Understanding our place in the world and how we relate to the 'Great Story' of God and the universe is a vital aspect of healthy living and dynamic faith. This is one of the most important gifts to which holy scriptures and wisdom traditions point us. Today we are also blessed by this being immensely enriched with the wonderful insights which science can provide for us.
Sadly it is possible to get stuck with fundamentalist readings of holy scripture which stress one or two verses and build around them inflexible ideological readings of God, human beings and creation. What a fuss there can be about a handful of words taken out of context. Transgender people are not asking for scriptural texts to be negated. How would some of us want that when scripture has often been a vital part of our mere survival? They need to be respected for what they are - see for example this scholarly piece by Prof. Marc Zvi Bettler - The Gender of God: what is the gender of the God of creation? Yet, just as we cannot hold on to everything in the ancient past, because of its distance and difference, so we need to look again at what it means to be a part of creation in all the human complexity we know of today.
Sadly it is possible to get stuck with fundamentalist readings of holy scripture which stress one or two verses and build around them inflexible ideological readings of God, human beings and creation. What a fuss there can be about a handful of words taken out of context. Transgender people are not asking for scriptural texts to be negated. How would some of us want that when scripture has often been a vital part of our mere survival? They need to be respected for what they are - see for example this scholarly piece by Prof. Marc Zvi Bettler - The Gender of God: what is the gender of the God of creation? Yet, just as we cannot hold on to everything in the ancient past, because of its distance and difference, so we need to look again at what it means to be a part of creation in all the human complexity we know of today.
As a lively and genial way into further reflection below are a few helpful videos which are part of the resources produced by Austen Hartke.
Some similar reflections can be found elsewhere, including:
What does the creation story in Genesis 1 tells us about gender? - by Davis Roberts for Queer Grace
With Trans People, God Does Not Make Mistakes - Alicia Johnston
Some similar reflections can be found elsewhere, including:
What does the creation story in Genesis 1 tells us about gender? - by Davis Roberts for Queer Grace
With Trans People, God Does Not Make Mistakes - Alicia Johnston
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