IDENTITY Issues | A Spiritual Application Based on Current Events

A Spiritual Application Based on Current Events

IDENTITY ISSUES By Donna Diorio

I am not sure how this applies in the rest of the world, but in the United States we have been rocked lately by what the news media calls “Identity Politics”.  The best definition I’ve found for this is that Identity Politics is “political activity or movements based on or catering to the cultural, ethnic, gender, racial, religious, or social interests that characterize a group identity.”

Apparently Identity Politics also creates wannabe’s – people who reject their authentic identity to become identified as something they are not.  Olympic medalist Bruce Jenner recently traded his male identity in for a female identity – and since the LGBT movement is a cause célèbre for the “enlightened” Jenner’s rejection of the sex God made him is applauded by those outside of Biblical faith. 

We have also witnessed a rise in those who lie about incidents or circumstances in their lives in order to identify themselves, such as campus rape victims who are not even ashamed when the facts emerge that they were not raped.  They are not shamed because the ‘politics’ of their lie was motivated by a desire to give evidence of a non-existent “crisis” of rape on US campus. 

Speaking of US campuses, these are the breeding place of the anti-Jew, anti-Israel movement that is being instigated and propelled forward primarily by Muslim Students associations that are in reality of the American radical Islamist network.  Their appeal on American campuses is great because the cast themselves in a victim role – an essential element of Identity Politics – while casting Israel in an aggressor role.  In Identity Politics, it is necessary for the victim to identify a victimizer, and with complete disregard for the facts to paint their ‘enemy’ as devilish. 

Identity Politics claim the high ground of social justice – it’s just not Biblical social justice, but a God-less version of justice that is not intellectually honest with the facts.

I’m a believer in what we witness happening in our society is a reflection of a spiritual issue within the Body of the Lord.  Now don't go crazy on me here, but considering the major blow up being discussed by the political Left and Right over the white woman, Rachel Dolezal, who as the prominent head of the Spokane NAACP was passing herself off as black, what might that be saying to us is occurring spiritually among the Church?

Maybe nothing, but personally I believe that the IDENTITY issue may be the spiritual issue that God is putting His finger on right now.  For example among those Christians, many Millennials who have aligned themselves with the Identity Politics of radical Islamists claiming to be Davids fight Goliath. 

In the specific case of Rachel Dolezal, a naturally blonde woman of Swedish, German, Czech heritage who has been passing herself as a black woman, how have her lies discredited the claim that black in America is still a horrible racially victimized experience?  Do her lies, and the willingness of those in politics, news media and racial grievance movements to accept even her lying to them, have anything to say to us in the Church spiritually?

Since I have moved primarily in Messianic circles for the past two decades, the Rachel Dolezal incident reminded me of the many Christians that come to stand by the Jews who believe in Jesus and end up becoming so enamored of all things Jewish they being to transform their own identities into a Jewish identity.  Since the most obviously Jewish in appearance are Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox, I have personally seen many Christians go full-tilt frum after joining a Messianic congregation.  If there is a spiritual reflection of the Rachel Dolezal incident, I would have to say it is the Christians who have traded their God-given identity out of a desire to identify as Jewish.  This does not serve God’s purposes.

You know how anti-missionaries use the false accusation against Messianic Jews who believe in Yeshua that they are not really Jews? Well I am just wondering out loud how much of that has credibility with unbelieving Jews because of all the Gentile Christians who are wannbe Jews in the Messianic movement? Those who have taken on Jewish identities, instead of being what God made them to be: Gentile Christians who stand by the Jewish Body of Messiah completely?

Do we not have the same identity issues are Rachel Dolezal? Personally I believe that Christians who trade their identity in to self-identify as Jewish are not advancing the plan of God for the Messianic community in the redemption of "all Israel" and are not only hurting the credibility of Messianic Jews to the Jewish people, but also to the Church that has not yet recognized our place is to stand by the believers of Jesus in EVERY nation, including - and at this hour, especially - ISRAEL.

Now I understand how we started down this road in the Messianic movement, because the fledgling Messianic congregations needed the help and support of Christians within their congregations, yet also wanted it to look authentically Jewish to the Jewish people who came in. Fine.

That day is over. It is time to move on to be authentic in our identities as Jew and Gentile in the Messiah.