Flesh-And-Bone

Regarding Gender & Transgender
July 30, 2023
Chris Seidman, Lead Minister, The Branch

Emerging Gender Identities,
by Mark Yarhouse & Julia Sandusky

Transgender: an umbrella term for many experiences of gender identity that do not align normatively with a person’s biological sex.

Matthew 19:4-5 (NIV)
“Haven’t you read … that at the beginning the Creator‘made them male and female,’ and said, ’For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?’”

Historically and biblically, one’s gender has been tied to their sexual anatomy.

The root word for “gender” is “gen” – it’s the word from which we get words like “generate” or “genetics.”

It means “to produce” or “give birth to.”

A person’s gender historically has been based on the manner in which that person is designed to generate new life.

Today in our culture, gender identity has become unhooked from one’s biological sex.

They Have Come to Mean Two Different Things …

• When the term “sex” is used, it’s in reference to one’s chromosomes, internal reproductive anatomy, and external genitals.
  When the term “sex” is used, it’s in reference to one’s chromosomes, internal reproductive anatomy, and external genitals.

Understanding Gender Dysphoria by Mark Yarhouse

• When the term “gender identity” is used, it’s in reference to a person’s self-perception of whether they are male or female, masculine or feminine.

God and the Transgender Debate: What Does the Bible Actually Say About Gender Identity? by Andrew Walker

Intersex Society of North America

Intersex refers to a person who is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit typical definitions of male or female sexual anatomy.

Love Thy Body, by Nancy Pearcy

Gender dysphoria: the sense of mismatch between one’s biological sex (body) and psychological gender identity (mind).

A Couple of Things that Make This Discussion So Difficult

• The role of social media.

• An unhealthy reinforcement of masculine and feminine stereotypes and gender roles that are quite “narrow.”

1918 Earnshaw Infants Journal and Ladies Home Journal

The generally accepted rule is pink for the boys, and blue for the girls. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.

For Those of Us Who Struggle in This Area …

• There is a “rest” to be found in accepting the gender identity God gives us through our body – and it’s worth fighting for.

Psalm 139:13-14 (NIV)
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made … .”

1 Corinthians 6:15a, 19-20 (NIV)
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Hebrews 10:5b, 7 (NIV)
“… a body you prepared for me … .
‘Here I am … I have come to do your will, my God.’”

For Those of Us Who Are Witnessing the Struggle …

• If there’s a war to fight in this regard, it’s in prayer.

1 Corinthians 13:4a, 5, 6 (NIV)
Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not dishonor others … it is not easily angered … .
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

Book Resource Page For “Flesh And Bone” Series

(Note – these are resources that were helpful conversation partners for me – either the entire book or excerpts and chapters, here and there. I did put a note by the ones that have sections which might be particularly helpful to parents.)

Practical Theology Of The Body

Theology of the Body: Rediscovering The Meaning Of Life, Love, Sex, and Gender by Christopher West

Sexual Identity: The Harmony of Philosophy, Science, and Revelation, Ed. by John Desilva Finley

Rethinking Sexuality: God’s Design and Why It Matters by Dr. Juli Slattery (could be helpful for parents)

A Better Story: God, Sex & Human Flourishing by Glynn Harrison

Philosophy and Contemporary Cultural Narratives

Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution by Carl Trueman

Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions About Life And Sexuality by Nancy Pearcey

Regarding Gender/Transgender

Male and Female God Created Them: A Biblical Review of LGBTQ+ Claims by Dr. Rubel Shelly

Male, Female, Other? A Catholic Guide To Understanding Gender by Jason Evert (could be helpful for parents)

Irreversible Damage, Dr. Abigail Shrier

Embodied by Dr. Preston Sprinkle (could be helpful for parents)

The End of Gender by Dr. Debrah Soh

Emerging Gender Identities by Mark Yarbrough And Julia Sadusky

Understanding Gender Dysphoria by Mark Yarhouse

God and the Transgender Debate: What Does the Bible Actually Say About Gender Identity? by Andrew Walker

Understanding Transgender Identities by Edit. Paul R. Eddy, et. al.

Loving In Grace And Truth (Autobiographical)

Messy Grace by Caleb Kaltenbach (could be helpful for parents)

Messy Truth by Caleb Kaltenbach

(Podcast)* I Lost Nine Years Of My Life: Transgender To Transformed* by Laura Perry Smalts on the Unbelievable podast.

Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality by Wesley Hill

Single, Gay, Christian: A Personal Journey of Faith and Sexual Identity by Greg Coles

Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was, and Who God Has Always Been by Jackie Hill Perry

Is God Anti-Gay?: And Other Questions About Homosexuality, the Bible and Same-Sex Attraction by Sam Allberry

(A special thanks to Eric Geiger, pastor of Mariners Church in Newport Beach, CA; Caleb Kaltenbach, associate pastor at Shepherd of the Hills Church in Los Angeles; Dr. Rubel Shelly in Nashville, and Jonathan Storment of the Pleasant Valley Church in Little Rock – for their recommendations of resources and counsel for this series)