An honest
witness tells the truth;
a false witness tells lies.
Some people make cutting remarks,
but the words of the wise bring healing.
Truthful words stand the test of time,
but lies are soon exposed. (Proverbs 12:17–19)
Let's
Label. That's a favourite game among many including some Christians. The rules
are easy to remember. Any number can play. But it's especially appealing to
those who are given to oversimplification. Name-droppers thrive on this game.
And it helps if you speak with a measure of authority . . . looking
somewhat pious and pronouncing your words very distinctly, very dogmatically.
You'll gain stature in the group if you look down and frown a little as you
affix the label to the person in question.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com
Labels
vary. There are "temperament" labels. "She's a choleric,
poor thing . . . married to a melancholic!"
These are
akin to "emotional" labels. "Well, you know her—she's nervous"
. . . or "He's a classic neurotic, a perfectionist to
the core."
Of course,
"doctrinal" labels are most popular among evangelicals. One guy is
tagged a liberal, another neo-evangelical . . .
and still others conservative—with a host of in-between shades.
To be
completely honest, it is occasionally helpful to lick a label and stick it on.
It saves a bundle of time, and it can communicate a fairly clear mental
picture. However—it is important that we guard against using a wrong label,
thus damaging that individual's true image or position in others' eyes. That is
the main danger in playing Let's Label. It often means you set
yourself up as judge and jury, declaring information that is exaggerated or
thirdhand or just plain untrue. When that happens, we have stopped playing a
game and started to slander.
Being alert
and discerning, basing one's opinion on the absolute truth, is a sign of
maturity, a mark of excellence in a life. But pasting labels on with only
partial facts, feelings, and opinions to back those statements up is worse than
unfair . . . it is being jury and judge!
The game
needs another name . . . like, Let's Judge. (This is adapted
from Pr. Chuck Swindoll’s article on “Labels”)
Reference:
Labels
by Pastor Chuck Swindoll