Topic primer

In a world which is questioning – perhaps more than ever before – from where we get our identity, particularly in the area of gender, the Bible proclaims a better story for humanity.

It declares that we all – male, female, intersex, transgender, and whatever else – are made “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27), created as a unique person with absolute worth, value and dignity, and that this is an unparalleled status within creation.

It declares that we can all find our identity primarily in Jesus, rather than in bodies and gender identities, for in Him there is “neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, male nor female…” (Galatians 3:28).

But it also declares that God, as our wise and kind creator, who made a world which was “good”, created our bodies and the sex-binary as good things. God lays out his good design for humanity in verse 27: “God created mankind in his own image…male and female he created them.” In Chapter 2, which focuses in more detail about the creation of man, we read how the two sexes are complimentary: “it is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18), and woman is created from man’s rib (Genesis 2:21).

And it also declares that in every area, including the area of sex and gender, we now live in a fallen and broken world as a result of human sin. It should not be surprising to us that some people experience distress in this area of life, just like others do in other areas.

People who identify as transgender believe that their internal sense of gender (what they believe they are) does not align with their biological sex (what their body reveals they are). Transgender ideology declares that what really matters is your internal sense of gender, not your biological sex: in short, it says, if you feel like you are a woman, then you really are a woman, regardless of what your biological sex is.

This is a highly controversial ideology, eliciting a number of concerns, including:

- biological males gaining access to female-only spaces (such as women-only shelters), and the possibility of predatory men abusing that

- biological males seeking to take part in (and dominate) female sport

- the experience of biological women being eroded; in some cases, the language of ‘women’ has been replaced by ‘people who menstruate’ in an effort to make it ‘more inclusive’ to transgender people

- the confusion this brings to young people who may already feel distress at how their bodies are changing during puberty, or around their sexuality

When someone is questioning their gender, transgender ideology adopts an affirming approach and declares that to not do so is actively harmful. This means that some see asking questions or believing that a child is merely going through a phase as harmful. Some have reported parents who counsel their child that they are not transgender to social services, labelling it ‘Conversion Therapy’.

Many transgender people are encouraged to transition, making life-altering, permanent changes to their bodies, as they have been told that this is the solution. These changes can result in infertility, loss of sexual function, bone issues and even pauses in some brain development if taken too early.

It is important to remember that every transgender person’s experience is different; and the difference between understanding the spiritual significance of transgenderism and understanding an individual’s lived experience is stark.

We must bridge this gap by building relationships with those who live and think differently to us. As Christians, we are called to be like Jesus, and to speak and become love in a broken and hurting world, especially to the most marginalised within society. Holding both truth and grace in tandem is often hard, but we can ask for God’s help and wisdom as we seek to follow the way of Jesus and help them to be the people He created them to be.