Who Do You Think You Are?
Dr. Perry Greene opens this episode with a funny airport moment that lands on a serious point: when life shifts, titles disappear, or relationships change, a person still has to answer the question of identity. He greets his listeners as “Patriots,” welcomes them to GodNAmerica “where faith and freedom fly united,” and argues that lasting identity cannot be built on roles that come and go, but on a relationship that does not change—belonging to Jesus Christ. Readers will see how Dr. Greene contrasts temporary labels with an eternal identity, and why he believes that foundation matters for personal stability and for sustaining freedom in a nation.
Dr. Greene begins with a story from the final days of Denver’s old Stapleton Airport. A crowded United flight was canceled, and one gate agent was rebooking a long line of inconvenienced travelers. An angry passenger pushed to the front, slapped his ticket down, and demanded to be on the flight in first class. When the agent calmly explained that other passengers had to be helped first, the man shouted so the whole terminal could hear, “Do you have any idea who I am?” Dr. Greene says the agent responded with a quick, public announcement: “We have a passenger here who does not know who he is. If anyone can help him find his identity, please come to gate 17.” The crowd laughed, and even though the flight was canceled, the mood was restored.
That punchline becomes the episode’s central question: does a person truly know who they are when the usual labels are removed? Dr. Greene says many people tie identity to changing circumstances. Some define themselves by relationships—spouse, parent, child. Others define themselves by career, political affiliation, or a social role. In his view, those identities can feel strong while the season is stable, but the problem shows up when the season changes. When the title is gone, the relationship shifts, or the platform disappears, the question surfaces with new force: who is a person then?
Dr. Greene connects this theme to his own life in ministry. After 45 years in church ministry, he stepped away from the pulpit and heard someone describe it as retirement. He notes that the word can sound faded, as though a person has moved beyond usefulness. But he frames his transition differently. Titles may change, he says, but calling and identity in Christ do not. In his telling, he did not truly retire; he changed ministries and began GodNAmerica.
From there, Dr. Greene describes patterns he has observed over time. He says men often find their worth in work and women often find their worth in family. His emphasis is not that work or family is unimportant, but that both can become an unstable foundation when treated as the primary source of identity. When a career ends unexpectedly, when health limits what a person can do, when children grow and leave home, or when family dynamics shift, a person who has built identity on that role can experience profound loss. The loss is not only about the change itself, but about what the change seems to say about personal value.
He also warns that political identity can fade. Parties change, he says, and so do their values. Dr. Greene illustrates this by arguing that John Kennedy’s Democrats would be Republicans today. Whatever point a listener takes from that comparison, his larger concern is clear: when identity is built on political categories, shifting platforms and changing coalitions can leave a person unmoored.
Dr. Greene extends the same idea to national identity. He says that the America the founders envisioned—rooted in faith and freedom—has dramatically changed. Yet he argues that the founders understood who they were before God, and that their sense of identity shaped the risks they were willing to take. Dr. Greene says the signers of the Declaration of Independence risked their names, fortunes, and lives for liberty because they believed it was a divine calling, not just a political one.
To underline the cost of liberty, Dr. Greene points to Thomas Paine’s warning: “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must like men undergo the fatigue of supporting it,” and “what we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly.” In Dr. Greene’s framing, true liberty comes with a cost, and true identity comes with a cost as well. Both require commitment that survives inconvenience and opposition. In other words, neither freedom nor identity can be treated as a cheap accessory without eventually being lost.
For Dr. Greene, the answer to shifting labels is not to chase a new label, but to root identity in the One who does not change. He anchors that claim in Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” When cultural values shift, political definitions mutate, and personal seasons change, Dr. Greene argues that the unchanging character of Christ makes Him the only reliable center for identity.
He then points to Romans 8:14–17 as a clear description of who God’s people are:
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you did not receive the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.”
Dr. Greene’s emphasis is direct: a person does not have to find identity in the world; identity is found in Christ. In his view, worth is not determined by what someone does, who someone knows, or what someone owns, but by whose that person is. He summarizes the idea simply: to be a child of the King is everything. The word “adoption” in Romans 8 matters in his message because it points to belonging that is received rather than earned—an identity rooted in relationship, not performance.
