This is hilarious. At least, I thought it was…
How about you? What’s your reaction?
Asides from your name, how do you describe yourself? [Or a funny way to describe yourself?]
Since I agree that we live and/or quickly moving towards a post-christian, post-modern, post-denominational, and post-western world, these labels seem awkward. But then again, we all like our labels, categories, and compartments, don’t we?
I’m Eugene.
or
“Eugene might be a post-evangelical, neo-calvinist, quasi-monastic, emerging covenant, with an Asian charismatic, urban, hip-hop, 3rd culture influence…”
h/t: ASBO
EUGENE CHO 
I love it!
I suppose if you really wanted to know my heart I’d have to say I’m a post-evangelical, neo-reformist, meta-emergent-anthropochristianist, praeter-baptist, über-programmer, super-choco-holic, maybe-worka-frolic, slow-meta-bolic, where’d-I-leave-my-wallet?, jesus-lent-a-dollar, so-I-said-I’d-foller’, extra-confused-seattleite.
But ‘Jack’ has been working pretty well lately.
On the cover of Brian McLaren’s book, A Generous Orthodoxy, he describes himself as a missional, evangelical, post/protestant, liberal/conservative, mystical/poetic, biblical, charismatic/contemplative, fundamentalist/calvinist, anabaptist/anglican, methodist, catholic, green, incarnational, depressed-yet-hopeful, emergent, unfinished Christian.
I just call myself an extreme moderate.
Hmmm … I wonder what would Jesus call himself in our culture, and what the rest of the world where more than 70% of believers live, work and practice their faith think about what we call ourselves. In Acts, they were called disciples of Jesus, people of the Way, and then simply Christians. Why can’t it be that simple. Let our faith show who we are by how we live our lives. That’s what the world cares about most, I think. And that’s what God really cares about, I believe, as I read and reflect on His words to the seven churches in the book of Revelation.
if only every conversation could start that way…it would save me a lot of time.
hahaha
Interesting line of thought. I find my self a mix of am’s and am not’s…with very few posts or neo’s (since have little to be post and neo about):
I am a zero point Calvinist, but I am not an Armenian. I am a skeptical, passionate, assured and oft times agnostic follower of Jesus. I am an anti-establishment builder of systems, slightly emergent, mostly Celtic, philosopher. I am not a theologian since I prefer questions over answers. I am Hero’s fan and hate 24, Lost fan yet not an Alias watcher. I’m a Trekie and Star Wars nerd alike.
I am church planter and also not so much.
Mostly, though I am Jason, and I am as confuse about myself as I am assured of who I am.
(I also love paradox and inherent self-contradictions)
Post dinner. Quasi-sleepy. Neapolitan ice cream. Emerging mid section. Ambivalent about my choices.
And that’s just tonight watching tv.
I am an angry asian man.
1. My reaction is I just did what this cartoon character did…on my blog that is! On a serous level, labels are ‘good’ to an extent in showing where you are coming from but the not so good thing about labels is when we define ourselves too much by it.
2. This is how i would introduce myself- Jonathan, an ‘ordinary radical’ ;). But truth be told we never introduce ourselves by labels. At least I know I dont do that! haha
My reaction:
HELP! It’s the fruits of postmodernist nominalism! (And I’m not talking attack of the Killer Tomatoes.)
Yes, once upon a time people called themselves “Christians…” Kudos to Peter for reminding us of a time when universals were taken seriously.
Long ago I worked in the TEDS divinity school library, and had to contruct a chart of all the various Presbyterian groups in America, so that our cataloger could figure out their relationships in order to classify their materials. The thing wound up being 3 foot by four foot, and wound up teaching me the value of John 17.
How do you describe yourself?
I hope to be called “Jesus’ friend,” as per John 15:15, and by extension, a friend to all who He considers to be His friends. But mostly people just call me Beth, Wifey or Mater.
Reaction: what on earth is a Neo-Calvinist.
My description: Christian, Husband, Father, pro-technological, pro-social-networking, non-denominational video enthusiast java Programmer with Baptist tendencies.Whateverrrrrrrrrrrr
lol
I dunno…there are a lot of ways to describe myself I guess.
But what I’m most certain of is that I’m a poor sinner saved by the love and grace of Jesus.
I’m Curtis. I’m a recovering Southern Baptist with Emergent tendencies. I like to be uncomfortably early to things.
I am very white outside (skin problem) but inside, in my heart, I am very colored!
When I lived in Africa, people called me “you are like us except your long nose”
While I lived in Korea (22 yrs), people told me “I forgot that you are actually from a different country”
When I was back in my home country, Germany, some people told me that I am straaaaaaaange, because I am so different.
