Transgender - What's a Christian to think?

When I was a teenager, a tennis player named Richard Raskind had a sex-change operation and became Renee Richards.  My young mind thought that was similar to a man walking on the moon:  "Wow.  How could that happen?"

Today, transgender people are often in the news relating their stories of gender dysphoria.

Gender dysphoria is a condition in which a person experiences distress because of their bodily gender.  The transgender woman says that her brain doesn't match the body she was born with - she feels like a woman inside a man's body.

So, the question I then have is, "What makes a woman be a woman?"  

As a kid, I was a bit of a tom-boy, but also a cheerleader who played with dolls.  In my opinion and experience, women are diverse and can't be stereotyped based on how they look or dress, or based on their behavior or feelings.

So, "What makes a woman be a woman?" My answer - "A woman is a person whose body was made to bare children."  That's the trait women have in common.  I don't see how it has anything to do with how a person feels.

While I can sympathize with the transgender woman and her struggle of not feeling right, I can't relate or understand.  Nor can I judge what she's experiencing, because I just don't know.

But this I know.  We all have the same struggle, which is a desire for satisfaction and fulfillment in life.
  
And we all think the solution to our struggle is: 

"If I just had this...(fill in the blank)...then I would be satisfied, I would be happy, life would be good."

But the answer to "What ails you?" is always simple, always the same. 

...For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...Romans 3:22-23

Sin ails us all - we live in a fallen, broken, sinful world.  It's never going to be right or fixed...until Jesus returns.  

Jesus is our comfort; Jesus is our hope, our fulfillment, our satisfaction.  He came for all people.   He came for me, and He came for the transgender woman.  

And what do I, as a Christian, think about the transgender issue?  

I'm reminded of the question Joshua asked, to a man with a sword...

"Are you for us, or for our adversaries?"  Joshua 5:13 

And the answer was, "No," because the question was wrong.  The battle is not against each other.  It's against sin, Satan, death.

No, I don't think gender surgery is the answer.  It may provide some relief, some satisfaction, some happiness in this life.  But Jesus is the answer; He's the one who gives a new heart, the one who provides lasting satisfaction and eternal life.  If you're looking for it anywhere else, you'll always be disappointed.  

His Nametag said Bruce...

I love that Walmart workers have name tags. I still remember the day, many years ago...the store was crowded, and we chose Bruce's check-out lane because Bruce was fast.  While it may seem out-of-the-ordinary to become real friends with a store cashier, that day was the start of our friendship.

Over the years, Bruce and I talked about many things, including family and faith, and what ails us.  Sometimes our conversations were casual and sometimes they were more personal, on a deeper level. 

I was surprised and excited to find out that Bruce played both the piano and the organ, and was the organist at a Baptist church.  My youngest son also plays the piano and was soon to start organ lessons.  I gave Bruce a Lutheran hymnal, and he said that the Baptist songs he played were more upbeat and lively than the Lutheran hymns.  We laughed.

Bruce often spoke of his daughter and was proud of her.

I remember when he told me that he'd lost his son some years before...then he said, "You should always have a spare."  That gave me a different perspective and a greater appreciation for the sons God has given me.  I think of that often and of Bruce's pain in his loss.

A few years ago near Christmas, I gave Bruce a thank-you card.  And I told him, "You minister to people here."  I'm not sure he believed me, but I meant it.

Sometimes, when he hadn't seen me in awhile, Bruce would say, "Where you been?  I haven't seen you lately?" 

Last week, as I was leaving Walmart, I looked for Bruce, thinking I hadn't seen him in awhile.  The next day, I read the notice for his funeral.  

I already miss seeing Bruce.  I miss his smile; I miss his service; I miss his voice.  

But we do not grieve as people who have no hope.  1 Thessalonians 4:13

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

 

Homeschool Wisdom

Jake and Scott, ready to throw Al with his "coat of many colors" into a pit.

We started homeschooling in 1998, not knowing what we were doing or where it would lead.  Now, with one year left until my youngest son is finished, I offer some thoughts on homeschooling:

1.  If you teach nothing else, if you give your kids nothing else, give them your Christian faith.  On the last day, that's the only thing that will matter.

2.   Teach values, especially the value of hard work, so that your kids can support themselves and serve others.

3.   Realize that education happens over years, not days, not weeks.  The "5-year old who can't tie his shoe" won't have that problem when he's 15.  All learning takes time.