Dr. Greene also connects personal identity to the endurance of freedom. He says the founders risked all they had because they knew freedom was a gift from God. He argues that the only way to preserve liberty is through faith and virtue, and by sincerely belonging to the Lord. The implication in his message is that public life cannot stay healthy for long if personal identity is collapsing. When people do not know who they are before God, other identities rush in to fill the vacuum.
In Dr. Greene’s view, the current moment is marked by confusion and chaos. He describes a culture where people are redefining everything from truth and identity to motives and morality. Against that backdrop, he insists that God still defines His children clearly and eternally. A person does not have to chase an identity that fades. Dr. Greene calls listeners to stand firmly as sons and daughters of the King, heirs to God’s promise, and stewards of His truth.
He closes by saying that the need for GodNAmerica is not only political. He calls for personal revival so that people remember who they truly are. His final encouragement is practical and urgent: keep the light of a godly identity burning.
Application
Dr. Greene’s message is both stabilizing and demanding: identity is received in Christ, not earned through performance, and it must be guarded when competing identities try to take over. A few practical applications flow from his approach:
Name the labels that can disappear. Career titles, family roles, public recognition, and political categories can change quickly. Dr. Greene’s point is to treat them as responsibilities for a season, not as the core of identity.
Anchor worth in adoption, not achievement. Romans 8:14–17 describes identity as “adoption” into God’s family. Dr. Greene’s emphasis is that belonging precedes doing; security comes from being God’s child rather than from proving value.
Test the foundation when circumstances shift. When a role changes, the underlying question becomes clearer: is identity built on Christ, or on something temporary?
Hold civic commitments with a deeper center. Dr. Greene does not dismiss civic responsibility; he argues that faith and virtue are necessary for preserving liberty. In his framing, public engagement should flow from a settled identity in God, not replace it.
Start with personal revival. Dr. Greene’s call is not only about public change. He calls for personal revival—remembering what God says is true about His children.
Illustrative example (clearly labeled): If someone’s sense of worth rises and falls entirely with a job title, then a layoff can become an identity crisis. Dr. Greene’s approach would treat the job as meaningful stewardship, but not as the foundation of personhood. The foundation is being a child of God—steady even when circumstances are not.
TL;DR
Dr. Perry Greene uses an airport story to surface a serious identity question: “Do we really know who we are?”
He warns that many people build identity on changing labels—relationships, careers, platforms, and politics.
He describes his own ministry transition as a change of ministry, not a fading retirement.
He argues that men often attach worth to work and women to family, and both can feel profound loss when seasons shift.
He says political identity is unstable because parties and values change over time.
He says national identity can be fragile, and that America’s founding vision rooted in faith and freedom has changed dramatically.
He highlights the founders’ willingness to risk “names, fortunes, and lives” because they saw liberty as a divine calling.
He cites Thomas Paine to emphasize the fatigue and cost of sustaining freedom.
He anchors lasting identity in Christ’s unchanging nature (Hebrews 13:8) and God’s “adoption” of believers (Romans 8:14–17).
He calls listeners to stand as sons and daughters of the King—heirs of God and stewards of His truth.
Discussion Questions
Which life roles (family, career, reputation, politics) are most tempting to treat as personal identity rather than responsibility?
How does Dr. Greene’s description of “adoption” in Romans 8 reshape the way worth is measured?
What kinds of life changes typically expose whether identity is built on something temporary?
How does Dr. Greene connect personal identity in Christ to the endurance of freedom in a nation?
What would “personal revival” look like in everyday habits, priorities, and conversations?
Apply It This Week
Write down the titles or labels most used to describe you (job, family role, political category). Then add one sentence beneath each: “This can change, but it is not my core identity.”
Read Hebrews 13:8 and Romans 8:14–17 slowly once per day, focusing on the phrases “the Spirit of adoption” and “children of God.”
Choose one decision this week—work, family, or civic—and ask: “Is this coming from insecurity, or from the steadiness of belonging to Christ?”
Practice humility in conversation by valuing people over status—especially when disagreements about politics or culture arise.
Prayer Prompt
Father, help Your children remember who they are in Christ. Replace fear and striving with the security of adoption, and form steady hearts that live as faithful heirs and truthful stewards. Amen.