While words are important and powerful, it's certainly possible to give them too much power. For a long time I wrestled with whether or not to call myself Christian, but when it came down to it, I realized that my reasons for doing so were mainly negative: I didn't want to be one of "those" Christians, either.

It's unfortunate, though, when we describe ourselves primarily by what we're not. I follow Christ, I love him, I'm grateful to bear his name, however beaten and misused it's been, and I would much rather be known for being <i>for</i> him rather than <i>against</i> the rotten things that have been done in his name (and they are rotten, I agree, but he's bigger than all of them).