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Beyond Identity: Finding your ‘self’ in the image and character of God
Who am I? There can be few people today who have not, at some time, asked this question, or set out to "find themselves". With creative insight and common sense, Dick Keyes offers a novel solution to the modern problem of identity that is found in the very creation of humanity itself.
This book provides an uncommonly deep look into human identity and by the last chapter each reader will have a greater understanding of who they are, that is, to know themselves better and to understand the source of their identity.
Our sense of self-acceptance and internal coherence is defined by such critical areas as morals, models, dominion, and love. But morals, models, and the ability to have dominion and love do not come out of thin air. Where do morals come from? How do we know what is heroic? What is love? In what way do I express dominion and love, and to what end? How is this reflected in the relationships around me? How can I know what and who I am?
With wise insight, this study points out that ‘any worthwhile discussion of identity must reach beyond the narrow and confining categories of psychological and media models of self-hood because all these models ‘are smaller than the one you were made for.’
Humans will always compute their values in terms of something, whether that something is worthy or able to bestow value on them or not. It is only when people reach beyond humankind that they can get any conclusive affirmation of themselves.
As human beings, we find our worth, value and meaning not in possessions, approval in others' eyes, or in the integration of our emotional life. We truly find ourselves only when we look "beyond identity" to a relationship with the God who made us.
We live in a confused world where identity seems lost and not to be found. ‘Beyond Identity’ offers an alternative by proclaiming, it is sure there is such a thing as identity and that it is a good deal richer, more mysterious, and more solid than our personality theories allow for. To achieve it requires a much more brutal honesty than any therapist, let alone any ad man, would dare encourage us in.
Some have denounced our generation as too introspective and self-indulgent, but this denunciation, though probably true, has not shed much light on our problems nor made them go away. Answers are sought in everything from ‘self-help’ to religion. To offer real help one must enter the self-knowledge discussion and then move on to more promising ground. The psychological issues become a springboard to consider life from a better vantage point with a wider horizon.
The book leads to a logic that our true identity is hidden in God and it is through Him we ultimately will reach our full potential. It points to a deeper Christianity. It is an amazing work that is more profound than most of today’s books dealing with this topic. It provides a philosophical and insightful examination into the limitations of searching for identity in the things of this world. It takes one of to a more substantive realm.
Dick Keyes and his wife Mardi, have worked with L'Abri Fellowship for over forty years in Switzerland, England and now in Massachusetts. He is a graduate of Harvard University and Westminster Theological Seminary. He is also the author of: Heroism, Chameleon Christianity, Seeing Through Cynicism.
Now is the time to discover and understand more about your identity through deeply challenging book.
This book provides an uncommonly deep look into human identity and by the last chapter each reader will have a greater understanding of who they are, that is, to know themselves better and to understand the source of their identity.
Our sense of self-acceptance and internal coherence is defined by such critical areas as morals, models, dominion, and love. But morals, models, and the ability to have dominion and love do not come out of thin air. Where do morals come from? How do we know what is heroic? What is love? In what way do I express dominion and love, and to what end? How is this reflected in the relationships around me? How can I know what and who I am?
With wise insight, this study points out that ‘any worthwhile discussion of identity must reach beyond the narrow and confining categories of psychological and media models of self-hood because all these models ‘are smaller than the one you were made for.’
Humans will always compute their values in terms of something, whether that something is worthy or able to bestow value on them or not. It is only when people reach beyond humankind that they can get any conclusive affirmation of themselves.
As human beings, we find our worth, value and meaning not in possessions, approval in others' eyes, or in the integration of our emotional life. We truly find ourselves only when we look "beyond identity" to a relationship with the God who made us.
We live in a confused world where identity seems lost and not to be found. ‘Beyond Identity’ offers an alternative by proclaiming, it is sure there is such a thing as identity and that it is a good deal richer, more mysterious, and more solid than our personality theories allow for. To achieve it requires a much more brutal honesty than any therapist, let alone any ad man, would dare encourage us in.
Some have denounced our generation as too introspective and self-indulgent, but this denunciation, though probably true, has not shed much light on our problems nor made them go away. Answers are sought in everything from ‘self-help’ to religion. To offer real help one must enter the self-knowledge discussion and then move on to more promising ground. The psychological issues become a springboard to consider life from a better vantage point with a wider horizon.
