Stay the Course

The lines of demarcation between a Christian worldview perspective and the world's destructive ideas are so clear in many areas of society. We have to pursue and speak clarity in the midst of confusion. And, God is clear about matters of sexuality and gender. Jesus echoed the Father's plan laid out in Genesis in Matthew 19, saying:
(4) "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,'
5 and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

In these three verses, Jesus offers clear teaching on what culture seems to be getting wrong these days: 1) there are two genders - male and female; He is saying these are fixed, binary, and 2) they were made that way, which makes the idea of "gender transition" out of the question.  He also says 3) that marriage is a man and a woman in a "one-flesh" relationship and 4) that we should be committed to God's will for marriage.  This is clear and reflects the wisdom and love of God - that He has ordained a plan for fruitful relationships and orderly society.

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Paul wrote in Romans chapter 1 that he was not ashamed of the gospel, the power of God for salvation, and later in the same chapter he took to task the mindset and behavior of those who did not follow the Lord. He wrote:
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  

And, in an age in which concepts such as gender identity and gender fluidity influence conversations and policies, a majority of Protestant pastors surveyed by Lifeway Research are rejecting these concepts.  The survey summary states:

In a study from Nashville-based Lifeway Research, around 3 in 4 Protestant pastors say identifying as a gender different from one’s biological birth gender is morally wrong. Similar numbers say the same about attempts to physically change genders.

Lifeway Research executive director Scott McConnell says, “American culture increasingly views morality differently than historic Christianity,” adding, “When pastors articulate Christian teaching, it often sounds very different from the cultural narrative because it rejects a basis for morality centered on the individual.” 

So, 72% of Protestant pastors agree, with 62% strongly agreeing, that it is "morally wrong" for a person to identify with a gender that is not his or her biological one. The summary also notes that, "Evangelical pastors are more than twice as likely as mainline Protestant pastors to agree identifying with a different gender is immoral (84% to 32%)."  The summary also states:

In an earlier study Lifeway Research asked the same questions of Americans. Forty-four percent of Protestant Americans and 35% of all Americans agreed it is morally wrong for someone to identify with a gender different from the sex they were born. In the 2020 State of Theology study from Lifeway Research, however, 79% of American adults agree God created male and female.

Regarding the issue of actually trying to "change" one's gender, the summary notes:

More than 3 in 4 pastors (77%) say it is morally wrong to change the gender you were born with through surgery or taking hormones, with 71% strongly agreeing. Fewer than 1 in 8 disagree (12%), and 7% say it’s not a moral issue, according to the Lifeway Research study.

And, as Lifeway Research states, "Nine in 10 evangelical pastors (90%) believe attempting to physically change genders is morally wrong, compared to 37% of mainline pastors."  The article notes that a Gallup poll shows only .6% of the population is transgender, however, Lifeway's research shows that almost half of pastors surveyed said they knew a person who is transgender.

Note the gap: almost three-quarters of Protestant pastors, but only a-third of Americans view identifying as another gender as being immoral.  While one has to wonder how pervasively this topic is being addressed from the pulpits of America, you also realize that people are not availing themselves of Biblical wisdom. The media narrative is strong, there may not be enough Biblical truth being declared to counter it, and people are developing their worldview based on the world's dictates.  I do think that Christians are deficient in the information war, and there are many, even in so-called evangelical Christianity, that are short-circuiting the proclamation of the truth of God by holding to positions that differ from orthodox Christian teaching on matters of sexuality.  

That is why we need believers who are bold and equipped in order to speak God's Word - I talked recently with a Christian journalist who emphasized the need for Christians to consider going into that field.  And, while all of us are not called to be professionals in media, we are all called to seek and speak truth.  

We can also rejoice in who God made us.  The enemy is deceiving people into thinking that there is some other lifestyle, perhaps even a change in biology, that can make them happier or more self-assured. God created us as we are, unique in His eyes and made in His image.  We can be content, satisfied in who we are - comfortable in our own skin.  That confidence is contagious.