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5 Things Every Christian Must Know About the Transgender Debate

The transgender debate is becoming all-encompassing. Issues such as education, law, government, entertainment all fall in the crosshairs of the transgender debate, and our culture moves with such speed that working out how to respond seems overwhelming, if not impossible.

So here are five essential things for Christians to keep in mind as we think about and speak about transgenderism.

1. Disagreeing with transgenderism does not mean denying the pain of gender dysphoria.

There’s an enormous difference between the political aspects of the culture war surrounding transgenderism and the reality that there are precious persons who have genuine struggles with gender dysphoria — a condition where a person senses that their gender identity (how they feel about being male or female) may not align with their biological sex and experiences emotional distress as a result.

While we resist the attempt being made at a cultural and legal level to view gender as a matter of choice, we must also recognize that caught up in all this are deeply hurting people. Those who experience gender dysphoria are not necessarily trying to win a culture war. They need to know that (even while we may not agree with them) Christians love them, are there for them, are ready to listen to them and seek to understand the pain they are facing, and deeply desire what is best for them. Compassion and dignity for dysphoric individuals is not in tension with disagreeing with transgenderism as a social movement.

2. A man cannot become a woman and a woman cannot become a man.

The biggest claim of the transgender movement is that a man who thinks he’s a woman can really be a woman, and vice versa. You see this in many ways — from preferred pronouns, sex reassignment surgeries, and demands to use the restroom of perceived rather than given gender.

The problem is that this is a philosophical claim that is not true, and can never be true, in any way or form. A man’s chromosomes cannot be engineered into female chromosomes. Altering one’s appearance cosmetically or surgically cannot change the underlying reality of a person’s biological make-up. The psychology of the mind cannot override the facts of a person’s biological markers. The transgender revolution demands that we believe falsehoods about human nature. And truth and falsehood have never been a matter of majority vote, because we know that there is a Creator who has the authority to decide and state what is right and wrong.

3. The Bible supplies the framework for understanding the transgender revolution.

A Christian worldview informed by the Bible can fully explain why people experience feelings of gender dysphoria. The Christian worldview is one that acknowledges that creation has been disrupted and is not the way it once was, nor how it will eventually be in the New Creation (Genesis 3; Romans 8; Revelation 21). No part of our existence in the universe has been left undisturbed by sin’s effects. This means that the brokenness of creation reaches into every corner of our lives — even our minds and hearts. To the same degree, every human is made in God’s image. To differing degrees and in differing ways, every human struggles with the brokenness of our own bodies, desires, and thoughts. And to the same degree, every human can find their true identity by recognizing that the God who made them has also saved for them and will one day restore them.

So in this created-but-broken world, we understand that not all identities or feelings are to be accepted or fostered, because we are all guided by a mixture of good and broken desires. The great Bible story of Creation, Fall, and Redemption tells us that we should not be shocked that people experience desires that will not in fact bring about the wholeness they are seeking; and equally that we can never be self-righteous about how others struggle or sin.

God and the Transgender Debate

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Helps Christians engage lovingly, thoughtfully, and biblically with discussions on gender identity. Originally released in 2017, this version has been updated and expanded.

4. The transgender debate questions whether men and women, moms and dads are really real.

If being a man or woman is determined by someone’s mind or will, it means that there’s no such thing as true maleness or femaleness. Both become just a construct based on cultural stereotypes. We would be unable to tell a young boy that he’s really a boy. We would be unable to tell a young girl that her father’s unique responses to her as a father is anything objective or real.

Erasing the biological significance of our maleness and femaleness destroys the script that God knit into human existence for how the sexes interact with one another and how children know the difference between a mother and a father.

5. Christians need both conviction AND compassion in the transgender debate.

The transgender debate is ripe with controversy. Holding a biblical conviction in this debate means that individuals will find themselves in disagreements with friends, families, and co-workers—and that, however we express ourselves, we will be accused of being haters, bigots, and worse.

At a time like this, Christians need the courage to defend a true vision for human flourishing based on the biblical understanding of being made in His image. We must avoid trite explanations or knee-jerk reactions, but we must continue to say that, since God made us, he gets the ultimate say in who we are.  We must put steel in our spines.

But all the conviction in the world won’t matter if we act or speak without compassion. Jesus did not aim to win debates. He sought to love people. So must we as his followers. As we ground our convictions in God’s unchanging, perfect, Word, we must speak with compassion in our hearts.

God and The Transgender Debate by Andrew Walker will help you think through these issues, and equip you to engage positively in the discussions around the transgender movement.

Attitude of Christianity to gender identity and transgender people

Within Christianity there are a variety of views on the issues of gender identity and transgender people. Many Christian denominations vary in their position, ranging from condemning transgender people and transitioning as sinful, to remaining divided on the issue, to seeing it as morally acceptable or welcomed. Even within a denomination, individuals and groups may hold different views. Furthermore, not all members of a denomination necessarily support their church's views on transgender identities.

