(Not) Born This Way

The truth of Christ, as it penetrates our hearts and takes root in our souls, can produce freedom for
our lives, manifested in victory over sin. Ephesians 4 says this:
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;
19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But you have not so learned Christ...

What an incredible opportunity every person has - to experience the life of God!  And, what a lonely and desolate place, to be alienated from the life of God.  The enemy uses so many tools in order to keep us operating at a level far beneath what God has intended; for example, telling us that we have to be satisfied with the sin with which we struggle.  Or, that our commitment to sin will produce happiness.  No, we have to recognize God's ways for us and seek to walk in the victory that Jesus died and rose again to provide.

+++++

Our lives have been created by the hand of a wise and omnipotent God, and our biological design, including our identity as male and female, are ordained by Him, according to Genesis 1:
26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

A new study that has been released by two professors at Johns Hopkins University calls into question some of the narratives regarding human sexuality, especially homosexuality, and provides scientific evidence that is consistent with what the Bible teaches on God's design for sexuality.

The findings were published on The New Atlantis website, and a summary found on the National Organization for Marriage website notes that the study has four essential findings, according to the editor of The New Atlantis, Adam Keiper:

• The belief that sexual orientation is an innate, biologically fixed human property—that people are ‘born that way'—is not supported by scientific evidence. 
• Likewise, the belief that gender identity is an innate, fixed human property independent of biological sex—so that a person might be a ‘man trapped in a woman's body' or ‘a woman trapped in a man's body'—is not supported by scientific evidence. 
• Only a minority of children who express gender-atypical thoughts or behavior will continue to do so into adolescence or adulthood. There is no evidence that all such children should be encouraged to become transgender, much less subjected to hormone treatments or surgery. 
• Non-heterosexual and transgender people have higher rates of mental health problems (anxiety, depression, suicide), as well as behavioral and social problems (substance abuse, intimate partner violence), than the general population. Discrimination alone does not account for the entire disparity. 

Ryan Anderson of the Heritage Foundation, writing for The Daily Signal, identifies the authors of the study:  Dr. Lawrence Meyer, a scholar-in-residence in the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University and a professor of statistics and biostatistics at Arizona State University, and Dr. Paul McHugh, whom the editor of The New Atlantis describes as “arguably the most important American psychiatrist of the last half-century,” is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Anderson addresses the policy implications.  He writes:

One of the consistent themes of the report is that science does not support the claim that “gender identity” is a fixed property independent of biological sex, but rather that a combination of biological, environmental, and experiential factors likely shape how individuals experience and express themselves when it comes to sex and gender.

He notes that:

This provides more reason for concern over the Obama administration’s recent transgender school policies. Beyond the privacy and safety concerns, there is thus also the potential that such policies will result in prolonged identification as transgender for students who otherwise would have naturally grown out of it.

Anderson also takes aim at the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on so-called "same sex marriage," writing:

These findings—that scientific research does not support the claim that sexual orientation is innate and immutable—directly contradict claims made by Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy in last year’s Obergefell ruling. Kennedy wrote, “their immutable nature dictates that same-sex marriage is their only real path to this profound commitment” and “in more recent years have psychiatrists and others recognized that sexual orientation is both a normal expression of human sexuality and immutable.”

But the science does not show this.

A CBN News report summarizes some of the mental factors that LGBT individuals experience:

The report concedes there are some minor differences between homosexuals and heterosexuals in the brain structures and brain activity. However, it is unclear whether those differences are innate or the result of a person's environment or psychological factors.

It also states that homosexuals are two to three times as likely to have been victims of childhood sexual abuse.

Regarding mental health, the report says non-heterosexuals experience more anxiety, depression, substance abuse and suicide than heterosexuals.

Alarmingly, suicide attempts by transgender individuals are estimated at 41 percent compared to less than 5 percent in the overall population.

The report cites a limited amount of evidence that discrimination could contribute to the higher incidence of mental health problems.

Anderson points out that, based on the authors' comments:

...It appears that social stigma and stress alone cannot account for the poor physical and mental health outcomes that LGBT-identified people face.

As a result, they conclude that “More research is needed to uncover the causes of the increased rates of mental health problems in the LGBT subpopulations.” And they call on all of us work to “alleviate suffering and promote human health and flourishing.”

The long and short of this study is that we recognize that while there is more research to be done, no matter what factors might contribute to sexual orientation or gender identity issues, God's Word and the power of His Spirit offer the antidote.   Because Jesus died for all sin.  No matter what area of struggle or addiction that might occur, His truth provides the answer.  It's a matter of strategically appropriating what He has provided in releasing the overcoming power of the Spirit in all areas of sin.

Also, this research can provide a challenge for the Church to look for ways to minister to people who struggle with gender identity and/or sexual orientation issues.  The study seems to indicate that a number of people who may have tendencies toward transgenderism as youth grow out of those patterns - that can provide hope for people; they can be pointed to the way out.  And, for those who have same-sex attraction issues, the power of Christ provides hope for the inner struggles they may be facing.  Our God is a God of victory, and He desires for our identity to line up with what is prescribed in His Word.