ISSUE #7 // SEPTEMBER 2024
MOMENT OF TRUTH
Let us venture now, if we dare, into the murky waters of one of the most [apparently] confusing topics of our time...
Taking Christ out of Christianity Part 2
Let us venture now, if we dare, into the murky waters of the transgender movement, and see if we cannot obtain some clarity on one of the most [apparently] confusing topics of our time.
This subject raises many questions in the church. Should we ‘just’ love these people (identifying with the LGBTQ+ movement)? Should we ‘tolerate’ and ‘accept’ them ‘as God made them’? Or should we oppose them and their movement? Treat them as outcasts? Should we, God forbid, hate them?
Here is the church’s calling in the world, according to its Founder and Director: ‘preach the Gospel to every living creature’ (Mark 16:15) and ‘make disciples of all nations’ (Matthew 28:19-20), be the salt and light of the world and a shining city on a hill (Matthew 5:13-16). In short, we are called to be that person on a lifeboat in the fierce storm, throwing lifelines out to help those drowning in the churning waters.
We are not called to, in the words of the Apostle Paul, ‘conform to the standards of this world’ (Romans 12:2) but ‘come out from among them and be separate’ (2 Corinthians 6:17). Which, unfortunately, is not what much of the Church today is doing. For rather than providing any of the hope filled answers Christ gave us to proclaim, many are instead offering a poisonous ‘remedy’ which is only worsening this condition.
Did you know that a new analysis of federal health data reveals that self-reported rates of distress and depression among American adults who identify as transgender or gender-diverse have more than doubled between 2014 and 2022, despite ever increasing awareness and acceptance?
Some of you might be thinking, ‘Gideon, what’s the problem here? Doesn’t walking in love mean we should just try to be nice to everyone like Jesus was?’. Let me ask you this: was Jesus ‘nice’? He referred to the Pharisees as a ‘brood of vipers’ and drove money changers out of the temple with a whip that he made a daily earlier for just such a purpose. Contrary to what some believe, love does not equal being nice. Love is (of course) kind, patient and gentle but it is also tough and firm when it has to be. We boldly stand on the truth and proclaim it in love (Ephesians 4:15).
Let me say it simply: God has an original design, which we can read in Genesis 1: male and female. And for many, many years, anything that didn’t directly fit into that framework was considered a medical condition. For instance conjoined twins: did God create them to be that way? I don’t believe so. Neither did He desire for others to be born with chronic heart conditions, or with missing limbs, or blindness or deafness. (We live in a fallen world, but God does turn everything for the good of those who love him – Romans 8:28). These are all medical conditions and abnormalities. And until quite recently, so was gender dysphoria.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
‘I don’t want a church that moves with the world, I want a church that moves the world.’
G.K. CHESTERTON
But now educators have decided that gender is in fact a fluid thing (which can even flip-flop depending on how a person feels when they wake up in the morning – I kid you not!) Educators have decided that there are many, many genders covering a broad spectrum (currently over 70 according to popular thought). And for reasons which most of us cannot fathom, large swathes of the Church – who are supposed to be Christ’s ambassadors – have resolved to staunchly follow the world on a notion that is entirely foreign to the Bible and quite frankly, to science. (For science has never indicated there being more than two genders, despite what you might have been led to believe.)
My point is, whether someone’s dysphoria is medically rooted (for example hormonal imbalance), spiritually rooted (demonic influence) or socially influenced, there are powerful remedies for all of these.
The true gospel is ‘the power of God unto salvation’ (Romans 1:16). Paul wasn’t ashamed of it and neither am I. But much of the church has ‘adopted a form of godliness that denies the power’ (2 Timothy 3:5). They prefer to preach a powerless false gospel that justifies their impotence, rather than searching their souls to root out the unbelief that is rampant there.
We are not helping people by affirming their delusions and embracing a sinful movement that tells people they are perfect ‘just as they are’. (This is not true of any of us.)
For any who might be feeling inclined to accuse me of being a transphobic bigot, let me clarify:
It is not our job as Christians to throw stones at the sexually confused and it would be a terrible mistake for us to condemn those who have fallen into sin. However, condoning sin does not make it any less sin (nor does it lighten the penalty). We are all sinners, who can be saved by grace, and empowered by that same grace to live righteous lives.
Let me tell you about Becket Cook, who is just one of a great many who have been set free from this deceptive agenda. Becket moved to LA and for 15 years fully engaged in a new life as a gay man. In September of 2009, he met a stranger at a coffee shop who invited him to church, and reluctantly he agreed. In the service he was utterly transformed by the true gospel and gave his life to Christ. Realising that homosexuality displeased the Lord, who had died to rescue him, he abandoned it. Becket is now an author, speaker and podcast host, seeking to help believers (and non-believers) understand this issue biblically, theologically, culturally, and personally. His goal is to challenge the current cultural narrative about sexuality in general and homosexuality in particular by demonstrating through his personal testimony and biblical truths that, yes, homosexuality is still a sin, and that following Christ is infinitely more satisfying and joyous.
I’m going to close this newsletter with a proposal: let’s respond to this issue with maturity, radical boldness and compassionate love. We do not lift ourselves above those stuck in this mire, nor do we claim that there is nothing wrong. Let me tell you: there is something wrong. But more importantly, there is someone who can make it alright again, Jesus.
‘Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.’
ROMANS 12:1-2 (NIV)
FACT OF THE WEEK
In late 2021, swimmer Lia Thomas (formerly William Thomas), went from a ranking of #462 (as a male) to a ranking of #1 (now as a female), causing much controversy as to whether ‘trans women’ (who are biologically male) should be allowed to compete against biological women.
