A brief explainer of my views on biblical gender ethics
Trans people are image-bearers, too. God values them greatly. We, the Church, must learn to better love those God loves.
I’ve consistently posted about the need to prioritize relationship with trans people, build trust, address any mental health challenges unrelated to gender incongruence, and patiently wait for the Holy Spirit to move. Check out my suggestions for empathetic discipleship at https://www.pieterlvalk.com/blog/7-tips-for-caring-for-trans-people.
But eventually, conversation may get to theological questions. Even more often, cisgender straight Christians press me to answer the question, “Is transition permissible for Christians navigating gender incongruence?”
I don't want to answer this question for the same reasons that I don't want to respond when people ask, "Well, Pieter, do you think gay sex is a sin?"
There are so many more important questions when it comes to embodying God's love for gay and trans people. There are so many hours of friendship and trust that must be earned before those of us who aren't trans or aren't gay have credibility to ask that question.
And yet, eventually, in some friendships and in some discipleship relationships, this question is asked. And it matters that we respond with God's love AND wisdom.
In a few words, what are my convictions on biblical gender ethics?
There is a biblical pattern of condemning genital alteration (Deuteronomy 22:5 and Deuteronomy 23:1), cross-dressing as part of cult practices (1 Corinthians 11:2-16), and the elimination of gender difference (1 Corinthians 11:2-16). The Bible makes clear that genital mutilation does not prevent people from being able to image God and be part of His family (Isaiah 56:1-5, Acts 8:25-39). The Bible affirms dozens of times when men and women in the Bible break what we would consider to be contemporary gender stereotypes (Psalm 51:10-11, Micah 6:8, I Samuel 18:1-3, Proverbs 31, Judges 4:4, Acts 16:14, Luke 7:47,50). The authors of Scripture were aware of trans people.
God first intended for each of us to either be male-bodied men or female-bodied women (Genesis 1-3). The Bible affirms the sex and gender binary.
Faithfulness to our biological sex includes accepting our sex and following God’s wisdom when we engage our capacity for relationship.
Everything about this world is broken, including each of our biological sexes and each of our genders. Cultural concepts of gender, including arbitrarily assigning preference to one gender or another, are broken.
God didn’t provide any further universal prescriptions for maleness/femaleness or masculinity/femininity. He left the rest (cultural norms for gender and gender expression) to us.
Gender incongruence develops from a combination of nature and nurture, but specifics are unknown. God didn’t intend gender incongruence. No one chose to experience enduring, robust gender incongruence. Gender incongruence is a brokenness. Merely experiencing gender incongruence is not a sin.
While 80% experience relief from gender incongruence over time, there’s no formula for “healing” gender incongruence.
When a person is not intersex but they experience gender incongruence, we know that their biological sex is as God intended but their gender experience is broken.
Hormonal/surgical transition has not been scientifically demonstrated to reliably reduce depression/suicidality. There is no evidence to clearly support the theory that there is a brain-sex/body-sex difference that leads to gender incongruence.
Taking steps to alter one’s sex and reject God’s gift of their sex (hormonal or surgical transition) are sins. Social transition steps could be taken in a morally neutral way depending on one’s motivations.
For a deeper exploration of the biblical passages relevant to gender ethics and how to employ those to answer key theological questions, check out Equip’s Gender Incongruence Course at https://equipyourcommunity.org/gendercourse/.
