Embrace, Not Exclude
The inner self is the basis of human dignity,
moreover the inner sense of dignity needs recognition
-Francis Fukuyama-
Identity politics seems to be a scourge in our national and state life. I still clearly remember the moment of the Governor’s election for our nation’s capital in 2017. Of the three pairs of candidates running, there is one candidate for governor who is Christian and also of Chinese descent with his ancestors having resided here for several generations. Identity politics regarding that election arose in various narratives, especially via social media circulates massively and widely without anyone being able to stop it. Even though six years have passed since this incident, for some people the trauma of the election for governor of our country’s capital remains strong. Currently, our nation is preparing to enter the general election to elect the President and Vice President early next year. Even though all the candidates running for office have the same religious background (the majority religion here), identity politics narratives are starting to emerge again, especially on various social media platforms.
Identity politics is very closely related to what Fukuyama wrote in his book, namely human dignity. Humans need within themselves to gain recognition. Fukuyama wrote a term called thymos. “Thymos is the part of the soul that craves recognition of dignity.”[1] From there, the term “isothymia” became known. Isothymia is the demand to be respected on an equal basis with other people.”[2] Therefore I agree with Fukuyama that “demand for recognition of one’s identity is a master concept that unifies much of what is going on in world politics today.”[3] Why does it happen? Fukuyama explains that “in all cases a group, believes that it has an identity that is not being given adequate recognition—either by the outside world, in the case of a nation, or by other members of the same society.”[4] The question is, what identity is meant? Fukuyama points out that these identities are very diverse: “Those identities can be and are incredibly varied, based on nation, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender.”[5]
Amid the diversity of human identities, what becomes a problem is when a person or group of people is dominated by the desire to be superior, as mentioned by Fukuyama with the term “megalothymia.”[6] The lust for power and superiority has produced more bad effects than good. The desire to be superior encourages a person or group of people to do everything they can to achieve their goals. It doesn’t matter if this method leads them to carry out exploitation, genocide, and so on. For this reason, Fukuyama offers the idea of the need to build a “national identity.” According to Fukuyama, “national identity begins with a shared belief in the legitimacy of the country’s political system, whether that system is democratic or not.”[7] The benefit of national identity according to Fukuyama is to present physical security, the creation and maintenance of good government, the creation and sustaining of economic development, build trust, and strong social safety.[8]
Fukuyama’s experiences and narratives he built give us an important understanding of building life in today’s global world. Even though humans have differences and uniqueness, humans have advantages and disadvantages, these are not reasons that can justify carrying out acts of racism, exclusion, oppression, exploitation, and genocide. There is a term mentioned by Miroslav Volf, namely “exclude”, which means “instead of reconfiguring myself to make space for the other, I seek to reshape the other into who I want her to be in order that in relation to her I may be who I want to be.”[9]
In my perspective, the big community that can be positive in efforts to eradicate identity politics is Christianity and the church. Why? Because Christianity and the church have the gift of wisdom and spiritual values that come from God about how one should live life in a world full of diversity and uniqueness. Of course, it is a big concern if Christians and churches also use identity politics in building their internal and external relations. It is very unfortunate that Christianity and the church actually do this nowadays. Let what the church did and happened in the past become a historical record and a learning record about how to build a positive and empowering life in the present. Of course, we all still remember how the first humans fell and were trapped in the desire to be superior, to be the same as God. We need to be aware of similar tendencies that we carry out today.
Christianity and the church have so much “homework” that requires attention and energy to complete. These tasks can be carried out and completed well when Christianity and the church abandon all forms of “identity politics” practices. Therefore, the presence of Christianity and the church will actually bring about justice and goodness for all. Everyone, regardless of who they are or their background and identity, possesses the same rights and dignity before God and is loved by Him. So, why do we differentiate and treat each other unfairly? To realize this, within Christianity and the church, there needs to be a “will to embrace” as stated by Volf: “The knowledge of justice depends on the will to embrace. The relationship between justice and embrace goes deeper, however. Embrace is part and parcel of the very definition of justice.”[10] As Christ has come, embracing and loving everyone, so should the attitude and actions of the church. This was then reflected well by the apostle Paul in Galatians 3:28 says: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
[1] Francis Fukuyama, Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment, (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2018), xiii.
[2] Francis Fukuyama, Identity.
[3] Francis Fukuyama, Identity, xiv.
[4] Francis Fukuyama, Identity, 9.
[5] Francis Fukuyama, Identity.
[6] Francis Fukuyama, Identity, xiii.
[7] Francis Fukuyama, Identity, 126.
[8] Francis Fukuyama, Identity, 128-130.
[9] Miroslav Volf, Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation, (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996), 91.
[10] Miroslav Volf, Exclusion and Embrace, 220.
