Grace Thoughts
Body and Soul – Serving Transgenders In Your Church (Part Two)
Christians may be surprised that many ‘trans’ people will be open with them about why they are transgender. The important thing for any Christian is to know what the Bible teaches about sexuality and His love for all kinds of people. I like to remember what Jesus told Nicodemus –
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
The ‘Trans’ Talk
Transgenders in churches, along with other members of the LGBTQIA+ community, are usually open to talking about what they believe about their identity and sexuality. As we saw in the first part of our series, the key is to always speak the truth “in love.”
My first recommendation is to listen. Ask ‘trans’ people questions about what they believe and why they believe what they believe, then listen to their answers. Asking questions and listening to answers does not mean you necessarily agree with what someone says. It’s how we learn things. It also demonstrates that you are interested in people, what they believe, and why.
I used to be an atheist before becoming a Christian more than 50 years ago. I have strong reasons to believe that atheism is not the correct worldview, but I still ask atheists questions and listen to their answers. Listening doesn’t mean I agree with the atheist, but it does demonstrate my interest in and respect for them as a fellow human being.
When ‘trans’ people attend your church, greet them and get to know them. Your first questions don’t need to be about why they are ‘trans.” In fact, I recommend you not do that. Ask them the same questions you would ask anyone visiting your church. The conversation can eventually get around to why they are trans, but it doesn’t need to be the first question.
It is possible that ‘trans’ people visiting your church may ask you about how your church or denomination views transgenders. They may ask you about membership and serving in the church. If a trans person asks you that question and you don’t know the answer, be honest with them and recommend that they speak with a pastor or elder. You may also want to have that conversation with your church leaders ahead of time to see what their official position is on the subject.
While it’s good to know your church and/or denomination’s official position on transgenderism, it’s important that every Christian know what they believe and why they believe it. Every Christian should be able to speak the truth in love with anyone about anything. That’s part of being a disciple of Christ – “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). Know what Jesus and His apostles taught, then you’ll know how to speak the truth in love on any subject.
Physical Body Reminders
We saw in the first part of our series that every person has a physical body. God created the physical human body to be either “male” or “female” (Genesis 1 & 2). That impacts humans at the chromosome level and the sexual organ level. Some ‘trans’ people get sexual surgery to change some aspect of their body while others don’t. However, there is no surgery or other medical process to change a person’s chromosomes. Males have the X and Y chromosomes, while females have two X chromosomes. That is the scientific part of a conversation concerning transgenderism.
However, many transgenders view themselves as being able to determine their own gender identity. Many transgenders believe they were born into the “wrong” body. Some trans people change their gender view during their teen years or even as young adults.
Here’s how the Mayo Clinic explains the different views of transgenderism –
People who are transgender or gender diverse include:
- Those who have a gender identity that differs from the sex assigned to them at birth.
- Those whose gender expression doesn’t follow society’s norms for the sex assigned to them at birth.
- Those who identify and express their gender outside of the gender binary.
The Soul Talk
The number of transgender people in the United States is estimated to be about 1.6 million. Many of them say they are religious, which means you may have the opportunity to speak with one or more religious ‘trans’ people in your lifetime. Their interest in religion opens the door for conversations about the “soul.” Though the human body has an expiration date here on earth (e.g. Psalm 90:12; Job 14:5), the “soul” does not expire. As King Solomon wrote –
Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, Or the golden bowl is broken, Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, Or the wheel broken at the well. Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:6-7
God created the human body and soul. Though our body will return to the earth as dust (Genesis 3:19), our spirit (soul) will return to God who gave it. We also know that our physical body will be raised from death and be reunited with our soul. That’s a promise God made many times in the Bible (e.g. 1 Corinthians 15; 1 Thessalonians 4).
The ‘soul talk’ with a trans person is the same conversation you would have with anyone else who said they were religious. Ask Questions, Listen, Pray, then Share (ALPS).
Find out what trans people mean by being “religious.” The word “religious” is used only twice in Scripture, so you can share that during your conversation.
Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious. Acts 17:22
If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. James 1:26
This often surprises people, even Christians, when they learn that being “religious” is not a primary aspect of Christianity. Paul was speaking to pagans in Athens who viewed themselves as “very religious” because of their dedication to polytheism (multiple gods/idols). James was writing Jewish believers who were not behaving in a proper way toward others. The next sentence from James gave believers the definition of “pure and undefiled religion” –
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
Other references to “religion” in the Bible tend to be more negative. One example is what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossian Christians in the context of legalism –
Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.. Colossians 2:20-23
What the New Testament does emphasize as primary is “sin and salvation.” That’s the conversation you want to have with all people to make sure they understand the difference between being “religious” and being a “disciplined follower” of Jesus Christ.
Next Time
Jesus said that He came from Heaven to earth “to seek and to save that which was lost.” Does that include ‘trans’ people? That may come up in your ‘trans talk,’ so we’ll look into that in the next part of our special series.
I highly recommend you read “Understanding Gender Ideology” by Chris Reese. It is an excellent article that addresses this sensitive topic comprehensively and with compassion.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Published by gracelifethoughts
Founder & Director of GraceLife Ministries View all posts by gracelifethoughts
