The Dangers of the "Identity Shift" Trend

Our culture is obsessed with telling us

who we are. The latest craze is

something called identity shifting. A

self-help trend that promises you can

reinvent yourself by changing your

mindset. Want to be a rock star or an

athlete or an influencer? Just picture

yourself as one and your behavior will

supposedly follow. Are trends like this

just positive and helpful or are they

lies that need to be avoided at all

cost? Welcome to Provoke and Inspire,

where I wrestle with culture and current

events by asking what would Jesus think

and what would Jesus do? Now, is

identity shifting something new, or is

it just the same old lies repackaged for

a generation that feels more lost and

confused than ever? German philosopher

Fred Nichi once declared, "God is dead."

Now, people quote this line as if it's

liberating and intellectual, but even

Nichi himself knew it wasn't necessarily

good news. He recognized that removing

God from the picture would shake society

to its core. And that's exactly where we

are today. In a secular world, identity

is no longer received from God because

for many, there is no God. Instead, I'm

told to just simply decide whoever I

want to be. As author Tim Keller

explained, the modern message is this.

Don't try to get affirmation from

others. Affirm yourself because you are

doing what you want to do. Be who you

want to be. It doesn't matter what

anybody else thinks. Now, on the

surface, this sounds freeing, but here's

the problem. It doesn't work. You can't

simply ascribe value to yourself. It's a

psychological impossibility. We are

relational beings. Our identity is

formed in the context of relationship.

And when our relationship with God is

severed, we inevitably end up defining

ourselves by the fickle opinions of

insecure peers or worse through curated

online personas. That's why today even

the most basic realities like biological

sex have been thrown into the mix of

identity options. Everything is up for

grabs. It's no wonder so many people

have never been so unsure of who they

are. Now, if it's not peers defining us,

it's performance. And this is where the

whole identity shifting comes into

place. We just believe if we can grind

it out as faithful citizens of the

meritocracy, then we will be happy. If

I'm successful or fit or famous, then my

identity will be sure. I'll know who I

am. But look at the lies of celebrities.

They have everything we are told to

chase. And yet many are the most

depressed and suicidal among us. Hustle

culture screams, "Get more. Do more.

Experience more. Then you'll be more."

Is it any surprise we're anxious and

burned out? As a follower of Jesus, I

believe I bear his image that makes me

distinct from every other creature and

gives me extraordinary value. I don't

have to invent or market my identity. I

discover it as I reconnect with the one

who made me. True transformation doesn't

start with me. It starts with Jesus.

Yes, it changes me inwardly, but it also

anchors me in something stable,

relational, and eternal. Secular

self-help says you do it. The gospel

declares Jesus has done it. So maybe the

real question isn't who do I want to be,

but rather who's am I? Because until you

know that, no amount of hustle or

affirmation or so-called identity

shifting will ever be enough. Thanks for

watching Provoke and Inspire. If you

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for everything else. That's it. Peace.