There is an identity crisis in our culture today. When not even a supreme court justice nominee could clearly answer the question “What is a woman?”, there are some fundamental concepts that have been eroded from our collective thinking. Regarding the “gender identity” question, many would now like us to look past a person’s biological markers for a definition of gender. When we agree with this precept, the clear-cut answer for defining gender becomes blurred. The XX or XY chromosome markers, the anatomical differences, and other seemingly clear indicators which have historically (and scientifically) been used are no longer considered valid. Instead, people who struggle with this are poised to ask probing questions about themselves such as how they “feel” about their gender on the inside. Parents wait to assign a gender to their own children on this basis, so that the child might decide with which gender they most closely identify at a later time. Our definition of gender has become subjective. It is now based on experience, preferences, interests, or other internal factors related to the heart. Furthermore, because we have agreed for it to be subjective, there can be no judgment about the person’s decision on the matter. Instead, we are called to be supportive. Morality must be detached from the decision, because we have no “right” to impose our morality upon someone else’s subjective understanding of their own gender. The term gender “identity” has become so important to the movement because they want us to view gender in terms of how each individual “feels” about it – regardless of the facts.

You may not have made this correlation, but the same kind of identity crisis is occurring in the local church today as well. We are finding that a Christian’s identification with their local church is often based on “feelings” as well. It has become subjective in many ways. Many view their allegiance to a particular church as temporal where they continue to attend a church as long as it fills their void for the moment. There is no right or wrong choice in the matter and no lasting commitment required. As long as a person “feels” good in their church, they stay. When those “feelings” change, they go elsewhere and choose to identify with another body of believers. Parents no longer encourage their children to make commitments and become members of their local church, instead allowing them to grow up and choose a church they can “identify” with at a later time. Decisions about church are often subjective, driven by music preferences, the beauty of the facilities, the excitement of church growth, the dynamic sociability of the Pastor, or simply which church gives me the best “feeling”. When folks leave another church and come to yours (or leave yours to go to another church), there can be no judgment. We are compelled by our Christian love to support them in whatever decision they make (whether it is hard for us to accept or not). Can you begin to see the correlation?

When it comes to gender, it seems obvious that the facts should prevail. Your biology determines your gender. Gender isn’t based on the feelings you have on the inside. Yet, the same people who would agree with this statement about gender continue to make decisions about their church identity based on feelings as well. Now I’m not saying there aren’t appropriate times and reasons to move to a new church. However, just as with gender, your identity with a given church should be based on the facts – not your feelings. Here are just a few questions that are designed to help uncover the facts and assist you with a church identity that is biblical and based on God’s unchanging truth:

Of course, this is just a short list of things to help you consider the facts regarding your church identity. The key takeaway here is that feelings come and go. They are fleeting and temporary and designed by nature to respond to your situation. It is easy to get offended and let your feelings guide you, but that is not how your church identity should be decided. I’ll agree that one’s church identity is not as simple to define as the biological markers that determine gender. However, there are clear biblical markers that we must consider when choosing to align with or retreat from a local church. Basing a decision on anything else amounts to nothing more than feelings.