James K.A. Smith, in his book Desiring the Kingdom, argues that we are shaped more by our practices (what he calls “liturgies”) than by our ideas.
A liturgy is a repeated set of practices that train your desires and form your identity.
The church has always understood this. That’s why we have:
- Gathered worship
- Scripture reading
- Prayer
- The Lord’s Supper
- Baptism
- Confession and absolution
These are formative practices. They train us to see the world a certain way. They shape our desires. They form us into people who resemble Jesus.
But here’s the problem: the culture also has liturgies. And they are far more consistent, far more pervasive, and far more powerful than we want to admit.
The liturgy of the smartphone:
- Wake up → check the news → feel anxious
- Scroll social media → see outrage → feel angry
- Read about “the enemy” → feel contempt
- Repeat every hour
The liturgy of political tribalism:
- Consume media from “our side” → feel affirmed
- See the other side’s hypocrisy → feel superior
- Share content that demonizes them → feel righteous
- Repeat daily
The liturgy of consumerism:
- See an ad → feel inadequate
- Buy something → feel temporary satisfaction
- Need more → repeat
These liturgies are discipling us. They are forming us into specific kinds of people:
- Anxious people
- Angry people
- Tribal people
- Contemptuous people
- Greedy people
And we are often more faithful to these liturgies than we are to the liturgies of the church.
choose and learn how to:
- Root your identity in Christ rather than in your tribe
- Be formed by Scripture rather than by outrage
- Love your enemies when everything in you wants to hate them
- Speak truth without returning evil for evil
- Build kingdom communities that transcend human divisions
- Engage the world without being captured by it
- Suffer well when faithfulness costs you something
- Maintain hope when the culture feels like it’s collapsing
You Are Not What They Call You
The first battle is always the battle for identity.
Who are you?
Before you do anything, before you take any action, before you make any decision, who are you?
This question matters because identity determines behavior. What you believe about who you are will shape everything you do.
And right now, there is a war being waged over your identity.
The culture wants to tell you who you are:
- You are your political affiliation
- You are your race
- You are your sexuality
- You are your economic class
- You are your consumer preferences
- You are your ideology
The culture needs you to believe this because if your identity is rooted in these categories, you can be controlled, manipulated, and sold to.
Your tribe wants to tell you who you are:
- You are one of us
- You are against them
- You are defined by who you oppose
- You are part of the movement
Your tribe needs you to believe this because if your identity is rooted in tribal belonging, you will defend the tribe at all costs—even when the tribe is wrong.
Even the church sometimes gets this wrong:
- You are what you do (your ministry, your role, your service)
- You are what you believe (your theology, your doctrinal precision)
- You are your moral performance (how well you obey)
These are all lies.
Or at least, they are secondary truths being elevated to primary status.
Who You Actually Are
Scripture is relentlessly clear about Christian identity:
You are in Christ.
That’s it. That’s the foundation. Everything else is commentary.
Galatians 3:26-28:
“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.“
This is revolutionary.
Paul is writing to a world obsessed with identity categories:
- Jew or Greek (ethnicity/religion)
- Slave or free (economic/social class)
- Male or female (gender)
And he says: In Christ, these categories do not define you.
They still exist. They still matter in certain contexts. But they are not your primary identity.
Your primary identity is: You are in Christ.
What “In Christ” Means
“In Christ” is not a metaphor. It’s not a nice religious phrase. It’s a relational reality.
To be “in Christ” means:
1. You are united to Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
You are not the same person you were before. Your old identity—defined by sin, shame, tribalism, and death—has been crucified with Christ. You have been raised to new life.
2. You share in His status.
Romans 8:16-17:
“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.”
You are not an employee of God. You are not a servant trying to earn approval. You are a child. You are an heir.
3. You are secure.
Romans 8:38-39:
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Your identity is not fragile. It does not depend on your performance, your tribe, or your political victories. It is secured by God’s love, demonstrated in Christ’s death and resurrection.
The Practical Implications
If your primary identity is “in Christ,” then:
1. You are not defined by your politics.
You can hold political convictions (you should!), but your political affiliation is not your identity.
