TRANSGENDER IDEOLOGY: ASSORTED THOUGHTS FOR CURIOUS CHRISTIANS

I’ve been sitting on this article for a while & thought I’d finally share. My dissertation examined the question, how does the image of God from Genesis 1:26-28 inform the controversial topics of gender, sexuality & marriage? Here are a few (hopefully helpful) thoughts for curious Christians.

SUMMARY: Gender is a gift to be received, not an identity to be expressed. Christians reject bullying and denigration of every kind. Transgenderism is an ideological battle about what it means to be human. There isn’t one single transgender ideology and experience; there are multiple, and understanding the difference is essential. A real culture war is underway, but the Christian’s first calling is to be a missionary, not a culture warrior.

INTRO: One of the most contentious issues in this generation is transgender ideology: how should society respond to a person who identifies with a gender different than their biological sex? Carl Trueman summarizes the issue like this. Thirty years ago, if a patient told the doctor, “I am a man trapped in a woman’s body,” the doctor would have said, “That IS a problem, and it’s a problem with your mind, so we should treat your mind using psychology.” Now, when a patient tells the doctor, “I am a man trapped in a woman’s body, the doctor is likely to say, “That IS a problem, and it’s a problem with your body, so we should treat your body using medicine.” The change has been swift and polarizing. The key question is, “Should my psychology determine reality, or should my psychology conform to reality?” What does it mean to be human? That’s the essential question. It’s more than a question about gender; it’s a question about human identity.

BIG IDEA 1:All people are created in the image of God and have dignity, worth, and value. Trans people are people.  Therefore, trans people have dignity, worth, and value. Christians should stand up against any hostility, bullying, or dehumanizing of trans people. We should seek to be good and kind neighbors and even friends. This is basic Christian ethics. Listen to people. Learn their stories. Have compassion and patience. Trans people are not at all the same. Preston Sprinkle says, “If you’ve met one trans person, you’ve met one trans person.”

BIG IDEA 2:Avoid the extremes. The image of God from Genesis 1:26-28 lays the foundation for Christian belief about humanity. The image of God <1> defines our purpose, <2> establishes our dignity, <3> and governs our sexuality. (This is my doctoral thesis in a nutshell, haha.) The same doctrine that causes us to reject transgender ideology also compels us to treat transgender people with dignity, sympathy, and nuance. Christians reject all forms of bullying and denigrating other image-bearers of God.

BIG IDEA 3:Gender is a gift to be received, not an identity to be claimed. Gender is not irrelevant, a mistake, or a curse. This is a theological truth and a biological reality. The gender binary (male & female) isn’t “an oppressive construct of Western Civilization;” it is basic biology. And virtually every human civilization for the last 5000 years has agreed. The New Testament and Christian history are unambiguous about what Christians should believe about gender, marriage, and sexuality. In fact, on its very first page, the Bible says that God created humanity as male & female; gender is not a spectrum and not at the mercy of human subjectivity (Genesis 1:27). And God’s design is good. On page two, the Scripture establishes marriage as the union of a husband to a wife (Genesis 2:24). And when Jesus describes marriage, he quotes from both Genesis 1 and 2 affirming God’s original design for marriage. Then, he does something surprising. He amplifies and strengthen’s the Genesis design saying, “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate (Matthew 19:4-6).”

BIG IDEA 4:There is a much bigger ideological battle behind the gender debate. Some activists hold an extreme ideology and genuinely want to destroy traditional civilization. While this battle involves people, it is influenced by sinister, invisible spiritual forces. The Apostle Paul describes them in Ephesians 6:12, saying, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Therefore, Christians must heed Paul’s advice in Colossians 2:8, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”

BIG IDEA 5:Transgenderism is not a single phenomenon or ideology. At least three broad categories of people are described as “trans.” It is helpful (and controversial) to differentiate between the three. Drawing these distinctions is politically dangerous but pastorally helpful. So here they are...

• GD - Gender Dysphoria. A small number of people experience persistent distress with their biological sex. This distress happens regardless of whether they’ve been exposed to transgender ideology. It’s a painful psychological condition; those suffering deserve our sympathy and resources. It is similar to some forms of anorexia - both are body dysmorphic disorders. A person feels a tension between their perception of their body (fat) and the reality of their body (thin). Interestingly, people with GD generally believe strongly in the gender binary - men & women. They want to live as the opposite sex, not on some gender spectrum (see NBM below). They generally want to blend into society, not be conspicuous (see AGP below). Christians should have deep sympathy for GD sufferers.

• NB - The Non-Binary Movement. Non-binary is the new Goth. It is social contagion (think “fad”) that disproportionately affects teen girls, autistic individuals, and those with other psychological distresses or past traumas. The NB movement is a movement of belonging for disaffected youth who don’t fit into mainstream culture and want to push back against cultural norms. There have always been movements of belonging for disaffected youth. In my day, it was Punk. Then Goth. Then Emo. Teens who don’t fit into mainstream culture create a subculture with non-conforming language & dress. Non-binary is the new Punk. Non-binary is the new Goth. Go to a high school today, and you won’t see any Punk, Goth or Emo kids. But you will see non-binary teens with colored hair, piercings, etc. The NB movement maintains that society should use a person’s preferred pronouns, including newly-invented ones (ze/zim, xe/xim...). It is based on ideology, not science, claiming that gender is simply a social construct and every person falls on a spectrum somewhere between “fully man” and “fully woman.” A person’s creative self-identification, rather than biological sex, determines their gender, and their self-identified gender must be respected. Most NB teens (research shows over 90%) will revert to identifying with their biological sex as they transition to adulthood. However, some will undergo permanent, experimental medical procedures, affecting their bodies, fertility, body chemistry, etc. Most European countries have stopped providing medical gender transitions to kids, but the US has over 100 clinics. It’s a serious issue. Christians should have deep sympathy for vulnerable, disaffected youth.

• AGP - Autogynephilia. This third category is controversial even to mention, but some of the most prominent transgender activists fall into this category. AGP is composed exclusively of males transitioning to a female identity, usually later in life. AGP individuals present themselves not as “average” women but as an exaggerated, sexualized version of a woman. AGP is a sexual fetish or sexual orientation more than a psychological condition. While not precisely the same, AGP has some overlap with transvestism & the drag queen phenomenon. While their numbers are small, many of the most vocal (and aggressive) trans-rights activists are AGP. It’s not uncommon for AGP activists to physically threaten women who oppose their ideology. (See J.K. Rowling.) They disproportionately influence public policy issues like medical transitioning for minors that may cause lifelong harm to young vulnerable girls. Christians should stand against harmful activism and bullying.

To put the pieces together... AGP activists use the existence of GD sufferers to push harmful policies on NB kids. It’s complicated and sinister, and American society should be concerned.

FINALLY: As Christians, the Great Commission is our priority. People’s most profound need is to know the love and salvation that God offers through Jesus Christ. Yes, there is a culture war. But we are not to be, first and foremost, cultural warriors. We are ministers and missionaries, not political pundits. Sometimes that will require standing for truth in the public sphere. But I’m concerned that culture-warring Christians create an inhospitable environment for struggling, disaffected young people in our churches. Yes, there are complicated issues like males in women’s sports & women’s prisons and medical transitions for minors. Let’s care about and advocate for what’s good. But remember, Jesus came bringing grace and truth. We should, too - and usually in that order.