The book leads to a logic that our true identity is hidden in God and it is through Him we ultimately will reach our full potential. It points to a deeper Christianity. It is an amazing work that is more profound than most of today’s books dealing with this topic. It provides a philosophical and insightful examination into the limitations of searching for identity in the things of this world. It takes one of to a more substantive realm.
Dick Keyes and his wife Mardi, have worked with L'Abri Fellowship for over forty years in Switzerland, England and now in Massachusetts. He is a graduate of Harvard University and Westminster Theological Seminary. He is also the author of: Heroism, Chameleon Christianity, Seeing Through Cynicism.
Now is the time to discover and understand more about your identity through deeply challenging book.
245 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 21, 2016
25 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 4, 2023
Very, very good read. It was good for my soul. It almost feels like a collection of loosely connected sermons. Lots of wisdom over a wide range of topics. Recommend highly!
January 17, 2021
Great explanation of the believer’s identity- external influences that shape it and what it means to find your identify in a relationship with God (able to image Him in obedience by God’s grace in salvation). I would read this every year!
May 18, 2024
Second read. Stabilizing and valuable.
April 3, 2023
Keyes is a solid writer and great thinker. The first chapter (30 pages) is where the best content is. From there, it starts rambling.
It feels like Keyes started out zeroed in on the topic of identity, and had some well thought out analysis, but then he uses the book as an opportunity to address whatever topic he wanted to talk about, because, well...it's all related to identity, so he sprawls to marriage, children, anger, reconciliation. It's all connected, but fells less directly relevant to identity discussions today.
It feels like Keyes started out zeroed in on the topic of identity, and had some well thought out analysis, but then he uses the book as an opportunity to address whatever topic he wanted to talk about, because, well...it's all related to identity, so he sprawls to marriage, children, anger, reconciliation. It's all connected, but fells less directly relevant to identity discussions today.
August 8, 2007
I believe this is the only book I've ever read more than once (or twice, for that matter.) It never gets stale. The ideas that Keyes brings forth regarding who I am and who I'm meant to be based on my role as a child of God set me free time and time again. Keyes gives me the reasons and ability to put aside living for myself and worldly success and living instead for what matters to God. This book changed - and continues to change - my life.
July 19, 2022
Loved the book. Puts his finger on many easy-to-miss influences on our morals and our models. Liberating exposition of how to apply our identity as being worth much to God and yet unworthy. Also, some helpful words on how identity and self-image influence our anger and our familial relationships.
August 23, 2023
I started this during my short stay at L'Abri this summer in Southborough. Dick Keyes was the former director there. The first few chapters of this work are especially poignant.
During my reading at L'Abri was the first time I have really understood the significant differences between guilt and shame, and the gospel antidotes to each. As it turns out, I have been avoiding my shame for years by treating it as if it is guilt. Keyes writes with the heart of a pastor and the researched nuance of a therapist. Although an older work, his cultural application is still relevant and shows his staying power.
If you find yourself in a place where you may be asking: "who am I?", Perhaps a life transition or on the other side of a dramatic event, then here is a helpful diagnostic guide.
During my reading at L'Abri was the first time I have really understood the significant differences between guilt and shame, and the gospel antidotes to each. As it turns out, I have been avoiding my shame for years by treating it as if it is guilt. Keyes writes with the heart of a pastor and the researched nuance of a therapist. Although an older work, his cultural application is still relevant and shows his staying power.
If you find yourself in a place where you may be asking: "who am I?", Perhaps a life transition or on the other side of a dramatic event, then here is a helpful diagnostic guide.
