Gender Ideology and Human Identity: A Theological Exploration
Gender Ideology and Human Identity: A Theological Exploration

Summary/Abstract: "This study examines the contemporary reconfiguration of human identity in light of recent developments in gender theory, post-structuralist thought, and broader cultural shifts toward self-definition and autonomy. It argues that many current approaches interpret identity primarily in terms of personal choice, subjective experience, or social construction, often leaving insufficiently clarified the ontological question of what the human person is.The analysis proceeds as a theological-philosophical inquiry grounded explicitly in Orthodox Christian theological anthropology. Particular attention is given to key conceptual transformations introduced by thinkers such as Michel Foucault and Judith Butler, especially regarding the instability of identity categories, the performative understanding of gender, and the critique of normative structures. While acknowledging the legitimate concerns addressed by contemporary discourse—such as human dignity, freedom, and the rejection of unjust discrimination—the study argues that certain constructivist models risk weakening the ontological coherence of the person, particularly in their treatment of embodiment, relationality, and givenness. In response, the paper proposes a retrieval of the patristic concept of the human being as eikon (image of God), drawing on both early Christian sources and modern Orthodox theologians such as Dumitru Stăniloae, John Zizioulas, and Christos Yannaras. Within this framework, identity is understood not as self-generated but as received, embodied, and fulfilled in communion. The study does not aim at a polemical rejection of contemporary theories, but at a critical engagement that seeks to clarify their limits and to articulate an alternative anthropological grammar. It suggests that the rediscovery of the eikon may offer both conceptual depth and practical orientation for current debates concerning identity."

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