I haven't posted in years, and this is not something I would normally post about. However, this topic really riled me and my thoughts on it are much too long and complicated for a Facebook status. So it seems, my dusty, old, unused blog is probably my best bet.
This week my Facebook feed has exploded with articles and blog posts on Bruce Jenner's transition. Most of them were nothing new, so I read and moved on. However, one post shared by a few of my Southern Baptist Facebook friends really hit a nerve and I couldn't let it go. Below is a link to her post so you can form your own opinions. https://emilysuzanne11.wordpress.com/2015/06/02/bruce-jenner-is-not-a-hero/
I feel this post is a classic example of how we as Christians sometimes make broad statements about our beliefs with very little understanding or support from biblical texts. In this post the author has two arguments
1) Bruce Jenner is not a hero.
2) Being transgendered or transitioning is a sin. (Not real sure which she intended as the post was very unclear.)
This first argument is a non-biblical one and I agree with her. A hero is someone who sacrifices themselves to help or save others. I do not believe that Bruce now Caitlyn Jenner is sacrificing himself for the sake of others. He wanted to be a woman so he worked to make himself one. Some people may view him as a role model or an example, but by my understanding of the term, a hero he is not.
The second argument, that it is a sin to transition or be transgendered, is unclear and unsupported by the biblical text she cites. If you are going to call out someone's life choices as morally wrong or against God, you really should provide biblical support for your position. She does not do this at all. The only biblical support she offers is Genesis 1:27 which states "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." She doesn't share the context of the passage nor does she explain how it fits her argument. This passage is from the creation story, before the fall of Eden. It is simply a statement that God created Adam and Eve, a male and a female (which I don't think is up for debate here). I feel it is a huge stretch to claim this passage as support for this particular argument since what she is referencing is gender confusion after Eve eats the apple and we all pay the price.
In lieu of scriptural support, she provides a commonly used phrase, "God doesn't make mistakes." While I agree that God doesn't make mistakes, the way she is using it is completely wrong. We live in a fallen world where people are born with problems and disabilities. Could gender confusion simply be an example of that? Do we tell a mother, whose child was born deaf, not to get a cochlear implant because God intended for her child to never hear it's mother's voice? Do we advise parents of children with cleft lips or palates not to operate because God intended their child to have a severe facial deformity that makes eating and talking difficult if not impossible? Do we reprimand people who spend thousands of dollars on cosmetic dentistry that they are sinning against God? I'm sure, given time, I could come up with a hundred more examples like these. Clearly the statement "God doesn't make mistakes," is not a sound basis for this particular argument.
Because of its lack of scriptural backing and shallow logic, this post is a perfect example of why so many people, at best, shy away from Christians and, at worst, hate us. We are too busy arguing right and wrong with little to no biblical support that we have forgotten how to demonstrate love for our fellow man. If Jesus disagreed with Bruce Jenner, do you think he would call him out on social media? I don't! I believe he would invite him to dinner, listen to his struggles, and ask him about his faith.
The truth is, I do not know Bruce Jenner personally. I cannot speak about his choices, his sins, or his beliefs. What I can do, what I am called to do, is reach out to those struggling in my community, befriend them, learn about them, and be an example of love and light in their lives. Then and only then will they be truly interested in hearing about my Jesus.
So, to wrap-up this extremely long post, I will make a request of my fellow Christians. Please avoid sharing posts and comments like the one I am writing about today. They have the potential to hurt and alienate the very people we are called to love.
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