About the Author
Dinka Utomo
Dinka Nehemia Utomo is an ordained pastor of the Protestant Church in the Western part of Indonesia (Gereja Protestan di Indonesia bagian Barat or GPIB). He has served for more than 15 years. The first five years of his ministry were in the remote area of East Kalimantan, including people from the indigenous Dayak tribe in the small villages in the middle of the forest, frequently reached using small boats down the river. For more than 15 years, Dinka has served several GPIB congregations in several cities in Indonesia. He has always had a passion for equipping Christian families, teaching and guiding them to build equal relations between husband and wife, maintaining commitment, love, and loyalty, creating a healthy and constructive Christian family atmosphere, and rejecting all forms of violence and sexual violence. Dinka's beloved wife, Verra, is also a GPIB pastor. They have two blessed children. Dinka and his wife and children love to spend quality family time, such as lunch or dinner, and vacation to exotic places.9 responses to “Embrace, Not Exclude”
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Dinka, thank you for your post and for your reminder of how the Church can be an example of how we can live justly! In your last paragraph you write, “Christianity and the church have so much “homework” that requires attention and energy to complete. These tasks can be carried out and completed well when Christianity and the church abandon all forms of “identity politics” practices.” I really, really appreciate that you go on to point out that our job is to “embrace” like Christ did. I wonder if these days embracing those in identity groups looks like listening to their pain, learning from it, and examining ourselves to see if and how we have contributed to their pain. And then, centering their voices. Thank you for giving me the word “embrace” as a way to think and talk about this. It’s such a loving way to think about it.
Hey Dr. Dinka, thank you for your post again. There was a phrase I couldn’t get over, “for some people the trauma of the election for governor of our country’s capital remains strong.” Can you please explain to me what that trauma was?
Hi Todd! Thank you for your comment.
There are some people who are supporters of the gubernatorial candidate that I described above, who have experienced bullying both directly by the people around them and indirectly through social media.
To understand the picture of the situation at that time, I can provide one of article for further reading:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-east-asian-studies/article/ethnic-and-religious-sentiments-in-indonesian-politics-evidence-from-the-2017-jakarta-gubernatorial-election/41525EFE460475557CBDBDEF5D0F9B66
Oh Dinka! Thank you too much for this article. WOW! The religious and ethnic sentiments are strong AND TRAUMATIZING! Thank you for informing me/us about this painful tragedy. It gives me a greater appreciation for you as a pastor and person. May our Lord continue to strengthen you to help others heal even as you heal.
Dinka~
I’d like to hear more about this sentence:
“Christianity and the church have so much “homework” that requires attention and energy to complete. These tasks can be carried out and completed well when Christianity and the church abandon all forms of “identity politics” practices.” It’s a loaded statement that I am curious what you are “seeing” in your ministry and church. Can you offer an example or two? I appreciate your perspective!
Hi Pam!
Thanks for asking. It’s a very good question.
Our church denomination holds a statement of faith that underscores the broader role of the church beyond ritual worship. It recognizes that there are other essential endeavors that Christ desires to be carried out through purposefully designed programs. These programs include initiatives for empowering the impoverished, reaching out to isolated communities through service programs, spreading the gospel in prisons, visiting orphanages and nursing homes, and establishing programs for environmental care and preservation. Our country has various beliefs and faiths that coexist. Our denomination also believes that a church is tasked with the responsibility of fostering interfaith dialogue and maintaining harmony between different religious communities. However, these important tasks may be overlooked and neglected if the church continues to engage in identity politics, both internally (considering our church denomination’s diverse membership comprising various ethnicities and social statuses) and externally within society (taking into account our nation’s diverse mix of ethnicities, cultures, and religions). In my perspective, to be a church that proclaims the joyful message of the gospel to all of God’s creation, it is imperative that the church adopts and upholds an embracing attitude rather than one of exclusion.
Hi Kally! Thank you for your comment. I really appreciate it.
My reflection emerged when I tried to connect Fukuyama’s writings and the values of leadership and spirituality to what the church can offer to society and the world. What you wrote in the comment above is absolutely correct that the church can be present and embrace everyone without discriminating against any identity or background attached to it. The church should also give itself to listen to the cries of people who need sincere love like Christ did to us.
Dinka,
What you are writing is profound for each of us. You have given me much to think about. Might our American Church culture learn from what you are seeing, doing and saying! I also think it would be helpful for Jennifer Vernam to talk with you about this as it pertains (in part) to her NPO!
Dinka,
I enjoyed your post immensely. So much truth and clarity. You wrote, “Even though humans have differences and uniqueness, humans have advantages and disadvantages, these are not reasons that can justify carrying out acts of racism, exclusion, oppression, exploitation, and genocide.” YES, YES, and YES! Thank you for this statement.