Yes, I am. I am not German anymore. But what I am I do not know, except that I am God’s child. Growing. In love with God’s people. And this love is growing in all kinds of colors!
I’m Matt, and I love Jesus.
I’m DK and I’m your father.
I don’t know what most of those labels even mean to be honest.
@daphne: don’t worry. i don’t either.
but they are fun to say when it comes out of your mouth. makes me sound very refined, enlightened, and important.
especially when i speak of myself in the 3rd person.
Round -> round is a shape, not IN SHAPE!
Old -> but not as old as mud!
Blonde -> can now hide my own Easter Eggs!
and
Married -> to the best mate GOD created!
I sympathize with the need to categorize. I grew up Catholic, would still consider myself culturally Catholic, and in terms of how faith looks in life, I wish I retained more of my Catholic roots. In college, I got involved with a non-denominational, Reformed group…and while my theology has definitely shifted in that direction, it’s shifting again.
I always feel “too Catholic” for my Reformed protestant friends and “too protestant” for my Catholic family. I am frustrated by my inability to explain how I bridge the gap, what I am, why sometimes I’m one or the other or both or neither and that all of those iterations are not inconsistent. That they are all important. So I tend to introduce myself as a “cultural Catholic, theological Protestant” just to keep people from assuming I’m “just like them” and dismissing as unimportant huge chunks of my church DNA (something that happens a lot). But of course, that label doesn’t quite fit either…
i’m a sinner. nuff said.
I love what Peter said 🙂 Life’s complicated enogh!
Actually, I think I like “work in process” or “unfinished masterpiece” if I was going to really choose one:)
When someone asks: “I’m a follower of Jesus”.
When asked: “I’m a follower of Jesus.”
Jesus’ question to his disicples was: “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” (Matt. 16:15) We are defined by who Jesus is and who he is to us, not by what we call ourselves. As followers of Jesus, that’s the bottomline and topline reality. Besides I am not sure if God has labels and rooms to separate us according to our categorization in heaven. Perhaps he has, and our mansions will have different designer themes to fit our labels.
The only thing that I know Jesus will separate when He returns is sheep from goats, and wheat from tares.
If labelling helps build your faith in Jesus, then great. If it confuses you or even more so others because we don’t even know or understand the labels, why bother.
Otherwise we will look like schizos with multiple-personality disorder to the world outside the “divided kingdom” – LOL.
@ Peter, well put.
I have heard that we are contingent beings, always and only knowing who we are in relation to other things. If I were born on a deserted island with no one else around, I would only know that I am not a coconut or tree, etc.
Who Jesus is to us is how we as followers of the Way (or whatever you want to call it) see ourselves.
I heard this at a retreat recently, that we end up thinking we are who others think we are, for good or for bad; e.g., I am awkward because I think this girl I am talking to thinks I am awkward. I must be awkward. Or, I am amazing because I think this kid looks up to me. I must be amazing!
This is interesting! I usually say that I’m a part-time atheist, because believing in God is a big struggle for me. Then again, that could be too much information depending on who’s asking and if they really do want to talk and engage, so I try to reign it in if it seems better that way.
I think what’s funny about this is MOST people don’t really care or know what those words mean.
But there’s that 2% that really care. And it helps.
What’s awkward? When the 2% begin to talk like this to the 98% that have no idea what they’re talking about.
I started out in a Baptist church, was ordained as a Pentecostal minister and now serve in an Alliance church. Thus I’m a Bapticostalliance pastor. So there!
that is hilarious, and kind of scary too cause it’s so true. i probably would describe myself more along the lines of what i am not, which seems to be the case more than anything when even trying to explain my faith, as immediately when you use the word ‘christian’ or ‘jesus’ people automatically latch on to many untrue concepts that i wouldn’t align myself with especially because of who Jesus says He is.
so here goes, (since you’re)
i am a follower of Jesus simply, not traditions or man-made rules,no i’m not emergent, or a part of the simple/organic revolution/church person either….but rather i love god which means i love and disciple people.
peace,
heather
“Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus”…sounds good enough. I heard the ancient Greek word of Christian is actually literally translated to “slave of Christ”.
@oogly: or “little Christ,” yeah…
…these days, if anyone asks, I call myself a ‘composted Christian,’ nodding to all the influences that have comprised my life – even those influences I’ve discarded, that are rotting out in the backyard…
…the cool thing about compost is that new, organic life grows out of it – yea & verily, even out of the $#!t…
“Post-everything mystic” hahahahahahah…but I’m serious