Abstract
Identity might be the “hot button” topic of our time. Issues related to race, ethnicity, gender, and religious identity dominate the national and local political stage. Discussion and debate surrounding the issue of identity runs rampant in all facets of society but perhaps nowhere more prominent than on our college campuses. Identity in Action by Perry Glanzer is a book that hits right at the heart of this discussion and debate. Glanzer makes the case that higher education has failed to help college students develop both their identities and their purposes. You do not have to look very hard to find hundreds of recent books and articles focusing on the topic of identity, but Identity in Action provides a true blueprint for college students, faculty, and leadership that sets it apart from other books on the topic. While current trends in society focus on identity as something individuals discover by looking within at their own feelings and desires, Glanzer provides a much different perspective and purpose. The thesis of his book is that “God calls us to excellence in all of our identities,” and Glanzer claims that “we can only understand excellence if we consider our identities in relationship to God and God’s story” (p. 20). That foundation and focus is what makes Identity in Action truly unique and significant.
The book is comprised of 13 chapters divided into two parts. Part I focuses on the primary identities God gives us and includes chapters setting the foundation of the book—that Jesus Christ is our ultimate source of identity excellence and that our most important human identity is being a member of Christ’s body. Part II focuses on the specific forms of identity excellence and includes chapters on being an excellent neighbor, student, friend, enemy, lover, and steward of God’s gifts. Part II also includes a chapter on racial diversity and ethnicity and what it means to be an excellent steward of your skin tone and its culture.
Great teachers or professors understand that an effective lesson or lecture should include a “hook” to grab the learner’s attention, along with strategies that help the learner connect with the material or content. Glanzer models great teaching in his writing style. Each chapter begins with a quotation, scripture, or lyric that draws the reader in. And each chapter includes effective uses of examples from well-known stories or movies that help the reader connect with the material. He also very effectively weaves in his own hardships and challenges through the chapters to help the reader personalize the content. The quotations from interviews conducted with actual college students are particularly impactful.
One of the most unique and significant chapters in the book is Chapter 6, “Being an Excellent Friend.” Glanzer makes the strong case that whereas college students take classes on religion, philosophy, and ethics, they rarely, if ever, are exposed to any teaching about friendship. And yet being a good friend and finding good friends is one of the most significant parts of our identity. Glanzer closes out Chapter 6 by suggesting that Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of true friendship, explaining, “Furthermore, we must realize that making such friends also involves imitating Jesus. You do not find friends by looking for friends. You find friends by learning to love others sacrificially, like Jesus, and laying down your life for them” (p. 102). Colleges and universities that aim to have a positive influence on their students’ identity formation must devote intentional time and effort toward what it means to be an excellent friend and how to go about finding good friends. Glanzer includes numerous real-world examples and practical strategies relating to friendship in Chapter 6.
The fact that Glanzer comes from the “trenches” of Christian higher education results in an authentic writing style that should connect well with college-aged readers and professionals in the field. In fact, if I could only recommend one book right now to college students, Identity in Action would be that book. The book is timely, has a solid basis in scripture, and includes topics that I found to be extremely applicable to my dual roles on a Christian college campus (professor in the school of education and member of the campus ministry staff). Our society is facing an “identity crisis” and Glanzer’s approach is just what is needed to help college students and others face that crisis.