As our culture continues abandons its moral moorings, each year brings new and longer lists of preferred pronouns, gender identities, and sexual preferences to choose from. Gender Ideology: What do Christians Need to Know? by Sharon James helps Christians understand and respond to the changing tide.
James acknowledges that her book is neither an exhaustive critique of gender theory nor a comprehensive look at biblical sexual ethics. But she does a good job of condensing the issues and offering recommendations for those who want to read further. The book roughly divides into three sections: What is gender theory? Why does it matter? How should we respond?
Gender theory is a mass experiment in denying the biological fact that “to be human is to be male or female” (45). Sex is an illusion, gender is a spectrum, and truth is what feels good. We’re told those who “feel” that they belong to the opposite sex must be transgender. Treatment for gender dysphoria requires editing the body to fit the mind. James describes how Nietzsche and others set the stage for the sexual revolution by claiming that God (and therefore morality) is dead. Now we can define ourselves however we wish. “It is the old rebellion in new clothes. It is the human desire to be master; to recognise no God but me” (83).
The West rejected God a long time ago, and it’s tempting to think that the downward spiral of our culture will not affect Christians. Sharon James warns otherwise. Already, “it’s hateful to believe that man-woman marriage is ‘normal’” (20). Already, people face criminal charges for using the wrong gender pronouns. Already, parents have lost custody for refusing to let their children transition.
Worse than the loss of our freedom is the loss of human souls. Chapter 6 details how the transgender movement targets children through books, media, and school curriculums. Sadly, thousands of children and young adults choose to irreversibly mutilate their bodies.
So how should we respond? For starters, James distinguishes “trans activists (those who are promoting this ideology) from people who are suffering gender confusion” (14). Christians need to recognize that “gender confusion involves deep unhappiness” and should treat transgender individuals with respect.
However, real respect means lovingly sharing the truth. How dignifying to believe that God created each of us male or female for a purpose! How comforting that our worth does not come from self-definition! Sharon James shows us that respect for human dignity precludes “the false compassion of affirming transition” (117). Rather, Christians respect God’s authority and his good design for humanity.