4 For the word of the Lord is right, And all His work is done in truth.
5 He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
In Acts, Paul declares that God made the world and everything in it. His creation reflects His nature; the Bible says the heavens declare the glory of God. God has set creation into motion, with a variety of natural, scientific laws that reflect His devotion to order. And, if He is capable of ordering creation, we can certainly know that He can order our lives. He expects us to live by His principles, by which we bring Him glory.
Genesis 2 is very clear with respect to God's creation, His undeniable design, and the absolute nature of gender:
21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
23 And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."
The Rio Olympics begin in early August, and the International Olympic Committee has succombed to political correctness in the area of allowing transgender athletes to compete. A recent USA Today story identifies that there are two such athletes that may be taking part in the games.
A little backstory here: In November, the IOC had a meeting, which led to new guidelines that were announced in January. The story says that, "Under the new guidelines, those who transition from female to male are eligible to compete without restriction and those who transition from male to female are eligible to compete without gender reassignment surgery and with one year of hormone therapy. The old guidelines, from 2004, required surgery and two years of hormone therapy."
Will it be Chris Mosier, a transgender male athlete who is quoted in the story? He competed this summer in the World Duathlon Championships. Mosier had challenged the IOC’s rules for transgender athletes, which were the same as the International Triathlon Union rules under which Mosier competes. Or perhaps it would be swimmer G Ryan, who identifies as "genderqueer," and not as a man or a woman. Ryan competed in the U.S. Olympic swimming trials as a female, and prefers “they/them/theirs” as pronouns to be described as a person.
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Genesis 2 is very clear with respect to God's creation, His undeniable design, and the absolute nature of gender:
21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
23 And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."
The Rio Olympics begin in early August, and the International Olympic Committee has succombed to political correctness in the area of allowing transgender athletes to compete. A recent USA Today story identifies that there are two such athletes that may be taking part in the games.
A little backstory here: In November, the IOC had a meeting, which led to new guidelines that were announced in January. The story says that, "Under the new guidelines, those who transition from female to male are eligible to compete without restriction and those who transition from male to female are eligible to compete without gender reassignment surgery and with one year of hormone therapy. The old guidelines, from 2004, required surgery and two years of hormone therapy."
The USA Today story also revealed that in May at yet another meeting, members of an international sports federation said that two closeted transgender athletes who competed in their sport were considering coming out publicly before the Games this summer, according to two people who attended the meeting and spoke to the publication.
While the USA Today story did not offer in opinion in opposition to the IOC guidelines, over at The Federalist, I found some common sense from Brandon Morse, who wrote:
35 percent of Americans say it’s wrong for people to identify with a gender different from their birth sex, while 45 percent disagree. 42 percent say it’s morally wrong to change gender and 43 percent disagree.
14 percent of Americans say identifying with a different gender isn’t a matter of morality, and almost as many (11 percent) say it isn’t a moral issue to alter one’s gender through hormones or surgery.
Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research states: “This reflects a changing worldview,” adding, “A growing percentage of Americans don’t believe in right and wrong. They don’t believe there’s absolute truth—and if there’s no absolute truth, then they’re reluctant to talk about morality.”
54 percent of those identifying as having evangelical beliefs say it’s wrong to identify with a different gender. Yes, that's it - just over half, meaning that up to 46% - almost half - of evangelicals say it's OK to identify with a different gender or may be undecided on the subject. 61 percent say using surgery or hormones to change gender is morally wrong.
McConnell is quoted as saying: “A majority of Americans reject the view of a creator giving them a gender that shouldn’t be changed,” adding, “We freely change many things about ourselves—we have cosmetic surgery, we use teeth whitener, we dye our hair, we get tattoos. Many Americans view gender as one more thing on that list.”
So, it appears, even in the Church, that the cultural waves have influence our thoughts and opinion about gender, and I believe, subsequently, the beauty of God's design. When we ignore God's settled truths, then we leave ourselves wide open to developing ideas that run contrary to His principles, which can result in a chaotic society.
Our God is a God of order, and creation reflects that. He has set up certain natural laws that are verifiable through science, that ensure that order. When humanity attempts to change His absolute order, then we open ourselves up to confusion. We have to be convinced that His way is best, that He has given us established principles by which we can live our lives, and seek to follow in His wisdom.
Women’s and men’s sports are categorically different for a reason. The male and female forms are different in many ways, and both have advantages and disadvantages compared to the other.
In some sports, mixing male and female may not affect the outcome, such as tennis, equestrian sports, or curling, but in many others this is not the case. Men typically outpace women when running, lifting, throwing, jumping, etc. If men can claim to be women and invade a sport that only women are allowed to compete in, then it’s a safe bet men will win. All the accolades, rewards, and recognition will be taken from the women who rightfully deserve them and given to a man who essentially cheated by putting on makeup, injecting himself with hormones, and saying he’s a woman.And, this concept of changing gender or identifying with the gender other than one's biological one has become more accepted. LifeWay Research asked 1,000 Americans whether they agree or disagree that changing one’s gender or identifying with a different gender is morally wrong. Respondents also had the option to select “it’s not a moral issue.”
35 percent of Americans say it’s wrong for people to identify with a gender different from their birth sex, while 45 percent disagree. 42 percent say it’s morally wrong to change gender and 43 percent disagree.
14 percent of Americans say identifying with a different gender isn’t a matter of morality, and almost as many (11 percent) say it isn’t a moral issue to alter one’s gender through hormones or surgery.
Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research states: “This reflects a changing worldview,” adding, “A growing percentage of Americans don’t believe in right and wrong. They don’t believe there’s absolute truth—and if there’s no absolute truth, then they’re reluctant to talk about morality.”
54 percent of those identifying as having evangelical beliefs say it’s wrong to identify with a different gender. Yes, that's it - just over half, meaning that up to 46% - almost half - of evangelicals say it's OK to identify with a different gender or may be undecided on the subject. 61 percent say using surgery or hormones to change gender is morally wrong.
McConnell is quoted as saying: “A majority of Americans reject the view of a creator giving them a gender that shouldn’t be changed,” adding, “We freely change many things about ourselves—we have cosmetic surgery, we use teeth whitener, we dye our hair, we get tattoos. Many Americans view gender as one more thing on that list.”
So, it appears, even in the Church, that the cultural waves have influence our thoughts and opinion about gender, and I believe, subsequently, the beauty of God's design. When we ignore God's settled truths, then we leave ourselves wide open to developing ideas that run contrary to His principles, which can result in a chaotic society.
Our God is a God of order, and creation reflects that. He has set up certain natural laws that are verifiable through science, that ensure that order. When humanity attempts to change His absolute order, then we open ourselves up to confusion. We have to be convinced that His way is best, that He has given us established principles by which we can live our lives, and seek to follow in His wisdom.
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