The theological and practical implications of the new and emerging transgender theology

Abstract

This research considers the scope and effect of transgender theology. It is not an evaluation, as such, of transgender ideology in general but specifically as it is encountered in the Church through theological formulation. The investigative scope includes the doctrine of God, His nature and the language used in the Scriptures to describe Him. This forms the backbone of the research and clears the ground to ask what it means to be made in the image of God. Questions of the hierarchy within the Trinity bear great relevance as applied by transgender authors to the disruption of hierarchy within gender. Christology, and in particular, the implications of the virgin birth to the gender of Christ, and whether His breaking of societal norms placed Him on the transgender spectrum were also primary considerations. This research also considers the approach to Scripture taken by authors who support the transgender experience. Surrounding these pivotal areas of research are the consideration of secondary passages of Scripture used to support and give examples of non-binary individuals within the biblical canon. This is a literature-based study that considers the ethical and theological implications of transgenderism through surveying and engaging with relevant printed and online works. Evaluation is from within an conservative, evangelical framework. Attention has been given to the plausibility structures that have evolved, particularly through the sexual revolution in the west, that have led to the formulation and acceptance of transgender theology. The research discovered that this is an issue of first importance, a gospel issue that has profound effects on the church at large and individuals. However, before it becomes an issue of the effect on people, it is first an issue of worship given how God is understood, formulated and worshipped. The majority of authors surveyed who support transgender theology take a liberal or at least a much-less-than evangelical approach to Scripture. The reformation principles of sola scriptura (Scripture alone) and the analogy of scripture (Scripture interpreting Scripture) are often absent. The desire to see the person of God, including Christ, as transgender cannot bare the weight of Scripture and is dismissed. This is also true for the disruption of the hierarchy in gender based on the eternal relationships within the Trinity. Secondary examples of non-binary people within the Scriptures also do not hold up to rigorous exegesis. In looking at the plausibility structures stemming from the sexual revolution that enabled transgender theology, the research pointed the way forward to more robust methods of discipleship. These methods of discipleship take into account the powerful effects of secularism, emotionalism, therapeutic individualism, and radical feminism. It must be noted that the scope of the research only allows for a signpost for discipleship rather than detailed exploration. Key to the findings is the nature of personhood and identity that, for the Christian, must come from union with Christ rather than a person’s gender.