4.   Don't be a slave to curriculum, to worksheets, to schedules, to getting it all done.  Adapt and do what works.  Let the curriculum serve you, and don't be afraid to change it.  Buy sparingly at the beginning and fill-in the gaps as needed.

5.   Teach logic; teach your children to think and to reason. Have them read books on different subjects, and challenge their thinking by delving into "unsafe" topics.

6.   Homeschooling allows people of different ages to enjoy and learn from each other.  Let your children work and learn with both older and younger kids, and with adults.

7.    Teach household skills - cooking, washing clothes, cleaning.  Teach your kids how to treat colds and other viruses and how to use over-the-counter items and prescription medications.  

8.   Be active in your local church.  God gave us the church; it's your community.

9.  Do your own thing.  Don't try to replicate a public school classroom in your kitchen.  And don't copy that "perfect" homeschool family.  

10.  Relax.  Enjoy your kids and enjoy teaching.  Let your kids have school in their pajamas!   You won't regret the fun and silly times.

Seriously...the Earth is Flat?

Recently, I've seen numerous posts regarding flat earth theories.  These articles are on Christian sites, written by Christians.  

My initial reaction - "This is silly."  Then, I watched a message by a Lutheran pastor, Five Reasons Why the Bible Does Not Teach a Flat Earth, and I noted almost 150 comments.   That got my attention, as his posts normally get only a handful of comments.

For anyone not aware of the controversy, there are groups of Christians who believe the Bible teaches that the earth is flat.  By extension, they are also saying that any Christian who doesn't believe in a flat earth also doesn't believe the Bible is God's Word. 

The flat earth topic has gotten very heated.  As I read through the comments, I noted name calling and ad hominen attacks. And the commenters included other issues, such as baptism and the End Times, as being relevant to the flat earth debate.

Is this foolishness?  I think so.  And why?  Because the controversy is misdirecting energy, and it's missing something.  

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2 

If you want something foolish to argue about - how about the Gospel?  

...but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles...For the foolishness of God is wiser than men...1 Corinthians 1:23 and 25

All mankind is sinful and...

...the wages of sin is death...Romans 6:23

But God provides...Jesus...

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...John 1:14 

And this is good news, because, as John the Baptist says of Jesus...

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!  John 1:29

Jesus is the one...

...who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Romans 4:25 

He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.  The Apostles’ Creed

Amen, come Lord Jesus.

Who is this Jesus?

In his introduction to The Whole Christ, Sinclair Ferguson poses this question which he says is the most fundamental question of all: 

Who is the God whom we come to know in Jesus Christ (John 17:3)? What is he really like, truly like - deep down, through and through?

As I read the book, I kept thinking about that question.  

For me, spending time with someone, whether family, friends, neighbors, church members...that personal connection is my avenue for knowing what a person is really like. 

I've been intrigued lately that God was often living among us.  He walked in the garden with Adam.  He visited Abraham.  He spoke to Moses in the burning bush, and was with the exiled Israelites in cloud and fire.  He dwelt with His people in the Holy of Holies, both in the tabernacle and the temple.

And then...Jesus...God comes to us embodied in man.  Blows your mind that our Creator cares and loves us so much that He became one of us.  

But, What is He really, truly like? 

...though he [Jesus] was in the form of God, [he] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:6-8

Again, all the characteristics that make God who He is...and a man living it out...perfectly.  

And not only that, Jesus also "lived out" the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, and the many aspects that entails - as a prophet, as a priest, as a king.  He was the Good Shepherd, and also the Lamb of God.

At the end of his gospel, John says:

Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.           John 21:25  

Ferguson's book dealt mostly with aspects of salvation, so I started making notes to answer the question, "Who is this Jesus?"  Then I remembered that passage from John.  As John suggests, I don't think I can ever grasp it all or that books could ever contain it all. 

This I do know...my Jesus, is the One who has "searched me and known me" (Psalm 139:1).  He "satisfies the longing soul" (Psalm 107:9 ).   He is the "lover of my soul" who died for me.  And...remarkably...still wanting to "live among us" He sent His Spirit to live within me.  And, what all that conveys...I'll just have to keep finding out and "getting to know" from Him and His Word.

