Theorists such as Stuart Hall have problematised the idea that identity is something that remains essentially the same across time. Since doctrine has been cast as that which safeguards Christian identity, this provokes the question: what role can doctrine play if this is the case? Critiquing George Lindbeck's The Nature of Doctrine in light of Kathryn Tanner's work on rules suggests that doctrine cannot regulate, constitute or generate the necessary conditions for Christian identity. Doctrine can, however, still play a role in generating Christian meaning without regulating identity by determining how concepts are formed in Christian community.

像斯图尔特霍尔这样的理论家已经质疑身份是一种随着时间的推移基本上保持不变的想法。既然教义被视为保护基督徒身份的东西，这就引发了一个问题：如果是这样，教义可以发挥什么作用？根据凯瑟琳·坦纳 (Kathryn Tanner) 在规则方面的工作，批评乔治·林德贝克 (George Lindbeck) 的《教义的本质》 ( The Nature of Doctrine)表明，教义不能规范、构成或产生基督徒身份的必要条件。然而，教义仍然可以通过决定概念在基督教社区中的形成方式，在不调节身份的情况下，在产生基督教意义方面发挥作用。