also take that truth into the common places of our world in words, art, and music that make sense in the midst of people’s struggles.
 
May we become a people who can appreciate beauty where we see it and glorify God in the midst of it.