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Caitlyn Jenner, formerly Bruce Jenner, identifies as a Christian. So do some
other people who say they are transgender, whether or not they have
transitioned physically from one sex to the other. For that reason, if for no
other, members of Christian congregations may need to consider how they will
respond to transgender persons.In an April interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, Jenner said, "I would sit in church and always wonder, 'In God's eyes, how does he see me?'"
The matter of transgender individuals came into sharp focus earlier this month when Vanity Fair published a story about Bruce Jenner, the 1976 winner of the decathlon at the Montreal Olympics and, more recently, a reality show personality, and his transition to Caitlyn Jenner. On the cover of that issue, Vanity Fair published a picture of Jenner, looking very much female.
(For classes that wish to discuss the transgender issue but not focus on Jenner, we suggest watching the New York Times video Transgender, at War and in Love, included in the links list below, which is about two transgender people serving in the military.)
"Transgender" is defined as a condition where one's sense of gender does not match one's biological sex (some literature calls this one's "assigned" sex). "Biological sex" is one's identity as male or female based on one's genitals and chromosomal makeup. "Sense of gender" refers to how one perceives oneself in terms of being male or female. Transgender people typically feel that their biological sex is misaligned with their sense of gender.
Some people believe that transgenderism is within the range of normal personhood, while others believe it to be a psychological disorder. While most states leave the matter to professionals, in a few states, it's illegal for mental health professionals to treat transgenderism in minors.
Although transgender persons are sometimes lumped with lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals, as in the acronym LGBT, being transgender is not the same as and is independent of one's sexual orientation, which relates to the sex of people to whom one is attracted. A transgender person can be heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual or asexual, just as can people who are not transgender.
Research indicates that about 0.5 percent of the population is transgender, but since the U.S. population is about 319 million, that means there are some 1.6 million transgender Americans. Surveys show that about 9 percent of us know someone who is transgender.
Transgenderism is not always a permanent condition. Studies of children reporting transgender feelings show that 70-80 percent spontaneously regain normal gender perceptions without treatment.
Reportedly, one in every 1,500-2,000 babies is born with ambiguous genitalia, sometimes having genitalia related to both sexes, though one may be more developed than the other. This can happen when something does not follow the usual sequence on the chromosomal level during embryo development. Not every transgender person has ambiguous genitalia, but some geneticists say that irregular hormonal activity while the embryo is in the womb can cause one's sense of gender to misalign from one's biological sex.
Interventions intended to change one's biological sex range from changing one's outward presentation of oneself -- in dress, hairstyle, cosmetic matters, etc. -- to hormone injections and full-scale gender reassignment surgery. According to an assessment by Britain's National Health Service of transgender people who have gone the full route, the reassignment process usually seems to "work," with most transitioned individuals feeling satisfied and comfortable with the results. Still, the suicide rate among people with transgenderism, with or without surgery, remains above the rate in the rest of the population.
For Christians, responding to transgender people is often influenced by theological and biblical understandings. Although the Bible nowhere speaks about transgender persons, Christians are accustomed to weighing matters not discussed in scripture against the overall teachings of the Bible. Even at that, however, Christians, including members of the TWW editorial team, do not all agree on what the implications of those teachings should be regarding transgender persons. Here are some of the differing viewpoints:
• Some Christians consider the whole concept of transgenderism the product of deception by Satan resulting in gender confusion in the mind of individuals who consider themselves transgender.
• Some believe that attempting to transition from one sex to the other is a rejection of God's choice regarding one's biological sex and thus a violation of God's will and that we should all accept ourselves as God created us.
• Some consider actions such as Jenner's in going public with his gender reassignment as an attempt to normalize something that shouldn't be normalized.
• Some consider transgenderism a mental health problem needing treatment.
• Some Christians believe that our biology does not matter to God, and thus, they have no problem from a biblical standpoint with transgender persons undergoing gender reassignment.
• Some say being transgender is not a moral condition, and thus is not a theological issue.
• Some say that since only God knows why some people feel their sense of gender is misaligned with their biological sex, we are not in a position to judge them.
Regardless of what Christians of various biblical and theological persuasions believe about this matter, most agree that transgender people, like all of us, are sinners in need of God's love, grace and forgiveness. Most Christians also agree such persons should never be bullied or ridiculed or excluded from the church, but should be treated with compassion and love.
In other words, the church should be the church.
More on this story can be found at these links:
Transgender and Christian: How Caitlyn Jenner Challenges the Church. Christian Today
Transgender, at War and in Love. New York Times (video)
The Big Questions
1. Which one of the bulleted viewpoints in the news section above most closely matches your own view? Why?
2. Some geneticists believe the transgender state has a basis in embryonic development. If that is the case, how does that affect your opinion, if at all, about transgender persons from a theological and spiritual standpoint?
3. Which do you think is more important from God's perspective: our spirituality or our sexualty? How do we know? Or is this a false dichotomy? What are the implications of your answer for Christians?
