Narrative and Nuance
Gospel Perspectives for the Transgender Conversation
Central to the heart and mission of The Identify Network, is to educate and equip the church to engage in ministry, with a better understanding, rooted in a commitment to Gospel sight and practice. Within that heart is a commitment to see every person as God has created them, In His image (Genesis 1:26-27). The culture war surrounding the sexual revolution has produced many victims and unfortunately has only served to deepen the lack of trust and respect between the church and the LGBT community.
The reality of this war has never been clearer than the past few months as the conversation surrounding Transgender persons and bathrooms rage. Public Schools and Target are the latest theaters for action. As each side asserts their rights and talks past each other on social media, once again, a Gospel vision of ministry is the casualty.
Our hearts will always be prone to seek a better way forward for the church and thus a desire to hold brothers and sisters accountable to seeing with new eyes, redemptive eyes! And so, our hearts break (we literally ache) as we see brothers and sisters, some well-intentioned, others, not so much, talk past people, assume the worst about transgender persons, our fellow image bearers. Not to overlook the very real concerns and questions of many. However, no matter where one stands posture matters, empathy matters, understanding matters, and ultimately all of these cannot be divorced from a Gospel perspective on Transgender persons.
As I process the issues, the opinions, and responses, it is clear that for the conversation to get better; understanding is needed.
A lack of understanding breeds misrepresentation, fear, disgust, and ultimately a desire to keep transgender persons at arms length, and rather than seeing them as fellow image-bearers, we see them as something other but certainly not someone to be intentionally loved for who they primarily are, image bearers. When we love someone simply as a person we feel no need to force every conversation as a referendum on their life and choices. We simply love and when love is genuine the truths of the Gospel and will be displayed and spoken as part of a relationship, but not as a special topic agenda.
If we cannot shift our paradigm here we will continue to convey to LGBTQ individuals that they are the sum of their attractions and gender identities. We will continue to treat individuals as projects and pawns in a culture war. Yes, we believe that God’s image includes his creation of humanity as male and female, and therefore, we humbly and sincerely assert, gender nonconformity (as it relates to biological sex) is not part God’s original and good design for his creation. But, the truth we see and speak can never be the sole means by which we demonstrate our genuine love. If this continues to be the case, then we will continue to push away from people created in God’s image, because they resist what we believe is truth. when we do this we signal a lack of genuine love for the person, and Jesus is dishonored!
When we love someone simply as a person we feel no need to force every conversation as a referendum on their life and choices. We simply love and when love is genuine the truths of the Gospel and will be displayed and spoken as part of a relationship, but not as a special topic agenda. If we cannot shift our paradigm here we will continue to convey to LGBTQ individuals that they are the sum of their attractions and gender identities. We will continue to treat individuals as projects and pawns in a culture war.
Yes, we believe that God’s image includes his creation of humanity as male and female, and therefore, we humbly and sincerely assert, gender nonconformity is not part God’s original and good design for his creation. But, the truth we see and speak can never be the sole means by which we demonstrate our genuine love. If this continues to be the case, then we will continue to push away from people created in God’s image, because they resist what we believe is truth. when we do this we signal a lack of genuine love for the person, and Jesus is dishonored!
Our desire is that all people would have the faith and belief to let God write their story, including his vision for gender and sexuality. We believe when this takes place, true joy, beauty, and flourishing take place. Our beliefs concerning gender and sexuality are never rooted in a simple morality but so much more. Our beliefs are about our understanding of who God is and his vision for a joy giving restoration of all things.
Belief in God’s good design and the biblical value of sex and gender are often divorced from a biblical ethic of love and ministry to the marginalized, the minority and the oppressed. In fact, sadly, all too often the Biblical value concerning sex and gender are used as foundations to marginalize, oppress and hurt image bearers deeply. Such is the case today, in our current debate over bathrooms.
We must repent for our posture and ask forgiveness to the countless LGBTQ persons we have unnecessarily harmed by our posture and lack of love.
Gospel Resources for the Transgender Conversation
As part of several posts in response to this current moment in our culture, we believe it is helpful to offer you resources for understanding the transgender reality.
We want to encourage you to pursue what we offer you here, with the goal of understanding and finding a compassionate voice to our transgender neighbors, coworkers, classmates, acquaintances, and family.
