Who do I say that I am? - Three Part Article Series
This is the first article in a THREE part series entitled "Who do I say that I am?" The series focuses on how the economic recession has impacted people, businesses, churches, and ministries. The self-image and identity of individuals and groups have been impacted in a significant way.
Part One: Who do I say that I am? - Cultural Sources of Identity and Validation (Included Below); discusses our success obsessed culture and how people have adjusted their identity to match the reality of our current economy.
Part Two: Impact of the Economic Recession on Identity; discusses how individuals and businesses have benefited by the faltering economy by clarifying their priorities and matching them to their values.
Part Three: Freedom and Prosperity, or, Freedom is Prosperity - In Christ we are a new creation; discusses how churches and ministries have been less proactive in clarifying priorities and adjusting their identity. Our identity is in Christ and many churches and ministries have failed in this truth and instead accepted a worldly view of success.
Who do I say that I am? - Part One: Cultural Sources of Identity and Validation
We are a culture obsessed with success. Progress, upward mobility, moving up have all been carved out as expectations in our minds...success is something we seize, claim, own! Our success is evidenced by, among other things, more prestigious jobs, higher salaries, bigger houses, nicer cars, and private schools.
This idea of success has become closely tied to our idea of identity and self-worth. Many philosophers believe that the industrial age ushered in a "philosophy of futility." In other words, people began seeking instant gratification by acquiring material things.
A woman was no longer satisfied by the hours of work she put into sewing a dress, she was satisfied only when she bought the most recent fashion. Soon, she would tire of the purchase and only be satisfied when she could buy another. It was a futile source of affirmation.
Interestingly, researchers have found that the poor, not the rich, are most likely to engage in conspicuous consumption, which is purchasing items simply to display one's wealth. This clearly demonstrates the tangled relationship between an individual's identity and economic situation.
Remember when your mother used to tell you that the bully in school was really just jealous, and probably had very little self-esteem? Similarly, people who refuse to change their spending habits despite a change in their income likely have, well, very little self-esteem.
In the last few years nearly everyone has felt the effects of change in their finances, from individuals and small businesses, to grantmaking foundations, to churches and ministries. Likewise, the last few years have made a serious dent in our obsession with success and have shifted many individuals into more of a survival mode.
Individuals and businesses, at least the ones that survived, made serious adjustments to their thinking and behavior to adjust to the changing realities. Sure, people tried to hold on to the big houses and fancy luxuries for a time but reality was eventually forced upon them by the faltering economy.
But what about churches, ministries, foundations and other nonprofit organizations? Why have they not made the sharp adjustments seen in so many other sectors of society?
My suspicion is that churches and ministries have forgotten what it is...or rather, who it is, that validates, affirms, and edifies them. As a result, Christians-who have been promised life and life more abundantly (John 10:10)-are living a futile existence based on self-esteem derived from their material possessions. When everyone else in our culture loses sight of their identity, believers should be the ones who remain steadfast in their confidence, because our confidence is not in the things of this world. Churches, perhaps more than any other entity, should model this truth to its congregation and to society as whole.
This is the first article in a THREE part series entitled "Who do I say that I am?" The series focuses on how the economic recession has impacted people, businesses, churches, and ministries. The self-image and identity of individuals and groups have been impacted in a significant way.
Part One: Who do I say that I am? - Cultural Sources of Identity and Validation (Included Below); discusses our success obsessed culture and how people have adjusted their identity to match the reality of our current economy.
Part Two: Impact of the Economic Recession on Identity; discusses how individuals and businesses have benefited by the faltering economy by clarifying their priorities and matching them to their values.
Part Three: Freedom and Prosperity, or, Freedom is Prosperity - In Christ we are a new creation; discusses how churches and ministries have been less proactive in clarifying priorities and adjusting their identity. Our identity is in Christ and many churches and ministries have failed in this truth and instead accepted a worldly view of success.
Who do I say that I am? - Part One: Cultural Sources of Identity and Validation
We are a culture obsessed with success. Progress, upward mobility, moving up have all been carved out as expectations in our minds...success is something we seize, claim, own! Our success is evidenced by, among other things, more prestigious jobs, higher salaries, bigger houses, nicer cars, and private schools.
This idea of success has become closely tied to our idea of identity and self-worth. Many philosophers believe that the industrial age ushered in a "philosophy of futility." In other words, people began seeking instant gratification by acquiring material things.
A woman was no longer satisfied by the hours of work she put into sewing a dress, she was satisfied only when she bought the most recent fashion. Soon, she would tire of the purchase and only be satisfied when she could buy another. It was a futile source of affirmation.
Interestingly, researchers have found that the poor, not the rich, are most likely to engage in conspicuous consumption, which is purchasing items simply to display one's wealth. This clearly demonstrates the tangled relationship between an individual's identity and economic situation.
Remember when your mother used to tell you that the bully in school was really just jealous, and probably had very little self-esteem? Similarly, people who refuse to change their spending habits despite a change in their income likely have, well, very little self-esteem.
In the last few years nearly everyone has felt the effects of change in their finances, from individuals and small businesses, to grantmaking foundations, to churches and ministries. Likewise, the last few years have made a serious dent in our obsession with success and have shifted many individuals into more of a survival mode.
Individuals and businesses, at least the ones that survived, made serious adjustments to their thinking and behavior to adjust to the changing realities. Sure, people tried to hold on to the big houses and fancy luxuries for a time but reality was eventually forced upon them by the faltering economy.
But what about churches, ministries, foundations and other nonprofit organizations? Why have they not made the sharp adjustments seen in so many other sectors of society?
My suspicion is that churches and ministries have forgotten what it is...or rather, who it is, that validates, affirms, and edifies them. As a result, Christians-who have been promised life and life more abundantly (John 10:10)-are living a futile existence based on self-esteem derived from their material possessions. When everyone else in our culture loses sight of their identity, believers should be the ones who remain steadfast in their confidence, because our confidence is not in the things of this world. Churches, perhaps more than any other entity, should model this truth to its congregation and to society as whole.
Labels: Cultural , Identity , Sources , Validation
