Labels certainly have a purpose. They can tell us what kind of soup is in the can, and how many grams of this and that will enter our bodies if we eat it. But when we start labeling people, we’ve crossed the line into the murky area of oversimplification and are at risk of all kinds of prejudice.  

Our society has long since determined it wrongheaded to label someone simply on the basis of gender, age, or ethnicity. In fact, there are times when this dogma is so radioactive that it actually prevents us from even talking about gender, age, or ethnicity, but that subject will have to wait for a future column. My point here is only to show the sheer hypocrisy of those who would never think of labeling a soul based on skin color but never think twice about doing so on the basis of beliefs. 

It will come as no surprise that I would be considered an evangelical. Most readers who encounter this label immediately think of it as a voting bloc with political aspirations. Further, most Americans, upon hearing that I am an evangelical, will believe they know what I believe, how I will vote, and what, if any, value I would bring to a conversation. And that’s the problem........

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