6 As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
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In the book of 1st Corinthians, the apostle Paul contrasted the wisdom of this world with the wisdom of God and calls us to be spiritually-minded. He wrote in 1st Corinthians 3:18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness";
20 and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."
A recent episode of the Dr. Phil show featured a rather unique premise that certainly should be addressed and debated. And, kudos to Dr. McGraw for bringing on a panel to discuss gender identity. The lineup, according to the Daily Citizen website of Focus on the Family, consisted of "two 'non-binary,' 'transgender' activists," along with a commentator who is a professing Christian.
You might think that the Christian had the deck stacked against him, but that was not a problem for well-known influencer Matt Walsh. The article says:
Walsh, with truth, respectfulness and civility, countered and questioned the ideology of LGBT activists Addison, born male but now identifying as “non-binary,” and Ethan, who was born female but now says she’s “non-binary/trans-masculine.”
The conversation went like this, according to the article, which says:
The activists spent a lot of time trying to explain to Dr. Phil McGraw, host of the show, transgender language and ideology. They worked to separate the physical reality of sex – being male or female, from so-called “gender identity” – how a person feels or thinks.
Addison said, “We need to realize that ‘transwomen’ are women and ‘trans men’ are men, too.”
Walsh said, “Well, this is one of the problems with this left-wing gender ideology, is that no one who espouses it can even tell you what these words mean.” He then asked, “What is a woman? Can you tell me what a woman is?”
Ethan said, “No, I can’t. Because it’s not for me to say. Womanhood looks different for everybody.”
Addison said, “Womanhood is something that, as Ethan just explained, I cannot define, because I am not myself a woman.” Addison later reduced “being a woman” to a person’s self-identity – to an individual’s subjective thoughts or feelings – untethered from reality.
Again, so there's no confusion: Addison is a biological man. Ethan is a biological woman. They have supplanted biology with ideology.
The Daily Citizen went on to state:
The wide-ranging conversation went on to discuss pronouns, along with activists demands that people be forced to use gender-confused individuals’ pronouns of choice. Addison said that his pronouns are “they/them,” while Ethan said her pronouns are “he/they.”
Walsh said, “You can have whatever self-perception you want. But you can’t expect me to take part in that self-perception, or to take part in this kind of this charade, this theatrical production.
The article was written by Jeff Johnston of Focus on the Family, who offered these comments:
Walsh tweeted posts from Addison and Ethan saying they’ve “been experiencing a heightened level of anxiety,” nightmares and “depression spirals” since the taping. They claimed they were “attacked by another guest and played by the producers” and asked people to send them “good vibes.”
Rather than sending vibes, believers should pray for the salvation and healing of these troubled individuals.
Walsh was a model of civility and respectfulness – even when completely disagreeing with LGBT activists and allies on Dr. Phil. He didn’t attack them as individuals, but he did question their beliefs and explain the truth.
There are several angles that we should explore:
For one thing, we should not be afraid to discuss hard issues and present a Biblical perspective. That means we should be equipped by the Word of God in partnership with the Holy Spirit, to give us the keenness of mind and tongue in order to speak as God directs.
Now, we should be reasoned and civil, not angry or unprepared. We should keep in mind that we are called to love people, regardless of whether or not we agree with their ideology. If we resort to personal attacks because we perceive we are losing an argument, we are not furthering the cause of Christ.
While there are conclusions about gender that are totally unfounded, nevertheless there are a number of people who have a lack of clarity about who they are including their gender. The enemy is feeding false ideas about sexuality, and it is devastating. And, it must be terribly frustrating to those who have these struggles. But there is hope - those struggling with gender issues need the truth of the Scriptures and a relationship with Christ.
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