Sound advice on transgender in the church

Robert Gagnon is the most learned scholar around on homosexuality and the Bible.

Now he weighs in on how we should deal with parishioners who seek Jesus but wrestle with feelings that they are transgender.

Some orthodox psychologists, such as Mark Yarhouse, are recommending that we treat them as they want to be treated.  So if a man wants to be thought of as a woman, we should use his new female name, etc.  We should focus only on his relationship to Jesus.

Gagnon disagrees.

Is this not rather distant from the biblical language on these matters? Cross-dressing is called an ‘abomination’ to God in Deut 22:5. Paul includes ‘soft men” (malakoi) in the offender list in 1 Cor 6:9-10, which in context designates men who attempt to become women (through dress, mannerisms, makeup, and sometimes castration), often to attract male sex partners. The fact that Paul includes such persons among those who “shall not inherit the kingdom of God” suggests that acting on a desire to become the opposite sex can in fact affect one’s redemption. 

Here is the full text of his very helpful op-ed at First Things.