Abrahamic religions (those which stem from the same root as Judaism) are based on scriptures which describe God creating people as "male and female",^[1][2] which is often cited in debates on this subject. Nevertheless, some denominations including the Church of England, Church of Sweden, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church (USA), and United Church of Christ have permitted ordained transgender clergy to serve in congregations and have welcomed transgender members.^[3]

In the United States, conservative Christian groups have been lobbying for anti-transgender laws proposed and passed during and after the Trump administration.^[4] Among the most influential are Alliance Defending Freedom, the Heritage Foundation, and Family Policy Alliance.^[4][5] Alliance Defending Freedom has stated that it opposes transgender rights based on an idea that "God creates each person with an immutable biological sex — male or female..."^[6] In Europe, ADF has campaigned to require transgender people to undergo genital surgery and sterilization before being allowed to change their gender on identification documents.^[7]

History[edit]

Main article: History of Christianity and homosexuality

The history of Christianity and homosexuality has been much debated.^[8] The Hebrew Bible and its traditional interpretations in Judaism and Christianity have historically affirmed and endorsed a patriarchal and heteronormative approach towards human sexuality,^[9][10] favouring exclusively penetrative vaginal intercourse between men and women within the boundaries of marriage over all other forms of human sexual activity,^[9][10] including autoeroticism, masturbation, oral sex, non-penetrative and non-heterosexual sexual intercourse (all of which have been labeled as "sodomy" at various times),^[11] believing and teaching that such behaviors are forbidden because they're considered sinful,^[9][10] and further compared to or derived from the behavior of the alleged residents of Sodom and Gomorrah.^{[9][12][13][14][15]} However, the status of LGBT people in early Christianity is debated.^{[8][16][17][18][19]}

The history of Christianity and homosexuality has been much debated. Some maintain that the early Christian churches deplored transgender people and same-sex relationships, while others maintain that they accepted them on the level of their heterosexual counterparts. These disagreements concern, in some cases, the translations of certain terms, or the meaning and context of some biblical passages.^[12]

Catholicism[edit]

In December 2012, during his Christmas address to the Roman Curia, Pope Benedict XVI attacked the view that one can choose their gender identity, describing it as a "profound falsehood".^[20]

In 2015, Pope Francis criticized "gender ideology" on multiple occasions. In a book published in January 2015, (with its content taken from an October 2014 interview with the pontiff), Francis stated,

"Let’s think also of genetic manipulation, of the manipulation of life, or of gender theory, that does not recognize the order of creation. With this attitude, man commits a new sin, that against God the Creator...God has placed man and woman and the summit of creation and has entrusted them with the earth...The design of the Creator is written in nature."^[21][22]

In March, he said that

"The crisis of the family is a societal fact. There are also ideological colonializations of the family, different paths and proposals in Europe and also coming from overseas. Then, there is the mistake of the human mind — gender theory — creating so much confusion. So, the family really is under attack.”^[23]

In April, Francis said

"I ask myself if the so-called gender theory is not, at the same time, an expression of frustration and resignation, which seeks to cancel out sexual difference because it no longer knows how to confront it. Yes, we risk taking a step backwards. The removal of difference in fact creates a problem, not a solution."^[24]

Pope Francis later criticized schools in 2016 for teaching children that they have the ability to choose their gender, referring to it as a form of ideological "colonization".^[25][26]

In September 2015, the Vatican declared that transgender Catholics cannot become godparents, stating in response to a transgender man's query that transgender status "reveals in a public way an attitude opposite to the moral imperative of solving the problem of sexual identity according to the truth of one's own sexuality" and that, "[t]herefore it is evident that this person does not possess the requirement of leading a life according to the faith and in the position of godfather and is therefore unable to be admitted to the position of godfather or godmother."^[27]

In June 2019, the Catholic Church published a document titled Male and Female He Created Them, which summarized its official position. The document rejected the terms transgender and intersex, and criticized the idea that people could choose or change their gender as a "confused concept of freedom" and "momentary desires". It asserted male and female genitalia were designed for procreation. Transgender advocates responded that people may discover a gender different than their external appearance, as determined by "genetics, hormones, and brain chemistry". They criticized the document as not reflecting the life experiences of transgender people, and worried it would encourage discrimination and self-harm.^[28]

In January 2020, Bishop Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield released a pastoral guide regarding gender identity. Paprocki's guide stated that "a person cannot change his or her gender" and that sex-reassignment surgery is "a type of mutilation and intrinsically evil." He also refers to transgender surgeries for children as "child abuse and genital mutilation" and emphasized that "it is imperative to be clear on the reality of human biology as a gift from God that we cannot change."^[29][30][31]

