Christian Responses to Transgender Movement

by Jerry Guiltner

An English dictionary defines the word or prefix, trans, as indicating “across or over.” Therefore, the word “transgender” means across gender or over gender. I have an old dictionary, the New College Edition of The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, that the latest publication date was 1979. It does not include the word transgender in it. We have come, in a relatively short amount of time, to a place where a word that was not common, dominates headlines in print, television and social media. Transgender is now in vogue.

In fact, retail outlets have bowed to the perverted life style and our governmental leaders have jumped on the bandwagon, touting men and women born with male and female organs being able to use the other sex’s restrooms and showers simply because they “feel” they are of the opposite sex with which the Creator made them. Talk abounds that some in the halls of Congress want to make the practice national, leaving the states out of the equation.

All this brings up a salient point. How should Christians respond? Oklahoma’s The Baptist Messenger (May 26, 2016) published an article written by Andrew T. Walker, Director of Policy Studies for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), titled Transgender decree: what now? In it, Walker points out seven answers to the question. Of the seven, some have been, and are currently being addressed, while others need a bit more attention.

The first four suggestions cited by Walker are: 1. Schools should refuse to comply with the federal government’s overreach. 2. Citizens should contact their elected representatives to register their dissatisfaction. 3. Citizens need to take their frustration to the ballot box. 4. State legislatures should pass laws that counteract this decree.

Many people have complied with these first four. But many more U.S. citizens need to rise up and make a stand in those areas.

The fifth through the seventh ideas on the ERLC Director’s list require more attention. The fifth states that we should see actions like this invite the judgment of God on our land. Walker points out that any rejection of Christ’s Lordship actually brings judgment from on high. On that issue he says, “Attempting to live beyond our nature denies God’s sovereignty and, in the long run, can’t live up to its promises of emancipation and self-will.” If one reads the words of God in Genesis chapter two, verse 18, Walker speaks the truth. “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him,? we see that when Walker wrote, “God made men and women complementary and when these truths of our nature are exchanged, rejected or blurred, a sort of anti-creation is occurring. Romans teaches us that disavowing creation is its own form of judgment. A nation cannot suppress the creational laws of God and expect to prosper in the long-term.”

Another thing that must happen now is point six. “Christians should take stock of the cultural movement.” It seems we as a people are too busy living our lives with all the pulling and pushing that go with it that we forget to look around at where the world is headed. Walker says that, “Parents should take active roles in discovering what their children are learning and combating errors when necessary.”

Finally we get to point seven in what happens now. “Christian parents need to evaluate what this means for them and their children. They need to establish a tipping point. This may be the most important response to consider. What actions taken by your local school will be sufficient for you to re-evaluate public education? Is having a teacher reprimand your child for his or her belief about marriage, sex, and gender identity acceptable? Will you allow them to be in schools where bathroom policies are based on gender identity rather than biological sex?” (Emphasis added by writer)

Unquestionably, America is in danger of facing the righteous judgment of God and the transgender movement is not the only culprit. Governmental rules, laws and regulations that shake a fist in God’s face all combine to bring down the wrath of God. In fact, once again, President Obama has declared June as LBGT month. He has done that every year he has been in office. We should not be surprised that judgment is coming soon as we remember Sodom and Gomorrha (Jude 7).

In order to change the trend, Christians must do all they can to uphold the rule of God in a nation gone awry. Call upon the Creator for help. The Bible is replete with instances where God has heard His people cry out to Him. He alone can stem the tide of immorality and rescue us from utter destruction. Government can’t do it. A president can’t do it. God alone is our rescuer.