Leading and Serving - Not So Easy

Last week, James Webb, a decorated Marine veteran, was to receive the Distinguished Graduate Award from the United States Naval Academy.  Alumni from the Naval Academy, many from my class, protested his selection; in the end, Mr. Webb declined the award. 

Mr. Webb is well-known, by the first women who graduated from the Academy, for his 1979 article Women Can't Fight.  In the article, he calls the Naval Academy a "horny woman's dream."  The harm and hurt from that article fueled a lot of the protest against Mr. Webb receiving the award.

But that's not my big memory of him.  I remember that, in 1987, Mr. Webb became Secretary of the Navy.  And then, ten months later, he quit.

In Webb's defense, one of my classmates said that senior leaders often use the "threat to resign" as leverage, and that Webb was called on it. 

I responded:

Military leadership and life throw lots of stuff, lots of impossibles at us. A leader's job is to make it work somehow, do the best he can, remembering that he's also leading, influencing, and caring for those under him. People are looking up to him, he's in charge - what's he going to do? It's not easy "not to quit" when a situation is difficult, but that's what leaders do - persist and figure it out.

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And the above was really easy for me to write.  But being that type of leader, responding with truth and honor in all situations, not looking back, no matter the cost...not so easy. 

But, Jesus... 

He had presence and spoke with truth.

And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.  Mark 1:22

He came to serve and to die. 

...the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  Matthew 20:28

He was often burdened and lonely.  As He struggled in the garden, His disciples fell asleep; one of them betrayed Him; Peter denied Him; and, in the end, they deserted Him and ran away.

And they all left him and fled. Mark 14:50

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.           Isaiah 53:5 

Despite the hardship, the loneliness, the burden, despite the cost, Jesus didn't quit. He didn't look back.  His face was to the cross.

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. Luke 9:51

For me...He did it for me... 

Why I'm not a Calvinist...

"No LIP!"  That's my son Al's answer to the Lutheran position on the Five Points of Calvinism.  
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I first heard Calvinist teaching in my mid-30s.  I'd read the Bible many times, but, up to that point, my Christian faith was greatly influenced by popular books and Christian radio. 

Popular Christian teaching is "all over the place" with way too many ideas and concepts to grasp and bring together.

So, in 1999, after watching a Calvinist series on Predestination and Election, I was hooked.   

The Five Points of Calvinism, using the acrostic TULIP, explain salvation in a reasonable fashion that is also intellectually satisfying.  "Finally," I thought, "I understand God and salvation.  I have answers that make sense."  

And, icing on the cake, Reformed teachers said that Luther was in agreement with them.

Life was good...

The crack came when my oldest son Jake, 17 at the time, started worrying about his own salvation.  You can read his journey at:              OCD and the Lutheran Confessions.

Jake's question was, "What if, at some point, I'm going to leave my faith?  According to Calvinism, leaving my faith would mean that I never really believed.  So, how do I know that I really believe now?"  

Jake was looking for assurance.  In researching his question, I found that many other Calvinists, some with OCD, but many not, also had the same question, which boiled down to, "How do I know I'm saved?  Where's my assurance?"  

My journey away from Calvinism took a long time.  But, it came down to two points.

First, I recognized that Calvinism requires a lot of "mental gymnastics" to explain Bible verses that are inconsistent with the Five Points.  For instance, the Bible says that God...

...desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4 

The Calvinist explains this by taking "all people" to mean all people groups, or people from various nations.  Calvinism does the same type of "explaining" with many other problematic verses.

In not following Calvinism, I'm now free to let God's Word speak for itself.  My faith doesn't depend on man's logic; I'm free from trying to "figure it all out."

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

Second, Calvinism satisfies the intellect, but misses the human heart.  

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

When we're honest with ourselves, we know the hardness and darkness of our hearts.  

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9 

God's Word affects and works on our hearts.   At some point, not sure how or when, my faith moved from my head and pierced my heart.  

Read the Psalms and then read them again.  God made us into emotional and passionate beings.  The Five Points of Calvinism don't address and don't comfort the human heart.
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My son Al is right.  We don't need any "LIP" (pun intended) to understand our faith.  It's really rather simple, and all of God's Word testifies to it:

I sin.  Jesus died for my sins, and He rose again.  I'm baptized.