In August 2021, Bishop Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington released a pastoral letter titled A Catechesis on the Human Person and Gender Ideology. Burbidge's letter calls upon Catholics to show love to transgender people, reminding them of their value and listening to their struggle, while also avoiding showing any "misguided charity and false compassion.” He urges Catholics to reject the use of "gender-affirming’ terms or pronouns", as it would "be inconsistent" with Church teaching on sex.^[32][33]

Mainline Protestantism[edit]

Within mainline, or more specifically liberal Protestantism, several denominations or regional bodies within denominations have grown increasingly accepting and supportive of transgender members and rights. Usually, but not always, support for the full inclusion of transgender people, including in ordained ministry, has been accompanied by support for the broader LGBT community. In 2000, the Church of England, an Anglican church, permitted for transgender priests to continue serving as pastors.^[34] In 2006, the Church of Sweden, the national Lutheran church, voted to ordain transgender priests.^[3] In 2008, the United Methodist Church determined that transgender people could serve as ordained pastors within the denomination.^[35] In 2009, a spokesperson for the Church in Wales, an Anglican church, announced that the church affirms transgender people.^[36] In 2014, Calvary Baptist Church in DC ordained the first known and openly transgender minister within a Baptist church.^[37] Calvary Baptist is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and Alliance of Baptists.^[38]

Also in 2014, the Anglican church appointed an openly transgender, and lesbian, vicar as a minor canon in Manchester Cathedral.^[39] In 2015, the Church of England introduced a proposal to offer naming ceremonies for transgender members.^[40] The Diocese of Blackburn in the Church of England has already been using the naming rite.^[41] The Secretary General of the Archbishop's Council of the Church of England William "Nye said the Church already had services for people who had been through a 'significant personal transition of one kind or another' which could be used to mark gender change."^[42] Couples, where one partner is transgender and recognised as having legally transitioned, may marry in Church of England parishes. "Thus clergy in the Church of England...will not be able to prohibit the use of their church buildings for such marriages."^[43] In 2017, the General Synod of the Church of England passed a motion stating, "That this Synod, recognising the need for transgender people to be welcomed and affirmed in their parish church, call on the House of Bishops to consider whether some nationally commended liturgical materials might be prepared to mark a person's gender transition."^[44][45]

Also in 2017, M Barclay became the first openly non-binary trans person to be commissioned as a Deacon in the United Methodist Church.^[46]

Other denominations that welcome transgender members and ordain transgender people in ministry are the Episcopal Church, United Church of Christ, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Presbyterian Church (USA).^[47]

Transgender people have also gained acceptance in some churches in Africa and Asia. In 2012, the Church of South India opened up the possibility to ordaining transgender priests.^[48] In Africa, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa affirmed that transgender people could be "full members".^[49]

The Mar Thoma Syrian Church is a Reformed Orthodox denomination in India which is a full communion partner of the Anglican Communion. The Mar Thoma Church has affirmed societal support for the inclusion and acceptance of third gender persons.^[50] In 2019, the church announced that it supports transgender people and that it believes the Bible makes several references to transgender people.^[51] The church also started a program to provide financial assistance to transgender persons in need of sex reassignment surgery.^[52]

The Old Catholic Church has been affirming and welcoming of transgender members. Old Catholic and Independent Catholic churches have been accepting of the LGBT community in general.^[53] In 2014, one of the first transgender priests was ordained in the Old Catholic Church.^[54]

Unitarianism[edit]

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), a mainline and historically Christian Non-Trinitarian denomination,^[55] although no longer exclusively Christian, has been supportive of transgender people and officially welcomes transgender members and ministers.^[56] In 2017, the Unitarian Universalist Association's General Assembly voted to create inclusive wordings for non-binary, genderqueer, gender fluid, agender, intersex, two-spirit and polygender people, replacing the words "men and women" with the word "people". Of the six sources of the living tradition, the second source of faith, as documented in the bylaws of the denomination, now includes "Words and deeds of prophetic people which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love".^[57]

Specific topics[edit]

Sex reassignment surgery, castration and other gender-related body modification[edit]

In the Old Testament, men with damaged testicles or severed genitals are forbidden from being admitted to religious assemblies.^[58]

The New Testament is more ambiguous about gender-variant identities than the Old Testament. Eunuchs (Greek eunochos, similar to Hebrew saris) are indicated as acceptable candidates for evangelism and baptism, as demonstrated in a story about the conversion of an Ethiopian eunuch.^[59] At one point, while answering questions about marriage and divorce, Jesus says that "there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven."^[60] This has sparked discussion about the significance of the selection of the Ethiopian eunuch as being the first Gentile convert to Christianity. Some argue that the inclusion of a eunuch represents a sexual minority similar to some of those who are included under today's category of transgender, in the context of the time.^[61]

