On Christianity as an Identity and Trans-exegeticalism
Wokeism, Liberalism: You’re both just…awful.
The Real Casualty of the Culture War
In his latest book, The End of Woke: How the Culture War Went Too Far and What to Expect from the Counter-Revolution, Andrew Doyle expertly explicates the woke movement’s war against liberalism. In his chapter entitled, “Woke Homophobia,” Doyle laments what he perceives as a backlash against gay people in general brought about by the excesses of the woke movement.
“The excesses of gender ideologues – with hypersexualized ‘family-friendly’ drag shows and the promotion of age-inappropriate teaching materials – have been interpreted as being an extension of the gay rights lobby, although their goals are antithetical.”
Where the Threads Get Tangled
While Doyle asserts the gay rights movement has been unjustifiably conflated with the movements of the “gender ideologues,” he must understand these movements must carry any blame for the confusion as the ever-growing 2SLGBTQIA+ moniker demonstrates.
But the arguments of this chapter are not the occasion for this post. One of Doyle’s comments really caught my attention. Immediately following the above quote, Doyle goes on to state,
“There has been an effort to embrace the core values of Christianity as an identity rather than a faith category, leading to more overt denunciations of same-sex love on biblical grounds.”
Doyle is, no doubt, referring to the increasing popularity and reaction against what is called “Christian Nationalism.” Whatever symbiotic relationship exists between the seemingly parallel ascensions of the woke and Christian Nationalist movements would be a fascinating study. But that’s not my present aim.
What struck me about Doyle’s comment was the assumption that Christianity is not or should not be understood as an “identity” and any such notion is a recent cultural phenomenon. Doyle contrasts Christianity as an identity with Christianity as a faith category.
Faith as a Category—And Why That’s a Trap
This is, of course, the standard way Christianity has been treated by liberalism (the classic understanding of “liberalism” as opposed to liberalism contrasted with conservatism on a political spectrum). You have your Christians over here, your Muslims over here, some Jewish folks, etc., and they all comprise a “faith community.” Or “people of faith.” And as good modern folk, you’re expected to keep your Christianity as faith category over in those faith spaces such as places of worship.
It is not proper to drag your faith category into non-faith spaces such as the workplace. Sure, you may have your desk calendar with a Bible verse for each day but much more than that ought to be reserved for inside your church building on Sundays. Your personal beliefs about supernatural things should not intrude upon spaces which must deal with reality.
Machen Saw This Coming
In Christianity and Liberalism, J. Gresham Machen explains that liberalism is a “totally diverse type of religious belief.”
“This modern non-redemptive religion is called ‘modernism’ or ‘liberalism.’ Both names are unsatisfactory; the latter, in particular, is question-begging. The movement designated as ‘liberalism’ is regarded as ‘liberal’ only by its friends; to its opponents it seems to involve a narrow ignoring of many relevant facts. And indeed, the movement is so various in its manifestations that one may almost despair of finding any common name which will apply to all its forms. But manifold as are the forms in which the movement appears, the root of the movement is one; the many varieties of the liberal religion are rooted in naturalism – that is, in the denial of any entrance of the creative power of God (as distinguished form the ordinary course of nature in connection with the origin of Christianity.”
As an adherent and defender of the totally diverse type of religious belief, liberalism, it is understandable that someone like Doyle might speak of Christianity in the manner in which he does.
Christianity Isn’t Just Something You Do
However, it is worth emphasizing that Christianity is an identity. Christianity is not merely a faith category. It is not just something we do; it is who we are. Yes, we are always in the process of becoming as the Spirit’s work within us is not yet complete, but Christianity deals with the root of who we are.
We base this idea on several biblical passages.
2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Romans 6:6: “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”
Christianity as a New People
The idea that Christianity is properly seen as an identity is well-established. The idea is so strong that the Church is seen as a new race.
1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
Ephesians 2:14-16: “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.”
Some scholars argue that ancient Christians used ethnic language, such as ethnos and genos, to describe the race of Christians as distinct from Jews, Greeks, and Romans in ancient Near East societies. The Christian concept of having a new identity in Christ was so robust that Christians understood themselves as exchanging their membership in one race for another.
In fairness to Doyle, his comment on Christianity as identity versus faith category was a minor point that he did not delve into. I merely used the comment as a jumping off point for my own thoughts on the subject (this is a blog, after all).
When he says, “There has been an effort to embrace the core values of Christianity as an identity rather than a faith category, leading to more overt denunciations of same-sex love on biblical grounds,” he makes a somewhat fair point. There have been those who have taken “the core values of Christianity” and have used them in service of a political movement that emphasizes the shared political and cultural aspects of American Christianity. This movement draws upon American history, culture, and political ideas in a way that does not necessarily require one to actually be a Christian in order further the aims of the movement.
When Christianity Gets Used—Without Christ
Wherever we find Christless movements employing the name “Christian,” we might say something similar to Doyle. These individuals are using Christianity as a political identity rather than a faith. Instead of faith creating a new identity, Christless “Christian” efforts take the fruits of genuine Christianity and attempt to deploy them apart from faith. Whenever this occurs, such efforts cease to be Christian.
Thankfully, these cases are rare and are more a creation of detractors and fearmongers than a widespread movement.
Faith That Refuses to Stay Boxed In
Christianity is, in fact, an identity. Faith in Christ transforms a person in their entirety. In Christ, we are new creatures. New creations. We have been brought from death to life and are in the process of becoming conformed to the image of Christ. This identity is not something we pick up and put down. It is not something we put into the box of “faith category.” It is not a generic superstition that is just as good or helpful as any other. It is not a private belief that remains harmless as long as we don’t bring it into public spaces.
Transexegeticalism: Leftist Identity Theft of Scripture
A faith that will not be confined to the box of worship spaces only will speak to matters such as “same-sex love,” as Doyle puts it, and will do so on biblical grounds. Accommodating the spirit of the age is how we got the intrusion of the liberal faith into Christianity in Machen’s day. Back then they did it by excising the supernatural from Scripture. Today, they keep the supernatural but neuter anything contrary to the religion of the Left from Scripture.
This biblically neutered and subverted Christianity of the Left is welcomed in public spaces because it poses no threat to the world. In fact, subverted Christianity is recruited in service to the Left. Just as they believe a person can claim transgender as a form of self-identification, the Christian Left has a transexegesis they employ to make Scripture identify with whatever behaviors and beliefs they want it to.
The Real Christianity Won’t Bow
The transexegetes of the Left may subvert Scripture to promote so-called same-sex love but the Christianity which refuses to be indifferent to doctrine, refuses to sabotage Scripture in service to the spirit of the age, and refuses to be reduced to one faith category among many will continue to speak the truth on biblical grounds.
We will do so, not because we’re embracing “the core values of Christianity as an identity rather than a faith category,” but because we have a new identity in Christ. And there is no conflict between the Christ who gave us both the truth of His Word and our new identity.
Because Christianity is an identity, it represents who we are everywhere we go and in everything we do. So, we will continue to apply the truth to all things, including the gay rights Doyle wants to protect from what he calls the “woke homophobia” and we will apply the truth to the wokeism he opposes along with us.
