Season for the Reason: Transpirings and True Transforming

Note: This was written in response to a claim sometimes made in regards to choices about sexuality. If people see orthodontists to straighten crooked teeth and eye doctors to correct impaired vision, why should someone not also seek to have surgery to alter one's sexual identity on a physical level to match one's internal sense of sexual identity for those struggling with gender dysphoria?
      To be clear, as 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 says, "what have I to do with judging outsiders?" Everyone is free to do as they wish. Those outside of Christ will not consider themselves bound to The Bible and thus wouldn't be following it anyway. While of course I think they should, first I think they should get saved by Jesus as they won't be able to fully understand or adhere to His Word otherwise anyway. There is of course much more that could be said on this but this is my concise summary of some of what The Bible says on this. This is an attempt at a Biblical view of the subject and why I believe it's best to accept the sexual identity God has given us rather than fight it.
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    A trans person 18 and over is free to do as he or she wishes with his or her body, in regards to body modification via reassignment surgery.
   I don't think a child should be allowed to make such a life-altering decision as a child is still mentally developing and may have a change of feelings down the road.
   In regards to the common rejoinder mentioned earlier here, I would say this. God did not make anyone with bad vision or crooked teeth. When God saw His creation on the 6th. day, He said it was very good. (Genesis 1:26-31)
Ecclesiastes 7:29 says that God made man to be perfect but man has gone off in search of many schemes.
   When man sinned and rebelled against God, the whole was cursed with sin and subjected to futility, as Romans 8 explains. (See also Genesis 3.) This is when bad vision and crooked teeth and other ailments started cropping up. I believe this is also where proclivities toward forbidden sexual relations came up as well. (It's important to note here that being born with a particularity proclivity for a particular sin is of course beyond any person's control. Temptation itself is not sin; acting upon it is though.)
   For the other example, if God made someone a brunette, then that person is a brunette. Dying hair to make it blonde does not make that person a blonde. Eventually the dye wears off and the natural roots will grow back out.
   The same is true with transgenderism. A person can change outer and inner genitalia and hormone levels but this doesn't change who that person is ultimately. The chromosomes are still the same. Their identity doesn't change in God's eyes.
   That said, I don't think it's wrong to dye hair (though I have no desire to do so, particularly because I believe I should be happy with what God has given me in hair color. That is something God gives me. The moral weight of changing sex is quite different from changing hair color, as I don't think there is any for that.) Fixing bad vision and bad teeth is an attempt to temporarily address products of the fall that will one day permanently be fixed with a new body in Heaven for all those in Christ.
   The distinction with transgenderism is that God has forbidden sexual relations with the same sex. (Romans 1 is a particularly good passage for this but note also Jesus' words in Matthew 19.) A transgender person engaging in sexual relations with his or her birth sex after transition would thus be violating the command against homosexual relations.
   And in Deuteronomy 22:5, The Bible also forbids cross-dressing. Thus, it would follow that a transgender person wearing clothing of the opposite sex, even after having had transitional surgery, would still be violating this command.
   This is simply not God's design and trying to rebel against it simply continues to subject transgender people to futility. Note what God says in Romans 9:20-24. Does He not have the right as Creator to make His creation as He sees fit? The clay can't tell the potter that it doesn't like the design- the clay has no say in the matter.
   2 Corinthians 4:7 says we have this treasure- that each person made in God's image is- in jars of clay. The surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. Jesus says we can find rest for our souls in Him. (Matthew 11:28) Ultimately, He is the One we can and should take our dsyphorias in life to so we can have that rest in trusting our lives to the hands of our loving Creator.
     In the end, when we are saved through faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection, we'll find the restoration and satisfaction we desire through Him in Heaven. Until we get to Heaven, He helps us along the way here in the far country in dealing with these groanings. There is a day coming when all shall be well eternally and that's what I look forward to in the midst of this present suffering, knowing that the weight of glory coming far outweighs anything I go through here.

(For further reading, I found this article from "Christianity Today" extremely helpful and gracious in talking about and understanding a Christian response to this topic.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/july-august/understanding-transgender-gender-dysphoria.html )

