Joseph and the problem of identity politics

Here's my article for Broughton's July magazine:

This year's production by Broughton Primary school is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. This story is one of the central stories of the Jewish people, helping to give them their sense of identity. The most defining story for the Jewish people is the story of the Exodus, indeed many times God introduces himself by saying “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt” (e.g. Exodus 6:7, Leviticus 26:13, Psalms 81:10). This event is also the basis for their moral code: the Ten Commandments start with this statement (Exodus 20:2). But the story of Joseph tells how the Israelites (named after Joseph's father, Jacob, who was also called Israel (Genesis 32:28)) got to Egypt in the first place.

Foundational stories are really important for galvanising a group of people together, and they can also pass on values and valuable lessons to future generations. Whilst the Exodus speaks of a nation rescued by God, the story of Joseph shows that favouritism, pride and jealousy lead to a need to be rescued. Jacob loved Joseph more than his brothers, which made Joseph vain and lazy, which made his brothers so angry and envious that they sold him into slavery (Genesis 37). This seems to have had a profound effect on Joseph who became a diligent and trustworthy slave, who learnt that the gifts God had given him were for him to use for everyone's benefit, not just for his own boasting.

The downside of national identity is the problem of tribalism. These days tribalism can manifest itself in identity politics – people grouping themselves together on the basis of a single shared characteristic, often with a claim of victimisation and discrimination, and often with the aim of getting recognition and power. Now, of course, seeing someone as of less worth than someone else because of a characteristic they have is always wrong, but although it seems a good idea, identity politics has undesirable consequences. From the point of view of society there is the problem of the hierarchy of identities: how do we decide which of the marginalized groups needs to be heard the loudest; what happens if someone has more than one marginalized characteristic; when does a marginalized group campaigning for themselves start discriminating against others? This last question is increasing seen in the way freedom of speech is stopped whenever the speaker wants to challenge the assumptions of a marginalized group.

But on a personal level there is something very worrying about investing so much of your identity in one characteristic. If you do this you will inevitably see yourself as being in competition with everyone else, and life becomes all about dominating others to your advantage. There is only one characteristic that truly matters: that we are humans beings. And for Christians that means we have a dignity because we're made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). If we identify ourselves first and foremost as human beings the problems of victimisation and discrimination start to fall away. Add to this a recognition that we are slaves to our sinful nature and that we can't save ourselves but need God to rescue us, and you have the start of the Kingdom of God on earth. And that's a kingdom we should all want to identify with.