As a Christian, you are given a new identity that you grow into…you then become more of who you were made to be. Christian identity formation works because if will give you the most grounded sense of being and the most transcendent path to becoming.

Given that I’m writing a lot on identity, including my forthcoming book Who Am I (April 2026), I thought it would be useful to succinctly define the word.

Our use of the word “identity” in the 21^st century is pretty wide, so here’s my attempt to establish a common ground definition:

“Identity is your sense of self that connects who you are as a product of your past with who you wish to be in the future.”

Two important ideas tuck into that that definition. One, your identity has to do with your sense of self, which is multi-faceted. Two, identity has a backward-looking and forward-looking component, or what I call your being and becoming.

Identity is similar to a large hundred and fifty-year-old home. The home is multi-faceted many different rooms and features. It also evolves over time. Its past construction matters, but much more important are the future desires of its occupants. Let’s use this example to illustrate both ideas.

1) Identity is multi-faceted.

People have used lots of categories to attempt to break down the different facets of identity. None of these work neatly, because no one lives a compartmentalized life. For example, the fact that you are twenty-nine doesn’t vanish from your identity when you walk into your hospital job where your identity is primarily about being a nurse. All your interactions and emotions during that work day will be specifically mediated through your identity of being twenty-nine, not fifty-nine. Any categories we use to talk about identity eventually break down because IDENTITY (in its grand and broad sense) is really like a soup made up of multiple sub-identities.

To use the example above, a specific house consists of its geographic location, neighborhood, acreage, rooms, windows, flooring, lighting, furniture, and the aesthetic style of its occupants. A particular home may have a cramped and bothersome bathroom situation, but a fantastic backyard with a beautiful view. You can feel annoyed in the bathroom and proud in the backyard, yet the home remains one. The other parts of it are always there, even when not directly in view.

I suggest three categories of identity:

1) Identities of origin.

These include ethnicity, gender, nationality, time and place of birth, parents, and lineage. They also include significant events from your past, such as your alma mater, or that embarrassing incident in seventh grade.

2) Identities of role.

These encompass any relational responsibility you have. These could include your role as an uncle, aunt, son, grandmother, boss, employee, volunteer, colleague, family event-organizer, and taker-out of trash.

3) Identities of affinity.

These are anything someone is passionate about. Identities of affinity include political and religious groups, tastes in music and art, passions in sports, finance, health and fitness. They often elevate an identity of origin or role. For example, someone’s major identities of affinity could include being a New Yorker and their job in theater.

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