This is a series of blogs addressing cultural tensions and a Biblical (and logical) perspective.
I wrote this months ago, and in light of the wonderful and sane executive order that there are only 2 genders I thought today would be a good day to release the first of a series of writings I’ve done/ am doing on navigating some of our current chaos.
Each one will start with the same anchoring introduction (in red- approx. 6 paragraphs). From there I will address specific issues.
Here we go… I’m going to be addressing a list of topics that would be better for my status, approval and likeability if I just let other people write about it (as many have) and “just focus on ‘pastoring’ things.” But the very reason I feel compelled to write about these topics are approval and pastoring. While these posts may lose me the approval of many, the approval from the only one that matters (God) is what matters. On top of that, my greatest responsibility in pastoring is to help others know, love and follow Jesus, and to place God’s Word and authority at the core of everything.
But, there is another catalyst to these writings: The current culture’s embracing of the topics and ideologies I’ll be covering are heartbreaking, disturbing, sinful, and harmful. Yet they are being championed, accepted, and celebrated. We are at a point in history where confusion is the exulted king, and many Christians are “going with the flow,” because the cost to stand up for truth is already too costly. In the name of “love” we have capitulated to insanity, believing that our influence in the world will be reduced with a bold Biblical worldview that refuses to bend to the current “truth.” Sadly, our unwillingness to plant our flag in the ground because the issues “aren’t important enough”, has resulted in a society that murders babies, mutilates kids, celebrates unhindered sexual expression, encourages insanity and lies, and tells our children ‘You can be whatever you want to be and do whatever you want to do.’ In short, we have been too timid for too long, and now the group that is suffering the most (our children) are being herded to a place they’ve been told is safe, good, and loving, but in fact, only provides the opposite.
These writing are for THE CHURCH- meaning Jesus loving, Bible believing, Christ-following, full of grace and truth Christians- If you are not this, then nothing I write will make any sense until you fix your eyes on Jesus, place your faith in Him, and decide that His ways are the best. If you don’t follow Jesus, I pray this for you- that you would seek truth, seek salvation, and when you see that truth and salvation are not found in our own creation, but are found in Jesus, the truth will set you free.
For those that are THE CHURCH- these writings are for you, so let me start with the general application: WE MUST NOT BE SILENT. WE MUST STAND UP FOR OUR CHILDREN. WE MUST INFLUENCE ALL AREAS OF THE PUPLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS. WE MUST FILTER AND LIVE THROUGH A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW- NO MATTER THE COST. WE CAN’T CAPITULATE TO ANY OF SOCIETIES INSANITY, WE MUST FOLLOW GOD’S WORD….
AND WE MUST DO THIS ALL OUT OF LOVE AND FOR LOVE (AND THAT LOVE IS ONLY DEFINED BY GOD).
To begin, clarity is not found where we might think. Being precise in definitions, identifying what the “real issue” is, understanding differing perspectives and viewpoints may help in our communication, but all these things will not bring about clarity until one core question is settled: Who has the ultimate authority over these issues? (1 Corinthians 3:19) If our answer to this question is anything other than, “God,” we have elevated that “other” thing/ person/ organization above God in a way that assures us of disaster. Would it be wise, or even good to allow an elementary student to guide us in the works of Shakespeare? Are ants here to dictate to us how to think, what to do, and what is right? Should a kleptomaniac be asked to define what stealing is? As obvious as the answer to each of these questions are, this is what we’ve done with each of these issues. We’ve allocated our understanding and reaction to these issues to human reasoning, our laws, and most dangerously-our feelings, unaware (or deliberately ignoring) the fact that both our history and our current reality prove we are but children, ants, and kleptomaniacs.
Since the fall of man we’ve had differing and changing perspectives on good and evil, right and wrong, and what humans should and shouldn’t do to one another. But this isn’t just a story of history; when we look over the current landscape of the world’s cultures, we have the same myriad of opinions on morality as those crazy and abhorrent perspectives of the past. Though morality has always been a moving target in the human heart (reveling its corruptibility) we a moral guide that is eternal, holy, and unchanging. May we not fool ourselves into thinking that we are wiser than this guide, instead we need to humbly submit to His authority, His wisdom, and His Word. Once we accept the authority God has, we must not simply make a mental agreement, we must then bow our knees and orient our lives to His Word. In other words, we find clarity in these issue from God and God alone.
