Here’s an excerpt:

6. Christ is your identity
Christ is your identity. I don’t care what you’ve done, and I don’t care what has been done to you. Those things are horrible and we can deal with them in Redemption Groups, biblical counseling, community groups, friendship, and relationship, but here’s your identity. It’s not what has been done to you or what has been done by you, but it is what Christ has done for you. In the eyes of Christ, you are clean. You were forgiven. You were adopted. You were redeemed. You are beloved. You are, you are. And I know some of you, the guilt is deep, the sin is real, and life is a wreck. And Christ is good. And if you believe that your identity is transformed in Christ as an adoptive, loved, forgiven, regenerated, transformed, empowered, renewed, hopeful child of God, you will live differently.

I’d hope that without having to go into the truth or reality of religion that everyone reading this post can recognize the sheer memetic power of the idea above. This is what makes religious arguments so difficult and emotional; it is why it’s impolite to bring up religion (and politics). When we tell ourselves that an idea is who we are we cease to want (anyone) to think critically about it. Many have died because they dared question such ideas. I’m glad that happens less often nowadays.