Making Sense of God by Timothy Keller
Week 11: Chapter 10 — The Problem of Identity
Read Chapter 10 of Making Sense of God by Timothy Keller.
Previewing Week 11 of Making Sense of God
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 14-week guide when you’re ready.
Our culture is in the grip of an identity crisis — we are told to 'find ourselves,' 'be ourselves,' and 'define ourselves,' and yet anxiety about identity has never been higher — Keller explores why, and what Christianity offers instead.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Keller describes the modern 'identity project' — the pressure to construct and perform a coherent self — and notes that it produces extraordinary anxiety rather than the confidence it promises. Does this description match your observation of culture? Of your own experience?
2.He argues that identity built purely from within (what sociologists call 'achieved identity') is psychologically fragile because it depends on continuous performance and social validation. How have you seen this fragility play out — in yourself or in those you know?
3.Keller draws on the work of Charles Taylor and sociologist Anthony Giddens to describe the burden of 'self-authorship' in modernity. How does the Christian concept of 'received identity' — identity given by God, not constructed by self — offer relief from this burden?
a.What are the identity markers you most rely on — achievements, relationships, roles, group memberships? How stable are they?
b.What would it mean to have an identity that cannot be taken from you even if all of those markers were removed?