4. What should be the church's response to transgender people who may be among the congregants?
5. Jenner said, "I would sit in church and always wonder, 'In God's eyes, how does he see me?'" How would you answer that question for Jenner?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Genesis 1:27, 31
So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. ... God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. (For context, read 1:26-31.)
Galatians 3:28
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (For context, read 3:23-29.)
Clearly, the Genesis 1 text says God created two sexes, but should that be taken to mean that transexuality is against God's will? Some commentators suggest that Genesis 1 was never meant to address the issue of transgender persons, but was based on the commonly observed realities.
Clearly, the Galatians 3 text says that male and female is not a division that God focuses on regarding unity of believers in Christ, but does that mean that one's biological identity has no meaning in the spiritual realm? TWW team member Malia Miller comments, "Seems to me that humankind has created many of these issues surrounding our sexuality to the point that our focus is not on the goal of becoming Christ-like, but on examining an aspect of our physicality that will end with the earthly death of our bodies."
Questions: The Genesis verse says God created humankind in his image. Does "in his image" refer to a physical or spiritual likeness to God? Or both? Or neither? Although the Bible -- in its original languages and in most translations -- uses male titles and pronouns when speaking about God, Christians generally agree that God is neither male nor female. Can "godness" be fully contained in one of those gender categories, or even in both of them? Explain your answer.
Psalm 139:13-14
For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (For context, read 139:13-18.)
These verses point to God's work as the Creator of each human being. Some who reject biological explanations for transgenderism say that to accept them would imply that God made a "mistake" during the in-utero stage of a person's life, and since a God who makes mistakes doesn't jibe with most Christian theology, some reject transgenderism as wrong.
Others say that such biological explanations are quite consistent with the belief in a fallen humanity and creation: evidence of sin marring not just humankind, but the whole creation.
Questions: If a person's transgenderism has a biological root, could that mean that God intended that person to be transgender? We surely wouldn't say that a child born with Down's syndrome is God's mistake, so what other explanations might there be?.
Exodus 20:17
You shall not covet ... anything that belongs to your neighbor. (For context, read 20:1-17.)
TWW team member Ed Thomas says, "Biblical principles clearly define right and wrong. Gender reassignment may not be directly addressed in the Bible; however, covetousness is clearly against God's will. Wanting something that is not yours, as I've always understood it, is coveting."
Questions: Do you consider a person who wants to transition to the opposite sex guilty of coveting? Why or why not? If not, how would you describe that desire? How is wanting a sex change or gender reassignment different from coveting someone else's athletic skills, musical skills, physical shape, etc.?
Romans 14:1, 4, 13 (The Message)
Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with -- even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently ... If there are corrections to be made ..., God can handle that without your help. ... Forget about deciding what's right for each other. Here's what you need to be concerned about: that you don't get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. (For context, read 14:1-23.)
These words from Paul come from his instructions regarding the debate in the Roman church about observing certain festivals and dietary regulations, but they can apply more broadly to other disagreements among Christians.
The last sentence in the text above seems especially pertinent to today's discussion. People who understand themselves as transgender already have a hard road to walk. We should be careful that in whatever way we intersect with them, and regardless of where we are theologically concerning transgenderism, we aren't making life for them "more difficult than it already is."
Questions: Which lines in the quoted text above speak to you most directly? Why? What, if anything, do these verses call you to do regarding transgender persons?
For Further Discussion
1. Respond to this, from TWW team member Peter Surran: "Pope John Paul II gave a series of teachings that later were collected and titled the Theology of the Body. He points back to Genesis 1:27 and its statement that God created us 'male and female' in God's image. According to John Paul II, this means that our physical bodies, and being male and female, are a part of our being created in God's image -- it's not just a spiritual reality. He goes on to say that married people giving themselves to one another in what he euphemistically calls 'the marital act' are the closest physical representation of the image of God, who is by very definition 'relational' in the Trinity.
"It's all very heady stuff, of course, but I have really loved the dignity the teaching gives to the body and the complementarity between men and women. This has all been challenged by the realities faced by people like Jenner and people I have known personally who feel they are one gender while being born another physically."
2. Is transitioning to the opposite sex an example of the emphasis on the individual and on the extreme sexualization of our society, such that everything is always about "me, me, me," and what I need to do to feel good about myself? These decisions don't happen in a vacuum; what is the impact on others (spouses, children, etc.) when a person decides to make drastic changes to his or her body?
3. Comment on this, from TWW team member Joanna Loucky-Ramsey: "I know Paul's statement that 'there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment' (1 Timothy 6:6) is in a different context, regarding learning to be content with having much or little, but maybe it would also fit the discussion of whether we can learn to be content with our bodies. In some sense, everyone has to come to terms with their physical identity, not only with regard to their gender, but their shape, relative strength and beauty or lack thereof. Should we treat gender identity differently? Why or why not?
4. What other questions come to your mind about gender identity and transgenderism?
Responding to the News
This is good time to make ourselves aware of the biological, psychological and other factors that might lead a person to conclude that he or she is one gender trapped in the body of the opposite sex. As with most things, having a full range of information can help us decide what biblical and theological principles can inform our decisions.
Closing Prayer
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