We ask you to pursue the Gospel posture of grace and empathy so that your voice is helpful and grace giving, even when speaking hard things.
Listen to the voices of LGBT persons! Especially, here, listen to the voices of the transgender community! It costs us nothing to listen and intentionally pursue understanding, yet it demonstrates the ambassador role we are called to in representing Christ and his kingdom.
Living with discomfort with your biological sex is not something the majority of people choose, and therefore, gender dysphoria is a very real reality that calls for believers to engage in the process of loving and knowing (understanding/listening) before speaking and doing (prescribing what others should or must do).
Dr. Mark Yarhouse has been a true servant to the Church. As a Christian psychologist, with a sincere and humble orthodoxy, Dr. Yarhouse has been on the front lines of helping to educate the church on sexual identity and most recently, gender identity. We highly recommend his latest book, “Understanding Gender Dysphoria.” This is a valuable resource to all believers wanting to move beyond and away from the war of words and into the Gospel-driven world of ministry.
While it may take some time to read the whole book, there are other resources in this discussion that can help you gain a better understanding a vision, much more quickly.
we have listed a set of article links that help provide an overview of opinions on the Yarhouse approach. I feel like reading them helps us to fully see the spectrum and show us more of where we fall in our own convictions.
The first article is from Dr. Yarhouse, writing in Christianity Today. Here he gives a very open and helpful understanding of gender dysphoria and ministry implications.
1. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/july-august/understanding-transgender-gender-dysphoria.html
The second article is from Robert Gagnon, professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Seminary. Dr. Gagnon a respected and highly conservative scholar offers his critique of Yarhouse’s book, “Understanding Gender Dysphoria” (I offer this and a few other critiques to be fair and to help you be well rounded in others voices involved here).
Third, Dr. Yarhouse offers a reply to the concerns in Gagnon’s critique.
The Gospel Coalition offers an excellent review of Dr. Yarhouse’s book and further discusses the implications and questions left unresolved. There are particularly helpful words about how to process the current bathroom discussion.
Below, there are two reviews of Dr. Yarhouse’s book affirming the transgender voice and experience. Austin Hartke, a transgender person and the other from a more progressive theology. One of the many failings of Evangelicals is our failure to involve LGBTQ individuals in the conversation surrounding sexuality and gender. All too often, we speak to them rather than with them. This must change, and it represents a loving desire to understand and demonstrates the life and ministry of Christ.
It is important to read the perspectives of LGBTQ individuals and talk with them to form understanding and empathy. If we cannot do this we will continue to communicate to LGBTQ individuals (and specifically transgender persons here) they are projects and pawns in our prosecution of a culture war. We will push away from them as the “other,” instead of the fellow image bearer that they are. Biblical truths will continue to mean very little because everyone knows we push away and further marginalize when our truths are resisted, revealing a lack of genuine love for the individual. Some do not see the point because our end conclusions are the same.
I was told this week that unless evangelicals change their theology of sexuality and gender, no progress can be made. I disagree but I understand that my theology has often been postured in a way that has wounded and harmed so many and we must confess and repent of the reality that our posture and practices have lead to so many depressions and suicides. This must stop and I do not believe basic theology has to change as a result. For these reasons and many others, it is important to listen, to read, even though we sincerely disagree. Understanding has a chance when we do.
5. http://austenhartke.com/blog-1/2015/8/10/a-review-of-mark-yarhouses-understanding-gender-dysphoria
6. http://www.newdirection.ca/blog/review-of-mark-yarhouses-understanding-gender-dysphoria/
Finally, We offer you a video of Dr. Yarhouse discussing the topic of gender dysphoria, ministry, and he church at Calvin College. The video offers a more tangible expression of the views he presents in his book and another layer to the education we want to offer you here.
Ultimately Dr. Yarhouse’s work seems to provide unrest for both extremes of the discussion. Almost all his work has garnered this type of reaction. I believe this is because he is well balanced and in a good space for ministry and a Gospel vision for the marginalized. I offer his explanation to you because I believe it is the best overall, the most humble, and seeks to strike a greater gospel posture while holding true to biblical convictions on sexuality and gender.
I pray you are helped by the perspectives and resources above. Regardless of where you stand, I offer this not as an argument in the war but a position on ministry that I pray will serve in seeing Christ’s kingdom glorified and increased.
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