In Depth:  identity

‘What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?’ (Ps. 8:4).

When you meet another human being, what are you encountering? As you look into the eyes of a friend, or a parent, or a child, what is it that you see? Is an encounter with another human being different from an encounter with a mouse, or a goldfish, or your pet dog? Is it different from an encounter with an AI Chatbot? Intuitively we think it probably is. But why?

When we think of the word ‘narcissism’ we may imagine people taking selfies, maintaining an attractive image on social media or something similar. True narcissism, however, is something far more serious.

It destroys communities, churches, marriages, families and individuals. It is not just a case of people showing-off, annoying as that may be. True narcissism is destructive and it needs to be understood. That is why I have written the booklet.* It is a warning for all who work with people – that is all of us.

Elizabeth McQuoid

Who You Are When No One’s Looking was one of the books that profoundly influenced me as a new Christian more than 30 years ago. The book spelled out the need to develop a Christlike character so that the godliness we display in public is not a pretence, but an extension of our private devotion.

Given how big an impression the book had on me, I was floored when its author, a high-profile pastor, resigned from his church because of sexual immorality.

‘For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love’ (Gal. 5:6).

If you had to summarise the Christian life in four words, you probably couldn’t do better than ‘faith working through love’. This is what it means to live as a new creation in Christ (Gal.6:15).

John Woods

en’s reviews editor John Woods speaks to Andrew Bunt, part of King’s Church Hastings and Bexhill.

Andrew is Emerging Generations Director at Living Out and a training and resources consultant for New Ground Churches. He studied theology at Durham University and King’s College London.

We are surrounded by a culture that tells us that we can find our identity in aspects of our experience, such as our sexuality, race, or gender. But our identity, as followers of Jesus, must be informed, and transformed, by Christ – we must learn to understand our identity in the light of this bigger story.

If I asked, ‘Who are you?’, you would probably answer by telling me your name. You might also tell me your job, hobbies or background. But our identity is much more than any of those things. Questions about our identity get to the heart of how our sense of self has been shaped and continues to change throughout our lives.