identity and definition

Original thoughts and ideas are dying of loneliness day by day – RevKev on the FFF forum

My (somewhat original) thoughts on the above (also posted at FFF):

Original thoughts and ideas are not welcome in the Church. This is because we have become denominational rather than apostolic, a point Kris Vallotton makes and makes well in his new book “Heavy Rain” (available from Amazon and ibethel.org).

I can’t remember if I’ve talked about this here yet or not… I recently had an encounter with the Lord that had me pondering “identity” and “definition” – we tend to treat those words as synonymous but they’re really not.

“Identity” is something that’s innately ours, and it’s borne out in relationship – with the Lord, with our family, with church… identity draws people INTO community but identity is not drawn FROM community.

Definition, on the other hand, is something that is assigned to us (by ourselves or others) and its purpose is to cause division and separation. When I am defined, for example, as “Assemblies of God” there is a separation, a division, between myself and people who are defined as “Church of God.” If I am defined as “Southern Baptist” there is a dividing line between myself and those who are “Free-Will” and “Independent Fundamental” and “American” and “Pentecostal” Baptists (yes, those really do exist).

The word “definition” has the prefix “de-” – that prefix means to separate and divide, to set apart from. Defense. Detach. Depart. Denomination.

Identity allows us to mingle with people who have different ideas. Definition separates us from such people. When the Bible says, “come out from among them and be separate” we tend to get this idea what we’re to define ourselves into narrow little boxes of people who are exactly like us. Wrong! In a family, we share the same DNA but only identical twins look exactly alike. Rather than identifying with the Lord (from whom the whole family is named, Eph 3:14,15) we define ourselves as being “of Paul” or “of Apollos”…(1 Cor 1:12)

…and in the process of that definition we give up the ability to have free thinking, we give up the ability to ask questions, to buck a trend, to arrive at a different conclusion. Within the context of “identity” such things are safe, but when one is defined, it because dangerous to defy that definition…

ADDING HERE (not posted on the forum):

This was plainly evident in the discussion on the “I’ve become one of THOSE people” post – even as I attempted to define myself, it brought division with/from people who define themselves differently.