Physical and Spiritual Transformation

     I wanted to offer my thoughts here on a topic that has become of great public scrutiny and debate in America in recent years. It is one that (pun intended) engenders strong emotions on either side of things. As always, I hope to be gracious in talking about sensitive matters and always remember that there are always sinners behind the sin and I am just as sinful and in need of grace as anyone else. I also want to be very clear about what I am discussing here and what I am not saying here. I want to talk about the subject of transgenderism and a Christian response to it, particularly in regards to bathroom usage. One of the clearest verses in The Bible about this issue is found in Deuteronomy 22:5, wherein The Lord forbids men from wearing women's clothing and women from wearing men's clothing. I think any Christian struggling with these sexual identity questions must consider this verse, along with Jesus' words in Matthew 19, wherein He reiterates Genesis 1:26-27, wherein God made people male and female. God has put His design in place and I don't think it is our place to tamper with it.
Also, regarding bathroom usage, I generally feel that those who have a penis should use the men's room and those who have a vagina should use the women's room. However, this still poses a question for those who feel they should have either a penis or vagina. I tend to think that, while it would be preferable for them to have had the surgery performed before they entered the restroom that corresponds to their intended genitalia, they should probably use the restroom they identify with best, provided they clearly present themselves as that gender.
A similar solution would be in place for intersex people since most identify as one or the other gender.
It would probably also be helpful to have more family bathrooms established to eliminate this issue if possible.
And of course, no one should perform acts of rape, sexual abuse, assault and/or invasion of privacy, particularly as aided by the usage of cameras and surveillance devices in any bathroom.
This debate is a thorny issue to be sure, but one that I feel society will continue to address and one that I think Christians should be prepared to speak the truth to in love. God loves everyone and made everyone. I think that, as Romans 3:9-26 talks about, everyone has become corrupt with a sin nature because of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden (as Genesis 3 talks about.) This fall not only separated people from God spiritually (and brought about spiritual death just as God said it would) but that sin also corrupted the entire planet- thorns and thistles grew out of the earth to torment Adam in his work and pain in childbearing grew to torture Eve- both man and woman suffered pain because of sin.
It also caused an imbalance in relations between men and women, as Genesis 3:16 says that the woman's desire will be for her husband and he will rule over her. I believe this set in motion the battle of the sexes that we still see fought to this day. (Note the contrast that we have when we are restored from the corruption through Christ in Galatians 3:28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.)
I think this corruption is also why we have people born with deformities and diseases. I think it's why some people are born with tendencies to particular sins, as we are all born with tendencies to sin in general, due to our sin nature. For some though, it's heightened in particular areas, whether it's alcoholism (as evidenced by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome), stealing (as evidenced by kleptomania), lying (as evidenced by habitual liars), homosexuality (as evidenced by same sex attractions) or rebellion against God's design (as evidenced by transgender attractions).
The tendencies in themselves can be regarded as temptations; I do not believe they in themselves are sin. However, the reactions to them certainly can be sin. No matter how much a person may struggle with alcoholism, they always make the choice to pick up the bottle, imbibe and get drunk. The same follows for kleptomaniacs and habitual liars, etc. Yes, it does feel near impossible for some with these struggles to resist and with good reason- it is impossible to resist these temptations without the intervention and power of The Holy Spirit, who helps us say "No" to these temptations and choose to follow God instead. That is what the power of Jesus Christ can do. It doesn't mean He will necessarily take away the temptations (though He can do so if He chooses, perhaps in miraculous fashion), but He does promise to not give us more than we can bear and provide the way out so we can stand up under it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
I sometimes hear people make the argument that God made them in a particular way to be of a particular sexual orientation outside of the boundaries He has established (male and female sexual relationships held only within the bonds of holy matrimony and that only between one man and one woman for life- see Genesis 2:24 and Matthew 19). However, God is not a cruel and vindictive God to where He would make someone helpless to keep from sin and then turn around and condemn them for it. That is to say- I don't believe He made anyone to be a murderer and thus give them an excuse for murdering. Someone on death row may well argue that God created them as a murderer and thus they had to satisfy the need to take other peoples' lives, but they would be dead wrong (pun intended). God condemns and punishes that person rightfully for their sin; it is the same with any other sin. It is not that He made us to be sinners- it is that we chose to be sinners and we must face the consequence of that choice. I think too many people confuse the consequences of the freedom of choice that come with our free will that God gave us (see Genesis 1-2) with God's active will. God has both an active and permissive will. God creating the universe was born out of His active will. His permissive will is for us to suffer the consequences of our sin. He certainly didn't create Adam and Eve with the intention of having them choose to sin by taking of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil- He wanted them to do right and obey Him and enjoy eternal fellowship with Him. But He also wanted them to do that willingly and not because He forced them to do so. Thus, He gave human beings free will- and we've willfully chosen to free ourselves from God with it by choosing sin. Death- eternal separation- is the consequence, the wages of sin.
But thanks be to God! He loves us all so much that He didn't let that be the ending point. He demonstrates His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us! (Romans 5:8)
The power of the cross frees us from the penalty of sin! (see Romans 6:7-11) And because Jesus rose, we who put our faith and trust in Him for salvation shall rise with Him too. Our faith must be demonstrated by works though, as Jesus makes clear in Matthew 7 and James 2. Jesus Himself said that if we love Him, we will obey Him. The one who obeys Him (not perfectly, as we all still sin and mess up- but Jesus has grace that never ends! And His grace is still greater than all our sins- see 1 John 1:7)- he is the one who truly is Jesus' disciple. (Basically just read John 13-17. But specifically John 15:7-17 for sure.) And to be Jesus' disciple, we must take up our cross, deny ourselves and follow Him. (Luke 9:23) We are no longer identified by our sinful natures (Romans 6:14-23) but we are now identified by Christ in us (Colossians 3:1-3). And we must walk accordingly to our new nature. (Romans 8:1-11, Ephesians 5:8-9, Galatians 5:16-26)

Diversity and your cup of tea...