September 11, 2021
3 pieces of author info: L'Abri director, Harvard and WTS trained (highly rational and systematic),
2 Takeaways: our models or heroes are fundamental in how we think about ourselves, our emotions, particularly anger, are complex and should be treated as such
1 concrete ministry implication: Talk more with students about who their models are, figure out the connection between their models and their understanding of their identity
1 cross-cultural or intercultural relevance — Keyes is minority member of AA church, significant to see the author practicing this, especially with his background
2 Takeaways: our models or heroes are fundamental in how we think about ourselves, our emotions, particularly anger, are complex and should be treated as such
1 concrete ministry implication: Talk more with students about who their models are, figure out the connection between their models and their understanding of their identity
1 cross-cultural or intercultural relevance — Keyes is minority member of AA church, significant to see the author practicing this, especially with his background
October 11, 2022
Will read again to fully grasp the details but it's a great book that literally talk about beyond the definition of identity and where it comes from. I found it pleasantly applicable (many [Christian] identity books teach God without culture). I'm still munching on it as it was a heavy read but worth it. I've learned what it truly means to be a child of God. Growing up Christian it's one of those things that loses its impactful truth as it's said over and over. Refreshing perspective and more in depth than any I've read before
January 17, 2019
Compared to most of the vapid work on the subject of Identity this is a breath of fresh air! Whilst his writing style doesn’t always make this an easy read, his insights make it a deeply worthwhile one.
February 27, 2023
The first part of the book is worth five stars, however the second half is worth three, in my opinion.
January 12, 2014
In Beyond Identity, Dick Keyes addresses the pressing questions of identity facing people in the postmodern world. Indeed, there are few in the early twenty-first century who have not grappled with the question "Who am I?" or set out on a quest to "find themselves." Keyes sensitively suggests that when one sets out on such a quest, they may very well be asking the wrong question. As his title accurately indicates, Keyes argues that the postmodern person should move beyond the current fad or obsession with self-identity. The answer to our most penetrating questions of identity comes through "finding your self in the image and character of God," as his subtitle clearly says.
There are few tasks as self-confrontational as that of writing a resume or curriculum vitae. Everything written on that page is an extension of yourself; for some, it is indeed the expression of their identity. Writing a resume is both a difficult and disconcerting task, for this piece of paper implies that what we done (or failed to do) and what we aspire to accomplish determines who we are. In a materialistic world, we easily derive our sense of worth from our accomplishments and possessions. In a reaction to such a world view, Romanticism attempted to place the emphasis upon our feelings and longings. Yet neither approach is a satisfactory or secure basis for identity: "Finding your true identity is not as simple as finding a lost object. It means finding an internal coherence and self-acceptance rooted in the God who made us all" (29). Indeed, identity means "absolute sameness"; yet there are few people who are so secure in their identity that they are the same, independent of their milieu.
In Beyond Identity. Keyes begins with what he sees as the causes of the identity crisis, namely the Enlightenment's shift of focus from the Creator to the material world and its effects on our morals, models and social structures. From there he moves to the resolution of the crisis through a restored relationship with God and its prerequisites, such as honesty, humility and forgiveness. His discussions of guilt, shame and especially anger and the tongue, and their multifacted relationships to identity, are very insightful and thought provoking. For example, as seen in the story of the woman at the well, the burden of guilt so consumed the woman's identity that her guilt and sin is all she saw. She told her fellow townspeople that Jesus had told all she'd ever done, whereas Jesus had merely told her one thing about her. But for her, that one thing was everything about her. Keyes also dedicates a chapter to the interplay of identity within the family relationships of husband and wife, and children and parents. The principles of identity discussed in this book are not theoretical, but imminently practical and applicable.
Dick Keyes was a student of the late Francis Schaeffer and is a leader of a L'Abri community in Massachusetts. If you've read Schaeffer, you will probably find commonalities in Keyes' Bible-based approach to intellectual questions. I found Keyes' clear applications of biblical principles refreshing. This book helps one look at situations through a biblical lens, and does much to affirm the Bible's relevance to current debates and dilemmas. This book is not long (200 pages), but its wisdom will reward reading and rereading.
There are few tasks as self-confrontational as that of writing a resume or curriculum vitae. Everything written on that page is an extension of yourself; for some, it is indeed the expression of their identity. Writing a resume is both a difficult and disconcerting task, for this piece of paper implies that what we done (or failed to do) and what we aspire to accomplish determines who we are. In a materialistic world, we easily derive our sense of worth from our accomplishments and possessions. In a reaction to such a world view, Romanticism attempted to place the emphasis upon our feelings and longings. Yet neither approach is a satisfactory or secure basis for identity: "Finding your true identity is not as simple as finding a lost object. It means finding an internal coherence and self-acceptance rooted in the God who made us all" (29). Indeed, identity means "absolute sameness"; yet there are few people who are so secure in their identity that they are the same, independent of their milieu.
