Our New Identity

One of the most fundamentally embraced “maxims” of the universe goes something like this: who you are equals what you do plus what others think of you. This formula appears to rule the world, both inside and outside of the academy. 

In 1682 the Puritan Stephen Charnock penned these words related to this common struggle for worth and identity: 

“[There is] nothing more ordinary in the natures of men than a dotage on their own perfections, acquisitions, or actions in the world . . . Few think of themselves so meanly [critically] as they ought to think: this sticks as close to us as our skin; and as humility is the beauty of grace, this is the filthiest soil of nature. Our thoughts run more delightfully upon the track of our own perfections, than on the excellency of God; and when we find anything of a seeming worth, that may make us glitter in the eyes of the world, how cheerfully do we grasp [for it]!”

We grasp for it today with equal vigor as those seventeenth-century readers. Nothing has changed. Indeed, this struggle for self-worth and identity has plagued humanity since the early chapters of Genesis. Without an identity grounded in God, we are constantly searching for things that make us glitter in the eyes of the world. 

Academics are particularly proficient in attempting to anchor one’s identity to performance. Universities and departments are ranked. Journals, too. Even particular graduates in a given department are associated with a ranking number. Some faculty members succeed in achieving tenure; others fail in this quest; some never secure the opportunity to try.  Anchoring one’s identity to one’s achievements is everywhere; the university is certainly no exception. 

We base our identity not solely on our performance but also on the applause, or votes, of others. Not everyone, of course, has the same voting power. In this way we are like the electoral college system; some states have more votes than others. Department chairs, mentors, and family members have powerful votes, even more than our peers. Some peers have greater votes than others. And even students, through sites like www.rateyourprofessor.com, cast their votes. We especially want the votes or approval of those voices we deem most important.  We will do nearly anything to secure that applause.

The gospel, of course, destroys this premise of “who you are equals what you do plus other’s opinions.” Instead, the gospel grounds our personal identity in the identity and work of God’s own Son. His righteousness –despite our unrighteousness — is imparted to us (2 Cor 5:21). And now, declared to be His “sons and daughters”, we find a secure and honored place at the table.  As His beloved children, we now find true life rather than seeking it in that litany of accomplishments and relationships that never could satisfy (John 6:35).

At home in this new reality, Christian professors are free to follow Christ and give their lives away for others—free from the bondage of being addicted to performance and others’ opinions.