“To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 3:1-6, NIV).
Recent times have seen a bit of a dust-up over the Trump administration’s attempt to root gender in biology. Sensible and scientifically-valid though this is, it met with outrage from advocates for transgenderism. Andrew Walker offered a sound response to the pro-transgender objections (see further here). On the lighter side, the ever-incisive Babylon Bee has given a couple of good replies: “‘Anti-Science’ Trump Administration to Revert Definition of Gender to Objective, Scientific Standard,” “On Gender, Left Steps Up Effort Against Notorious Hate Group: Reality”.
To these responses, I wish to add only a specifically theological observation. Transgenderism represents a profound confusion about the nature of humanity. It is the sort of confusion that is scientifically indefensible, but it is not surprising to find it in the world, which is lost in darkness and shuts out the light of truth. What is worse is to see this sort of confusion about humanity among professed Christian teachers. What are we to make of certain “transgender Christian leaders” expressing dismay about the idea that gender be defined in accordance with God’s design?
Our response must be that loving your neighbor does not mean lying to them, and that sanctification is not an optional add-on to the Christian faith. Christians are saints, those who have been sanctified by Christ, and are called to grow in sanctification. There is such a thing as a Christian who struggles with gender dysphoria, but there is no such thing as a transgender Christian. If cross-dressing is a sin (Deut. 22:5), it is most assuredly a sin for a man to claim to be a woman or to hormonally and surgically mutilate his body to appear female. Our response to “transgender Christian leaders” is, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Gal. 6:7). The day of judgment is coming; repent and be saved.
It has been the concerted and very effective strategy of the LGBTQ+ movement to hijack the civil rights movement, to portray perversities as oppressed minorities. The rainbow revolution has only succeeded to the extent that it has deceptively seized moral high ground. Once again, it must be stressed that this is expected of the world, which is in the grip of the evil one; but it should not be seen or tolerated in the church. Any “Christian leader” who dons a rainbow stole must face the truth that believers are called to walk before God dressed in white.
That comparison brings to mind a scene from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. Gandalf has come to meet with his companion Saruman, unaware that Saruman has gone over to the enemy. “I looked and saw that his robes, which had seemed white, were not so, but were woven of all colours, and if he moved they shimmered and changed hue so that the eye was bewildered.” Purity no longer pleased him.
This is a terrible thing to see infiltrating the church. Christianity is not compatible with the LGBTQ+ revolution. We must choose between rainbow garb and robes of white.
