sharing our journeys of liberation to find our true order in loving harmony
The interplay between freedom and order is at the very heart of life. Indeed it is one of the reasons we have political and religious parties. For as human beings we see freedom and order in various ways and weight and conceive their significance differently. So we are unlikely to agree about every aspect of gender identity and gender expression. Freedom and order must always exist in certain degrees of tension and paradox. This certainly true to the Bible and Christian Tradition. What would help transgender people however is for false dualistic and binary ways of conceiving us to be dropped. Similarly, 'natural law' or other categories of thought need keen careful unpacking from their own biases. The broad brush pejorative use of 'gender ideology' to apply to a very wide range of different ideas, science and programs must also be deplored. For the assumption that transgender people make and encourage free-floating and/or disconnected hyper-individualistic 'choices' simply does not fit with the struggle of discovering our true identities in relation to all that we are and to which we relate. Transgender people are not seeking freedom at the expense of order. We simply seek to find our own balance of freedom and order and to play our part in sharing the gifts of our own God-given diversity in the search for shalom (justice and peace) for all. In doing so we are part of other voices recalling Christians to the great themes of liberation at the heart of our faith. We recognise that wise theological reflection demands attention to complexity and to considering the insights of others as well as our own. How lovely it would be if this were more fully reciprocated!
some reflections of others:
Gender is a gift - CatholicTrans reflection
God made me transgender and God does not make mistakes - Katie Leone, BelieveOutLoud
The Many - and Wrong - Definitions of Gender Ideology - Francis deBernardo, Direcor of New Ways Ministry
Gender and Identity: freeing the Bible from modern anxieties - by the Revd Canon Prof Scott Cowdell
The interplay between freedom and order is at the very heart of life. Indeed it is one of the reasons we have political and religious parties. For as human beings we see freedom and order in various ways and weight and conceive their significance differently. So we are unlikely to agree about every aspect of gender identity and gender expression. Freedom and order must always exist in certain degrees of tension and paradox. This certainly true to the Bible and Christian Tradition. What would help transgender people however is for false dualistic and binary ways of conceiving us to be dropped. Similarly, 'natural law' or other categories of thought need keen careful unpacking from their own biases. The broad brush pejorative use of 'gender ideology' to apply to a very wide range of different ideas, science and programs must also be deplored. For the assumption that transgender people make and encourage free-floating and/or disconnected hyper-individualistic 'choices' simply does not fit with the struggle of discovering our true identities in relation to all that we are and to which we relate. Transgender people are not seeking freedom at the expense of order. We simply seek to find our own balance of freedom and order and to play our part in sharing the gifts of our own God-given diversity in the search for shalom (justice and peace) for all. In doing so we are part of other voices recalling Christians to the great themes of liberation at the heart of our faith. We recognise that wise theological reflection demands attention to complexity and to considering the insights of others as well as our own. How lovely it would be if this were more fully reciprocated!
some reflections of others:
Gender is a gift - CatholicTrans reflection
God made me transgender and God does not make mistakes - Katie Leone, BelieveOutLoud
The Many - and Wrong - Definitions of Gender Ideology - Francis deBernardo, Direcor of New Ways Ministry
Gender and Identity: freeing the Bible from modern anxieties - by the Revd Canon Prof Scott Cowdell
short videos on Seventh Day Adventists speaking about being LGBTI+ or family members:
Widmers - Pastor Kris & Debbie talk about coming to terms with having a trans daughter Teagan, and the story of the Prodigal Son
Rhonda - speaking, as a person who transitioned in her 60s about her journey and what her church has meant to her
Widmers - Pastor Kris & Debbie talk about coming to terms with having a trans daughter Teagan, and the story of the Prodigal Son
Rhonda - speaking, as a person who transitioned in her 60s about her journey and what her church has meant to her