What marks humans as being created in the image of God?

[Josh]

Genesis 1:27

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Curious to hear different perspectives on this question: what in particular about humans marks them out as being created in the "image of God"?

[Josh]

I have heard all sorts of answers to this questions: our intellect, our creativity, our spiritual capacity is the "image of God" within us. One I really like is our ability to love and be loved.

Here's N.T. Wright's perspective:

"The notion of the image doesn't refer to a particular spiritual endowment, a secret property that humans possess somewhere in their genetic makeup, something that might be found by a scientific observation of humans as opposed to chimps or dolphins.  The image is a vocation, a calling.  It is the call to be an angled mirror, reflecting God's wise order into the world and the praises of all creation back to the creator.  That is what it means to be the royal priesthood: looking after God's world is the royal bit; summing up creation's praise is the priestly bit.  And the image is, of course, the final thing that is put into the temple so that the god can be present to his people through the image and his people can worship him in that image."