Identity and risk (1)

As the debate on Britain’s membership of the EU has developed, two underlying factors have been prominent, if not always acknowledged. The first is identity, sometimes masquerading as community. It is the question to who we (UK citizens) think we belong. The second is risk, surfacing in competing speculative scenarios of the consequences of leaving or remaining EU members. Both these factors require careful analysis and raise particular questions for Christians. In this blog I deal with identity. Risk will follow.

Political identity in this context is the product of history and geography, often laced with assumptions about culture and ideology. It is undoubtedly complex, both as regards ‘British identity’ and ‘European identity’. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a construct of history, largely driven by the asymmetry of its component parts – i.e. the numerical dominance of England. The British state has evolved – yes, like Topsy – and continues to do so as different forms of devolution are adopted and adapted. It is not a federal or even a confederal state, but it is not a straight-forwardedly unitary state either.

Such constitutional complexity reflects our tribal history and the differential impact of successive waves of invasion and immigration, almost entirely from Europe – but significantly different parts of Europe (Rome, Scandinavia, the Normans). Because of the geography of the British Isles these ‘external inputs’ into emerging British culture and identity impacted different parts of these islands differently. The result has been the social and cultural heterogeneity which is a key element of our contemporary identity. Yes, we have a strong European influence in our identity arising from our geographical proximity to the European Continent. But that influence has varied significantly from one part of these islands to another – not least economically.

It should be noted that there are similar complexities about ‘European identity’, and the significance of these has been very evident in the severe difficulties European states, individually and collectively, have had in responding to immigration, especially of economic and political refugees. The referendum is about our membership of the European Union. That is different from, though not unconnected with, the European Economic Area, the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, not to mention the European Broadcasting Union. The states of what we call Continental Europe have much in common but also significant differences, not least in their experiences of invasion and immigration and especially of the impact of Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin continental ambitions.

This combination of similarity and heterogeneity should be familiar to Christians, since it is a feature of the varied pattern of Church life and the complexity of attempts to develop ecumenical associations and instruments. Even the three major traditions of (Roman) Catholic, Reformed and Orthodox are themselves complex categories – and do not encompass all forms of Protestant groupings, particularly the Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. European Christianity is, like European polity, diverse.

For Christians struggling to make sense of the ‘Leave or Remain’ there are, it seems to me, two key points in relation to identity which we must keep at the forefront of our minds. The first is, as we were so powerfully reminded by Archbishop Justin in April, that our identity is in Christ. That Christ died and rose again for each one of us is what unites us to one another; and it trumps every other connection, association, common feature. The second, which follows from it, is that we have an obligation arising from that common identity to ‘dwell together in unity’. We start from the recognition that every human being is created and loved by God; for each and all of us God sent His own beloved Son to die and rise again; and as the season of Pentecost approaches we remember that God’s Holy Spirit is His special gift to each and all of us as we open ourselves to Him. Whatever view we take of our national history, culture, or of the differences and similarities we have with the citizens of neighbouring states, we recognize that as creatures of Almighty God they share with us the possibility of a common identity in Christ, an identity which He calls upon us to share.

About the author

Philip Giddings was Head of the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Reading until his retirement in 2011, with research interests in public administration, Parliament and the Ombudsman. From 1985 to 2015 he was a member of the General Synod, chairing the Mission and Public Affairs Division and its Council from 2003 to 2013 and serving as Chair of the House of Laity from 2010-15.