Week 2 – Jeff Maness and Brendan Anderson – February 10, 2019
In the conversations around faith, gender, and sexuality, it’s the gender identity conversation that probably has most people confused, overwhelmed, or maybe even put off by. Just because we don’t understand something though doesn’t mean we shouldn’t engage with it. If we as Christians are going to engage the conversation well then we need to understand some baseline things about it.
Grace & Truth: Gender Identity
Open Forum Q & A on Monday, February 25th from 6:30-8:30 pm. Childcare provided.
“If you’ve met one transgender person, you’ve met…one transgender person.” Mark Yarhouse
LGBT+
LGB is talking about “who I’m attracted to”.
T is talking about “who I am”.
Terms and Definitions
Sex vs Gender:
Sex – The physical and biological dimensions of being male or female. (Mark Yarhouse)
Gender – The psychological, social and cultural aspects of being male or female.” (Mark Yarhouse)
• Gender identity/experience – Who you identify and experience life as.
• Gender expression – How you express yourself male, female, or other, with hair, clothes,
mannerisms, interests, etc.
• Gender Role – How you relate to and adopt “cultural expectations” of maleness and femaleness. The role you play in society.
Transgender – Refers to the broad spectrum of individuals who experience or express their gender in ways that are incongruent with their biological sex.
Transexual – Someone pursuing SRS/HT but like “homosexual”, the term is outdated and impersonal.
Use “transgender”.
Gender dysphoria – DSM Gender dysphoria involves a conflict between a person’s physical or assigned gender and the gender with which he/she/they identify, which can lead to significant often times debilitating distress.
Cisgender – Describes individuals whose gender identity or expression aligns with the sex assigned to them at birth.
People who are transgender = 0.6% of the population, approximately 1.4 million people.
In Wyoming approximately 1400 people identify as transgender.
37% of Gen Z (3 – 23 yrs old) says their gender and sexuality is “very important”.
70% of Gen Z believes it is acceptable to be born one gender and identify as another.
12% of Millennials identify as transgender or gender non-conforming.
50% of Millennials believe gender is not binary (male/female) but exists on a spectrum.
41% of people who identify as transgender have attempted suicide compared to 1.7% of the general population.
Exodus 31:1-11 1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. 4 He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. 5 He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft! 6 “And I have personally appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make: 7 the Tabernacle; the Ark of the Covenant; the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement; all the furnishings of the Tabernacle; 8 the table and its utensils; the pure gold lampstand with all its accessories; the incense altar; 9 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils; the washbasin with its stand;10 the beautifully stitched garments—the sacred garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to wear as they minister as priests; 11 the anointing oil; the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. The craftsmen must make everything as I have commanded you.”
Proverbs 31:15-16 15 She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day’s work for her servant girls 16 She goes to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard. Scripture celebrates the difference in gender, the difference between male and female, and gives us a plethora of ways to express gender.
Side A: Affirming
Side X: Ex-Gay
Side B: Accepting but non-affirming
Historic Christian Sexual Ethic = Marriage is intended for two sexually different people (man and woman), and any sex or sexual activity is intended for and blessed only in that union.
Genesis 1:27 27 “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
Matthew 19:4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’”.
We believe that human beings are purposefully born male or female, and there are no compelling Christian ethical or moral arguments that allows for a believer to transition.
“Referring to a teen by their preferred name and pronoun can lower the risk of suicide (up to 50%), but it will not increase persistence. It will increase safety.” – Bill Henson, Leading them Home Ministries
Anywhere from 40-70% of young people who experience Gender Dysphoria will “outgrow” that but not until they are 18-25 years old.
Only 3% of all transgender people try to change their body’s sex.
Resources for the Transgender Discussion:
Fully Alive – Larry Crabb (Biblical expression of gender)
Understanding Gender Dysphoria – Mark Yarhouse (In-depth study)
Talking Points Transgender – Vaughn Roberts (Easy foundation)
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