When someone asks, “Are you conservative or progressive?” the answer is: “I’m a Christian. That’s my primary allegiance.”
When the culture demands you choose a tribe, you say: “I belong to Christ. That’s my tribe.”
2. You are not defined by your tribe.
You can appreciate your cultural heritage, your family traditions, your community. But these do not define you.
When your tribe demands loyalty that conflicts with Christ, you say: “My loyalty is to Jesus first.”
3. You are not defined by what you do.
Your job, your ministry, your role—these are important. But they are not your identity.
When you lose your job, your ministry ends, or your role changes, you are still in Christ. Your identity is secure.
4. You are not defined by what others call you.
When the culture labels you (racist, bigot, heretic, snowflake, socialist, fascist), you do not have to accept those labels.
Your identity is not determined by your enemies. It’s determined by God.
5. You are free.
Free from the need to prove yourself.
Free from the fear of rejection.
Free from the tyranny of performance.
Free from tribal captivity.
Because you are in Christ.
The Test: What Do You Defend First?
Here’s a diagnostic question:
When someone attacks your tribe, your politics, or your theology, what is your first impulse?
If your first impulse is defensiveness, anger, or contempt, your identity is rooted in the wrong place.
If your first impulse is to defend Jesus and the gospel, your identity is rightly ordered.
Example:
Someone says: “Christians are hypocrites.”
Tribal response: “How dare you! We’re not hypocrites! You’re the hypocrite!”
Christ-centered response: “You’re right. We often are. I am. That’s why I need Jesus. Would you like to hear about the One who transforms hypocrites?”
See the difference?
When your identity is in Christ, you don’t have to defend yourself. You only have to point to Him.
Exercise 1: The Identity Audit
Take 15 minutes and answer these questions honestly:
- When I introduce myself, what do I lead with?
- My job? My politics? My affiliations? Or my faith?
- What makes me angriest?
- Attacks on my tribe/politics? Or dishonoring Jesus?
- What do I spend the most time thinking about?
- The culture war? Or the kingdom of God?
- If I lost my political tribe, would I feel like I’d lost myself?
- If I could no longer participate in partisan politics, would my sense of purpose collapse?
- Do I have close relationships with Christians who vote differently than me?
- If not, why not?
- When I read Scripture, am I looking for ammunition for my political views, or am I allowing it to critique me?
If your answers reveal that your identity is more tribal than Christ-centered, confess it. Repent. And commit to the long work of reordering your identity.
Exercise 2: Rewrite Your Identity Statement
Write a one-paragraph statement of who you are in Christ, without reference to politics, tribe, or cultural categories.
Example:
“I am a child of God, loved before I did anything to earn it. I am united to Jesus Christ through faith. My sins are forgiven. My identity is secure. I am being transformed into His image. I belong to the kingdom of God, which transcends all human kingdoms. My calling is to love God, love my neighbor, and make disciples. My hope is not in political victories but in the resurrection. This is who I am.”
Now read this aloud every morning for 30 days.
Let it sink into your bones.
The Danger of Divided Loyalty
Jesus was uncompromising about divided loyalty:
Matthew 6:24:
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”
You cannot serve Christ and your tribe.
You cannot serve the kingdom and the culture war.
You cannot have your primary identity in Christ and your functional identity in politics.
You will choose.
And the choice you make will determine everything.
Conclusion: The Freedom of a Settled Identity
When your identity is settled in Christ, you become dangerous to the powers of this world.
Not dangerous because you’re violent or coercive.
Dangerous because you cannot be controlled.
- They can’t control you with fear (you belong to the One who defeated death)
- They can’t control you with shame (you are forgiven and loved)
- They can’t control you with tribalism (your tribe is the church universal)
- They can’t control you with power (you serve a crucified King)
You are free.
And free people are the most dangerous people in the world—to tyrants, to tribes, and to the powers that demand conformity.
This is where Christian formation begins: with identity.
Who are you?
You are in Christ.
Everything else flows from that.
John Hargrove Seeking Truth and Reality 