Children, Ants, and Kleptomaniacs: ISSUE #1- Gender
Genesis 1:27
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
That’s it. That’s reality. There are only two: Male and Female. Anyone who says differently is wrong. Is there a significant statistical outlier in people born with two anatomical representations of both genders- yes- but that has always brought a burden of confusion and desire for clarity of which of one of the genders they are. The anomaly of this doesn’t give any allowance for those who were born male or female to choose something which they are not. In fact, like many current sexual and gender issues of today, those who truly struggle with some of these tensions should be appalled by the celebration of more and more people embracing a ‘created’ struggle. Imagine if someone had cancer- with obvious physical symptoms (tumor, weakness, blood count, etc.) and someone else “felt” like they had cancer and wanted to be treated as such. No one would cater to that. In fact, if they pressed their desire to be treated like they have cancer hard enough, the person would be treated for the mental disorder because that isn’t reality. Never would (or should) a doctor, friend, or family member, cut open or administer cancer medication to this delusional person because they think it’s loving. It’s not loving at all. It’s cruel and absurd. Reality doesn’t change because culture has told us to “accept it.” And yet, this is what we are allowing, and embracing today.
So, what has allowed us to get here? Many things, but what I believe has persuaded reasonable humans to be unreasonable is the idea of separating “sex” and “gender.” If someone can agree that there is male and female, BUT that “male and female,” is different than “being man or woman,” then we can live unconstrained by reality, and become whatever we want. But logically this is insane: a man is male, a male is man. A woman is a female and a female is a women.
One of the biggest ironies of the gender debate is the people who are the strongest proponents of a spectrum of genders are also the ones that are claiming certain actions, attitudes, and thoughts belong to certain genders which then can be identified as something other than the sex you are. If that sentence is confusing- your right, the whole idea of gender and sex being separated makes no sense. On one hand many people are advocating for the removal of all gender stereotypes as “limited and sexist,” while at the very same time affirming those living out stereotypes that are opposite of their sex, claiming these are “authentic.”
Sadly, “science” is being weaponized and improperly used to try and make a case that we can be a gender different than our sex. But the science of all gender diversification affirmation doesn’t play by the very rules science is built on. Science is a discipline that uses tools to make observations about facts to interpret reality, yet in gender diversification affirmative scientist allow feelings to trump facts. This same type of oxymoronic capitulation of social pressures doesn’t stop there- it has flowed into common thought of society. We know changing someone’s physical appearance doesn’t change who they are while simultaneously affirming that “this situation is different” and encouraging the mutilation of bodies, hoping that it will provide the change needed. Even more sickening is the incongruence with the wisdom we think our kids have in this area of their lives. We wisely tell our kids they aren’t old enough to drive until they are 16, smoke and vote until they are 18, and drink until they are 21, while believing they have a good enough grasp on who they are and what they think to make life altering decisions on their body when they are 4, 5, 6 years old. THIS IS INSANE. THIS IS SICK. THIS NEEDS TO STOP.
Any idea that these self-evident truths (males are men and females are women) are false is lunacy- and while that may sound harsh to some- it’s actually a deeply loving statement. This is NOT name calling- by definition a lunatic is, “a mentally ill person.” Yes, there is something wrong with a mind that looks at reality, and says, “I’ll live in a different “reality.”” This type of belief should break our hearts and rush us to help fix the lunacy. True, loving, help doesn’t come from continuing to encourage living in lies, nor does it mean we can just ignore it. The discrepancy of gender/sex must be addressed, and when needed fought against. Though it’s culturally acceptable to support and love people with other mental issues by reminding them of truth, in the case of gender issues the culture has taken a different approach, promoting, embracing and encouraging the dissociation. Our society is now telling us that if we don’t affirm the lies then we are hate filled and in danger of significant legal, financial, and social recourse. Despite the evidence that shows this pretend world we’re supposed to live in is not doing anything to “help” those with this mental disorder, many continue to play the part, remain neutral, and in so doing allow the lies, depression, hopelessness, and ultimately death, to expand.
So, when we call the disassociation what it is: lunacy, we are actually identifying the problem, and when properly identified, proper treatment can be given. The most loving thing we can do is address the real problem to get real help, not ignore or affirm the problem and promote fake, unhelpful “help.” If a man jumped off the top of a building because he believed he’s superman and can fly, the environment isn’t going to cater to his false beliefs: he will die, no matter how much he “feels” it. Continuing to affirm a gender that is different than your biological sex is the same as standing on the top of the building and encouraging the man to jump because the culture tells us to be affirming. It helps no one (and statics show it) to pretend reality can be adjusted to our feelings.
Simply stated: Just plain logic reveals how unreasonable and illogical our current perspective of sex and gender is- without any Biblical reasoning. So, why would God feel the need to provide this clarity in His Word? Shockingly, we are seeing why: Because even with reason and logic people will try to find a way to deceive themselves of truth. When we, as Christians know the truth, know that God is good and loving, know that His ways are the best ways, and capitulate to society we are living misaligned to what we say we believe.
Yes, I know that switching pronouns and acknowledging someone’s transition sounds loving (because the culture has shaped and manipulated our minds to think this) but let me be clear- it is not. We need to be humble, gentle, loving, and broken in sadness in our response BUT we should be confident that telling the truth with grace is actually, truly, factually loving. The implications and weight of that previous statement varies depending on the repercussions, but let me remind you, we are accountable to God, not man, and our lives, no matter how grave the consequences of the world, should be lived in obedience to Him.
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