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/time-be-candid-google-admits-lack-workplace-diversity-n116866

           Why does the article treat this like it's a problem? Why can't it just be that the demographics are simply how the numbers worked out for... Google? Why must it be perceived like Google has some nefarious plot to mainly hire Caucasian men and snub others? Why are Caucasian males not considered "diverse" in and of themselves? (As if they all think exactly the same and have the same backgrounds, etc. As if that's true of any group of people...) And why are churches with predominantly African-American congregations and clergy not considered to be lacking in diversity? Why are Native American reservations not considered to be lacking in diversity? Why is it an issue at all? Why can't we just see people as human beings made in the image of God who are all infinitely important and loved by Him?
          I got the impression the attitude adopted by the company was saying that if we don't have this much quotient for this race, and this much for this gender and this much for whatever other category one wants to list- we must be racist, sexist, etc.. and thus, there must be a problem. I agree that if a company like Google is actually consciously or subconsciously discouraging anyone from applying (other than reasons of not being qualified- i.e. not having a computer science degree)- then, yes- there is a problem that needs to be corrected. But if that's just how the numbers played out, that's okay too. I think society at large tends to steer men and women to certain professions and that's not any one company's fault. Certainly things can be done to improve that so all boys and girls are encouraged to pursue whatever career they feel God has prepared them for. I only mentioned churches and reservations as examples- I don't consider them racist (unless they are actively discouraging others from coming- with a race-predominant church, that's a huge issue because The Gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone! With the reservations, I understand the desire for Native Americans to practice their way of life in seclusion and having spoken with a full blooded Native American who has lived on a reservation, I have learned some more about them in recent times. (At least some reservations do have a deal about not allowing American Indian/non-American Indian marriages to live on a reservation together though- which is a bummer, but that's their thing if they choose to be separate.)         Why should a business pick a minority out of two equally qualified candidates? I understand that's the goal of affirmative action, but I find that equally racist. I don't think hiring someone "because we need a black guy to meet racial quotas" is a good reason to hire someone. I think that's more patronizing than anything.
          I didn't say predominantly black membership churches and Native American reservations are being racist or anything of the sort and I definitely do not mean to imply that. I understand the historical reasons for their existence. The 1964 Civil Rights Act is a great achievement that needed to happen and I applaud it. (I just wish its ideals had been applied back around 1620 or so and that America and all other countries had never gotten into the slave trade to begin with, as it is obviously morally wrong and a sin to treat anyone as less than a human being made in the image of God and eternally loved by Him. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.)
My comparison with them and Google was just to point out that no one criticizes these groups for not being "diverse" (even though they are diverse by virtue of having more than one person there), but Google is criticized for not being "diverse". I don't see why that is a concern, unless of course, they are actively trying to discriminate against and discourage any particular group of people from getting jobs there (outside of the unqualified applicants who don't have the necessary Computer Science degrees of course.)
        I have also been to different churches that have predominantly African-American congregations and I have been totally welcomed in The Name of The Lord. :-) (There is certainly a different style though from Caucasian-predominant Baptist churches- but that's cool. Diversity in that sense is good. We all worship the same Lord God Christ for all His followers. And Jesus prayed that we would be one in John 17. And Galatians 3:26-29 says that there is no Jew or Greek or male or female in Christ; rather, we are all one in Christ. :-))
Anyway, that's mainly what I was trying to say. I also disagree with the thinking that says that a bunch of people of the same race, gender, age, religious background, etc. are all the same in thinking and thus, not diverse. I tend to think that's rather prejudiced in itself. We are all unique with our own thoughts and we all add something of value because God made us all in His image. (Genesis 1:26-27) That's why I like to say that God thinks we are all infinitely important and so do I. He proved that by sending Jesus to die for all our wrongdoings and failures and rise again so that we could put our faith in Him for salvation! The Bible says He has loved us with an everlasting love! (Jeremiah 31:3) And He commands all who follow Him to show that same love to everyone. (John 15:12 - Jesus says it quite a few times in this chapter. They will know we are Christians by our love- that's what Jesus says.)
*As to the example of Native American reservations and single race-predominant churches, they are just examples. As C.S. Lewis (more or less) said once, if they are helpful- cool. If not- discard them.