| dc.description.abstract | While transgenderism in America may be confusing to Christians, they need not be afraid
of this important emerging social issue. Instead they need to do their best to understand it. The
first half of this paper will walk through some basics of transgenderism. The terminology in this
field changes quickly but through humility and willingness to learn Christians can converse with
people in the transgender community. Statistics indicate that while number of people in the
transgender community is fairly low, it is growing. The means of diagnosing and treating gender
dysphoria are varied and can be confusing for Christians. Gender formation theories work
together even as they sometimes disagree about what makes some people transgender. From
what we know it is clear that transgenderism is not unlike other difficulties from which people
suffer in this world.
The second half of this paper will examine the issue in light of God’s Word. When
Christians consult God’s Word they will find that God has a lot to say about gender. At creation
God established a gender binary. God does not distinguish between sex and gender. He expects
people to express their gender according to the sex he assigned to them at birth. God nowhere
indicates that switching from one gender to another is either possible or appropriate.
Lastly, this paper will consider how Christians may wisely respond to transgender
individuals. Christian lay people and pastors must make tough choices when dealing with
transgender people, but their conversations should always be guided by understanding and
compassion. | en_US |
