Transgenderism: why Christians should be concerned
by Will Jones, Christian Today:
Can a female soul be trapped inside a male body? This is what the advocates of transgender ideology seem to want us to believe. But what does it even mean to be trapped in the ‘wrong body’?
After all, a person’s sex is an intrinsic part of their DNA. Aside from a tiny proportion of people with intersex conditions (which is different to transgender), all of us are genetically male or female, with either XX or XY chromosomes permeating almost every cell of our body. Being male or female is a biological reality, and it affects every part of our physiology, including our brains. We are male or female all the way down and no surgery or hormone treatment can ever change that, it can only change outward appearance.
Of course, that doesn’t mean men and women are different in every way. But it means that being male and female is an intrinsic part of who we are as a biological creature and that cannot be changed by any medical intervention, however drastic.
That is the biological reality. But it hasn’t stopped transgenderism becoming a formidable social force in recent years. The number of cases of transgenderism especially among the young has shot up over the last decade. In 2009-10, for example, there were just 96 referrals of children to the Tavistock clinic’s Gender Identity Development Service. By 2018-19 that number was 2,590 – almost 27 times bigger. Around three quarters of them are girls who believe they are boys.
[…] What should Christians think about all this and what can we do about it? Sharon James has written an excellent and highly accessible short primer on gender ideology for Christians. With chapters on ‘What is “Gender Theory”?’, ‘The “Transgendering” of Children’ and ‘How Should we Respond?’, Gender Ideology: What Do Christians Need to Know? is essential reading for any Christian wanting to get a better understanding of what on earth is going on and what we can do in response. It is thoroughly referenced so you always know you’re getting sound information, and also includes personal stories to keep it grounded in human experience.
The Bible says that in the beginning God created humankind male and female in his own image. Our culture seems to think it knows better. But as always, such hubris only leads to trouble. As Christians we need to keep our heads clear on these important matters, responding with both compassion and truth, and weathering the storms of hostility that rage around us.
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