By Jennie Cummings-Knight, Christian Today.
“Our courts oppose the righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth stumbles in the streets, and honesty has been outlawed” Isaiah 59:14 NLT.
We live in changing times, where feelings about how we “identify” now hold more authority than facts. As a practising psychotherapist, I am acutely aware of how feelings (whilst still traditionally of vital importance for exploration) can take over the investigation of factual information in the therapy room.
This change applies to concepts concerning ethnicity, beliefs in power structures, and most importantly, the reframing of biological facts into feelings around sex and gender.
Cancellation
People who speak out about these ideas face professional “cancellation” – or worse. Recent examples include Kathleen Stock, Maya Forstater, Rosie Kay, Rev Dr Bernard Randall, and Jennifer Melle.
Postmodernism
In the 21st century, we live in “postmodern” times, which means that everything that was once considered fixed and certain is up for re-interpretation. The very words “good” and “evil” are changed into phrases like: “this is my truth” rather than referring to previous standards of social behaviour followed for centuries. Everything is a “construct” based on your vantage point (“positionality”).
Jean Francois Lyotard (1979) writes about the commodification of ‘truth’ – something which becomes most influential via the highest bidders who define the value of ‘your truth’ vs ‘my truth’.
This means that the former ‘grand narratives’ connected to religion and faith (19th century) have lost their authority. The 20th century saw the rise of political ideologies, and the 21st century has seen attempts to trash even scientific knowledge (biology and our place in the created world as mammals), as well as received wisdom about the importance of the human family. In addition, historical records are viewed with suspicion, and attempts are made to re-write them. So called ‘Sensitivity Readers’ are hired to modify or dismiss the classics of literature and point out possible ‘trigger points’ for the reader.
Gender Identity
A sudden increase of 400% in referrals of girls to Gender Identity services in 2018 was not immediately attributed to peer pressure, the influence of social media, and the desire to feel special, but to genuine beliefs about identity which must be not only listened to but also acted upon.