Trans people are good news!
Love is the heart of the Christian Good News! How easily that can be forgotten or obscured. As Jesus said, the greatest commandment is love: loving God with everything we are, and loving our neighbour as ourselves. This is great news for everyone: irrespective of our gender, sexuality, ethnicity, age, ability, or anything else. Our calling is to share in the outflowing of love, justice and peace, not to judge and condemn ourselves or others. Leave that up to God if God is so inclined. So trans people, like others, can find great strength and inspiration in faith and spirituality. We also have gifts and ways of seeing faith and spirituality which can help to build up the lives of others and the healing of our world.
Of course we also have to deal with negative interpretations (see here for some responses) but concentrating on what is good and life-giving is the most important task of all.
Below are a few reflections (and a beautiful video full of wisdom) which I have found helpful
(with further links and helps to be found in the Resources section):
Love is the heart of the Christian Good News! How easily that can be forgotten or obscured. As Jesus said, the greatest commandment is love: loving God with everything we are, and loving our neighbour as ourselves. This is great news for everyone: irrespective of our gender, sexuality, ethnicity, age, ability, or anything else. Our calling is to share in the outflowing of love, justice and peace, not to judge and condemn ourselves or others. Leave that up to God if God is so inclined. So trans people, like others, can find great strength and inspiration in faith and spirituality. We also have gifts and ways of seeing faith and spirituality which can help to build up the lives of others and the healing of our world.
Of course we also have to deal with negative interpretations (see here for some responses) but concentrating on what is good and life-giving is the most important task of all.
Below are a few reflections (and a beautiful video full of wisdom) which I have found helpful
(with further links and helps to be found in the Resources section):
The Bible Never Condemns Transgender Identities - by Alicia Johnston
Gender and Identity: freeing the Bible from modern anxieties - by the Revd Canon Prof Scott Cowdell
Gender ideology and transgender reality - a Catholic deacon and parent of a transgender female reflects
Radical Love: Why Christianity is Queer - by the Revd Patrick Cheng, Episcopal priest
Three reasons conservative Christians will lose the transgender debate (and are doing so despite the continuing 'war')
- 'they focus on ideology while ignoring people'
- 'they proof text from scripture while ignoring science';
- 'they rely on fear while ignoring facts'
- a reflection by Jonathan Merrick
Gender and Identity: freeing the Bible from modern anxieties - by the Revd Canon Prof Scott Cowdell
Gender ideology and transgender reality - a Catholic deacon and parent of a transgender female reflects
Radical Love: Why Christianity is Queer - by the Revd Patrick Cheng, Episcopal priest
Three reasons conservative Christians will lose the transgender debate (and are doing so despite the continuing 'war')
- 'they focus on ideology while ignoring people'
- 'they proof text from scripture while ignoring science';
- 'they rely on fear while ignoring facts'
- a reflection by Jonathan Merrick
Watch this beautiful video (produced by the United Church of Christ) about a young trans and Christian man and his liberating struggle through shame and fear to grace, compassion and wholeness...