BOOK SUMMARY: GOD AND THE TRANSGENDER DEBATE - CHAPTER 10 - CHALLENGING THE CHURCH

The church should be the safest place to talk about the struggle with gender dysphoria.  The church is where truth and love in action should be found. 

In Mark 10:28-30 we see that those who are willing to forsake in favor of following Christ will be blessed.  Peter said, "WE have left everything."  We are in fellowship together as we follow Christ. Those who have left everything to follow Jesus have a community to live in and to be loved on. Will we love those with this struggle?

COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITIES

We are not to show partiality when people come in to our assembly (James 2:1-5).  Whether a person identifies as transgender or struggles with gender dysphoria as is not actively identifying as transgender, our message should be the same: "You are loved here."  Jesus didn't come to save the righteous, but the lost. We cannot create a list of tolerable sins and intolerable ones. We need compassion for all sinners. 

LISTENING COMMUNITIES
James 1:9 reminds us to be quick to hear and slow to speak/anger.  We often fail to listen to those who are struggling with sin. We'd rather share everything we know than listen to those who are really hurting.  Do we try to understand what they are going through? Are we trying to win arguments or win people?  We must listen and not form stereotypes.  

"The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists of listening to them.  Just as love of God begins with listening to his word, so the beginning of love for our brothers and sisters is learning to listen to them."  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

If we don't understand these issues and don't know what it's like to struggle with these things, we must listen first.  Humility furthers the relationship and communication.

Ephesians 4:1  ...walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called

Ephesians 4:2-3   ...with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

A brother or sister who struggles with gender dysphoria ought to be treated this way. In a fallen world, life is complex. This doesn't mean that we don't speak truth or change our convictions. But it does mean we need to listen.

CONVICTIONAL COMMUNITIES

We need to have conviction in our cause. 

John 8:31-32 If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

We MUST be committed to biblical truth, not because it feels good to be right, but because it frees us from sin so we can be what God has created us to be.  Let's be careful not to pummel people with truth as if all that matters is scoring more points in a conversation.  We must show concern in our truth sharing.  Neither love nor truth is an optional bolt-on to our Christianity.

STEADFAST COMMUNITIES

1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 reminds us that Paul shared the gospel of God and his life...because they had become dear to him.

If someone struggles with gender dysphoria and chooses to follow Christ, life will be hard for them.  They will need our love and support and encouragement to stay steadfast in Christ. We must not be abstract in our love, but concrete!  No lip service! We must pursue biblical community.  Let us not be only gospel-sharing communities, but self-sharing communities.

GRACIOUS COMMUNITIES

Paul's letter open and close with grace.  People need grace.  People need forgiveness.  Grace reminds us that we all fall short of God's glory. Grace reminds us that we are still loved in spite of our sin struggles.  Grace reminds us that no one is outside the reach of God.  

See Ephesians 2:8-9.

The grace that first saved us is the grace that makes us more like Jesus.  Let this grace shape our minds so that we are a welcoming people.