Modern Christian denominations vary in their views, but some are accepting. Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion with roots in liberal Christianity, and it was the first denomination to accept openly transgender people as full members with eligibility to become clergy, and the first to open an Office of Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Concerns.^[62][63] In 1988 the first openly transgender person was ordained by the Unitarian Universalist Association.^[64] In 2002 Rev. Sean Dennison became the first openly transgender person in the Unitarian Universalist ministry called to serve a congregation; he was called to South Valley UU Society, Salt Lake City, UT.^[64] The United Church of Christ General Synod called for full inclusion of transgender persons in 2003.^[65] In 2005 Sarah Jones became the first openly transgender person ordained by the Church of England as a priest.^[66][67][68]Carol Stone was the first transgender priest, having been ordained in 1978 and transitioning in 2000, then continuing her ministry within the church as a woman.^[69] In 2008, the United Methodist Church Judicial Council ruled that transgender pastor Drew Phoenix could keep his position.^[70] At the UMC General Conference the same year, several petitions that would have forbidden transgender clergy and added anti-transgender language to the Book of Discipline were rejected.^[71] In 2012 the Episcopal Church in the United States approved a change to their nondiscrimination canons to include gender identity and expression.^[72] In 2013 Shannon Kearns became the first openly transgender person ordained by the North American Old Catholic Church. In 2014 Megan Rohrer became the first openly transgender leader of a Lutheran congregation (specifically, the Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church of San Francisco.) ^[73]

Gender identity[edit]

Most Christian denominations do not recognize gender transition. A 2000 document from the CatholicCongregation for the Doctrine of the Faith concludes that sex reassignment procedures do not change a person’s gender in the eyes of the Church. “The key point,” said the reported document, “is that the transsexual surgical operation is so superficial and external that it does not change the personality. If the person was a male, he remains male. If she was female, she remains female.” The document also concludes that a “sex-change” operation could be morally acceptable in certain extreme cases, but that in all cases transgender people cannot validly marry.^[74] Pope Benedict XVI has denounced gender theory, warning that it blurs the distinction between male and female and could thus lead to the "self-destruction" of the human species.^[75] He warned against alteration of the term "gender": "What is often expressed and understood by the term 'gender,' is definitively resolved in the self-emancipation of the human being from creation and the Creator," he warned. "Man wants to create himself, and to decide always and exclusively on his own about what concerns him." The Pontiff said this is humanity living "against truth, against the creating Spirit."^[76]

In 2006 Albert Mohler, then president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said "Only God has the right to determine gender", adding, "any attempt to alter that creation is an act of rebellion against God."^[77][78] He also stated, "Christians are obligated to find our definitions … in the Bible. What the activists want to call 'sex-reassignment surgery' must be seen as a form of bodily mutilation rather than gender correction. The chromosomes will continue to tell the story...Gender is not under our control after all. When a nation's moral rebellion comes down to this level of confusion, we are already in big trouble. A society that can't distinguish between men and women is not likely to find moral clarity in any other area of life."^[78] In 2014, the Southern Baptist Convention approved a resolution at its annual meeting stating that "God's design was the creation of two distinct and complementary sexes, male and female" and that "gender identity is determined by biological sex, not by one's self-perception.” ^[79] Furthermore, the resolution opposes hormone therapy, transition-related procedures, and anything else that would "alter one’s bodily identity", as well as opposing government efforts to "validate transgender identity as morally praiseworthy".^[79] Instead, the resolution asks transgender people to "trust in Christ and to experience renewal in the Gospel".^[79]

On August 29, 2017, the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood released a manifesto on human sexuality known as the "Nashville Statement". The statement was signed by 150 evangelical leaders, and includes 14 points of belief.^[80]

Cross-gender clothing[edit]

The issue of "cross-dressing" as a sin is addressed generally, both related to and unrelated to transgender issues. Though cross-dressing (wearing clothes of a different gender) is a behavior, unlike being transgender (identifying as a gender different than that assigned at birth), some denominations do not recognize trans identities, and thus consider post-transition trans people to be cross-dressing.

The Torah contains prohibitions against men wearing women's clothing and vice versa, which is cited as an abomination in Deuteronomy 22:5,^[81] and as a result it was once considered taboo in Western society for women to wear clothing traditionally associated with men, except in certain circumstances such as cases of necessity (as per St. Thomas Aquinas's guidelines in the Summa Theologica).^[82] Nevertheless, even in the Middle Ages this rule's applicability was occasionally disputed.^[83] The Quinisext Council in the 7th century ordered students at the University of Constantinople to stop engaging in transvestitism.^[84]

However, there are arguments about whether Jesus abolished the Torah law about clothing.^[85]Jesus mentioned "Do not worry about clothes" in Matthew 6:25, Matthew 6:28, and Luke 12:22.

Denominations that allow transgender clergy[edit]

Main article: LGBT clergy in Christianity

Further information: LGBT-affirming Christian denominations

References[edit]