In Beyond Identity. Keyes begins with what he sees as the causes of the identity crisis, namely the Enlightenment's shift of focus from the Creator to the material world and its effects on our morals, models and social structures. From there he moves to the resolution of the crisis through a restored relationship with God and its prerequisites, such as honesty, humility and forgiveness. His discussions of guilt, shame and especially anger and the tongue, and their multifacted relationships to identity, are very insightful and thought provoking. For example, as seen in the story of the woman at the well, the burden of guilt so consumed the woman's identity that her guilt and sin is all she saw. She told her fellow townspeople that Jesus had told all she'd ever done, whereas Jesus had merely told her one thing about her. But for her, that one thing was everything about her. Keyes also dedicates a chapter to the interplay of identity within the family relationships of husband and wife, and children and parents. The principles of identity discussed in this book are not theoretical, but imminently practical and applicable.
Dick Keyes was a student of the late Francis Schaeffer and is a leader of a L'Abri community in Massachusetts. If you've read Schaeffer, you will probably find commonalities in Keyes' Bible-based approach to intellectual questions. I found Keyes' clear applications of biblical principles refreshing. This book helps one look at situations through a biblical lens, and does much to affirm the Bible's relevance to current debates and dilemmas. This book is not long (200 pages), but its wisdom will reward reading and rereading.
January 3, 2014
This book was first published in 1984.
I spent some time with Dick Keyes at the L'Bri House in Worchester, MA in the 80s. The book had not yet been published, but the thoughts were there, and I was able to listen to his lectures/teachings on this series and then interact with him along with the other students there, over tea or after a meal around the dinner table.
These were precious times, and I am sure he would invite any reading his book to continue the discussion...
I was most impressed with his treatment of Colossians, and our identity in Christ. I had/have a tendency to beat myself up b/c of my shortcomings and sin (past and present). His commentary on our identity was liberating for me, realizing that I indeed could never earn God's favor, and that He was not in fact asking me to try.
If you find yourself being pulled toward legalism, and yet you feel more like the tax-gatherer in Luke 18.9-14, than the Pharisee who was "praying to himself," then this book will be of benefit to you.
Yes, it does have a tendency to be more theoretical than practical, but I sense that that has more to do with the personality of the writer than his degree, or lack thereof, of wisdom. The assumption is that the application will be made after careful contemplation, as was the case with me...
I spent some time with Dick Keyes at the L'Bri House in Worchester, MA in the 80s. The book had not yet been published, but the thoughts were there, and I was able to listen to his lectures/teachings on this series and then interact with him along with the other students there, over tea or after a meal around the dinner table.
These were precious times, and I am sure he would invite any reading his book to continue the discussion...
I was most impressed with his treatment of Colossians, and our identity in Christ. I had/have a tendency to beat myself up b/c of my shortcomings and sin (past and present). His commentary on our identity was liberating for me, realizing that I indeed could never earn God's favor, and that He was not in fact asking me to try.
If you find yourself being pulled toward legalism, and yet you feel more like the tax-gatherer in Luke 18.9-14, than the Pharisee who was "praying to himself," then this book will be of benefit to you.
Yes, it does have a tendency to be more theoretical than practical, but I sense that that has more to do with the personality of the writer than his degree, or lack thereof, of wisdom. The assumption is that the application will be made after careful contemplation, as was the case with me...
July 18, 2016
Dick Keyes largely presents a reading of biblical identity that will be new to few readers. What sets this book apart from others is how aptly he diagnoses what exactly it is that may cause the christian or any other person to feel a lost sense of identity. This is primarally set out in the opening 2 chapters where he discusses where contemporary society looks to find their identity and then largely contrasts this with what the bible has to say throughout the rest of the book. It is always clearly presented and relate-able to the reader, a particular highlight is the chapter on forgivness
October 25, 2011
Keyes locate much of our struggle in falling short of our heroes rather than the committing of our actual sins. I have a hunch he is right. It is the stripping away of glory that dominates our inner world. So the question is "who is your hero"? Many, many insights for those inclined to explore inner world space. Keyes leads the L'Abri ministry here in Massachusetts.
November 21, 2017
Preferred his lectures, but this book continues past what the lectures contain so that’s nice
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