Gender: what does the Bible say?
When seeking to apply the teaching of the Bible to current issues around gender, it is tempting to start with specific passages such as Deuteronomy 22:5 (‘A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor should a man dress up in women’s clothing’) and 1 Corinthians 6:9 (which speaks of various kinds of sexual immorality).
Also recruited into the discussion is Jesus’ teaching about different types of eunuchs (those that were born intersex, those who have been castrated, and those who choose a life of celibacy for the sake of the kingdom; but note that this is in the context of Jesus’ affirmation that we are made ‘male and female’.). …
Attempted suicide rates in trans young people
According to this set of ‘Key Stats’ from Stonewall, ‘almost half (48 per cent) of trans people in Britain have attempted suicide at least once.’
This is an alarming statistic; and our hearts must surely be moved with compassion towards any person who feels driven to attempt to take their own life. Moreover, we should search our consciences to see whether our own attitudes and actions may have contributed to that person’s misery.
But is there an element of alarmism, both in the figure itself and in the way it is often used?…
LGBT: what does it mean to be ‘welcoming but not affirming’?
In the eyes of many, the idea that churches can take a ‘welcoming but not affirming’ attitude towards LGBT people is absurd. It inevitably leads to treating people as second class Christians, tolerated but not fully integrated into the life of the church.
The perceived absurdity is compounded by the myth that only two possibilities exist: either that of full and unconditional acceptance and affirmation, or that of rejection. Any kind of middle ground is rarely explored.…
The Baptist pastor and his transgender friends
In this video, Baptist pastor Mark Wingfield speaks about his experience of spending several months studying issues around transgender people. He then wrote an article: ‘Seven things I’m learning about transgender persons.’ The article had, at the time the video was recorded, been read by over a million people. Over 450 people had responded in writing or by phone to ite. A number of these were transgender persons, and their friends and families. Mark Wingfield was then moved to meet some of these transgender people face-to-face, and valued friendships were forged. …
Recommended tactics for trans lobbyists
How is it that a small number of organisations have achieved so much influence, in such a short period of time, over public policy regarding trans issues? How is it that we have been expected to affirm non-binary gender identities, support transition, provide gender-neutral toilets, and use language (pronouns, especially) in new kinds of ways, when we feel that we were not asked for our opinions about these things?
How is it, in other words, that the trans agenda seems to have overtaken us?…
Advice for parents in today’s transgender culture
Dr Sharon James works for The Christian Institute, and is author Gender Ideology: What Do Christians Need to Know (Christian Focus Publications)
What follows is based on this post.
A growing number of adolescents – mainly girls – are experiencing ‘rapid-onset gender dysphoria’ (ROGD). Such youngsters often belong to a group of friends, most or all of them identify as transgender at around the same time.
A peer group (either real or virtual) fosters the mutual belief that anxiety and unhappiness may be caused by being ‘transgender’, and that ‘gender transition’ will provide the solution.…
Do we meet God in particular places?
Life in lockdown has, for Christians, raised questions about what it means to meet God when our places of worship (aka ‘churches’) are closed.
Old Testament
Genesis 28:10-19 records Jacob’s experience of seeing in a dream angels on a stairway that led up to heaven, and of hearing God’s promise to give his descendants the land. Jacob concludes: “Surely the LORD is in this place, but I did not realize it!”
Specific localities are important in Moses’ encounter with God in the burning bush, and in the giving of the law at Mount Sinai. …
Coronavirus and Christ
John Piper’s recent book, Coronavirus and Christ (Crossway, 2020) has quite a lot on common with John Lennox’s Where is God in a Coronavirus World?
Both are written from an evangelical perspective by men with long experience in Christian ministry, and who have experienced significant ill-health in the past. Both books are quite short, appeal to the same kinds of biblical teaching, and extend an invitation to accept the Good News of Jesus, crucified, risen and returning.…
In [the NHS] we trust?
We are thankful to God for the recovery of Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister, from what was, evidently, a bad case of Covid-19. We are thankful, too, that tomorrow (27th April 2020) he expects to be able to return to 10 Downing Street and pick up the reigns of national leadership again.
His comments, upon leaving hospital, were heartfelt, and appreciative of the efforts made by NHS staff not only on his own behalf, but also on behalf of their many other patients.…
Where is God in a coronavirus world?
John Lennox, Where is God in a Coronavirus World? The Good Book Company, 2020.
I’d like to offer a brief resume of this book by an Oxford mathematician, philosopher of science, and Christian apologist.
I think that I have faithfully reflected – albeit mostly in my own words – the main lines of thought.
1. Feeling vulnerable
Lennox writes in April, 2020, just a few short months into the world-wide emergency that has been precipitated by the rapid spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. …