Justice Anthony Kennedy once famously said that “at the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence.”[1] With these words he codified the thought of today’s average American: there is nothing more important than answering that question, “Who am I?” We are taught (indoctrinated?) to believe that all things are meant to serve my attempt to discover and live out my identity.
“Identity” is something of a buzz word today. It’s almost impossible to avoid discussions about gender identity, sexual identity, or racial identity in the mainstream media. So-called “identity politics” are increasingly dominating the decisions on Capitol Hill and the discussions at home. While this is a popular topic right now, it’s by no means a new topic. A book as old as the Bible actually speaks to the issues of human identity, and does so quite frequently. In fact, the very first thing the Bible says about humanity is that we are made in the image of God. That’s what makes us who we are; that’s our ultimate identity, the starting point of all the others (e.g., spouse, parent, employee, employer, student, child, etc.). The presence of sin is what causes us to invert that order, making our socio-temporal identities our ultimate identities. Adam and Eve’s attempt to elevate themselves as equals to God was the very first identity crisis, one we are still feeling the effects of today.
The Sacred Self in the World and the Church
Justice Anthony Kennedy once famously said that “at the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence.”[1] With these words he codified the thought of today’s average American: there is nothing more important than answering that question, “Who am I?” We are taught (indoctrinated?) to believe that all things are meant to serve my attempt to discover and live out my identity.
Hence in recent years, societies around the globe have become increasingly individualistic. We live in the age of “selfies” and a “you-do-you” mentality; a time and place where “identity” was recently voted word of the year.[2] A person’s identity, or their particular mode of self-expression, is sacred in our current context. There is nothing more important, our society says, than allowing people to identify themselves how they see fit.
And it’s not just the world’s problem—the church is not immune to promoting this kind of ideology either. Why talk about sin when people feel much more comfortable being told God wants them to be happy being themselves? The false “health, wealth, prosperity gospel” of the past several decades is giving way to what we might call a false “identity gospel.” This false gospel teaches that God simply wants you to be content with who you are. As long as you are being “true to yourself” you are being true to God. As long as you are “following your heart” you are following God.
How fascinating it is then to compare this trend of the 21st-century, and in particular Justice Kennedy’s words, with the opening of the 1563 Heidelberg Catechism. The first question asks, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?” The answer? “That I am not my own.” Isn’t that interesting? It couldn’t be further from the prevailing mindset of today. What was seen as freeing back then is seen as the great threat to liberty today! If the catechism were to be rewritten now it might go something like this: “What is your only comfort in life in death—that is, what keeps you motivated, inspired, and going every day?” Answer: “That I am my own, and can be whatever and whoever I want to be, and no one can stop me.”
