The Transgender Bathroom Debate is Escalating. How Should Christians Respond?
The New York Times just released an article detailing the Obama administrations plan to roll out a sweeping directive to all public school systems which states that they should “allow transgender students to use the bathrooms that match their gender identity.” While not binding this directive threatens that schools who defy the instructions outlined in the directive “could face lawsuits or a loss of federal aid.” This is a big deal.
The debate over whether individuals who identify as transgender should have access to the bathroom that corresponds with their declared gender identity has been coming to a boil over the last month. While the discussion has been ongoing for some time, my home state of North Carolina has become a catalyst leading to the Federal action we are now seeing. Back on February 23rd the city of Charlotte, NC passed a city ordinance allowing transgender individuals to use the bathroom based on their gender identity. This led to an almost immediate counter action by the state government which passed the HB2 bill one month later on March 23rd. HB2 restricts people to using the public restroom that matches the gender on their birth certificate. Fast-forward to two days ago and both North Carolina and the Justice Department have sued each other over the discriminatory nature of the law. Now today the White House plans to release this far reaching directive with dramatic implications.
According to the Times article the administration officials believe they have momentum and the upper-hand legally in this debate which has emboldened them to issue the directive. It is clear that ever since the Obergefell Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage that President Obama views victories won for the LGBT community as a part of his legacy. They know the cultural shift is moving ever more in their favor on matters of redefining traditional definitions of marriage, identity, and sex and they intend to take advantage of it. This kind of immediate redefinition of traditional gender boundaries in our school systems is going to send shock waves through families and communities across the nation. What we are dealing with here is very different from a corporation like Target introducing a new company bathroom policy. Schools have a direct impact on the daily lives of countless families across the nation and are a cornerstone of the communities we live in. As I saw one tweet saying, having a 12 year old daughter dressing out for gym everyday complicates this issue very quickly.
Whether or not you agree with the administration’s stance on this, issue the misuse of executive power by the White House is inarguable. To change the interpretation of sex discrimination laws in relation to public school restrooms across the nation without a court ruling is surely unprecedented. The Federal government is overstepping state and local authorities and plunging public schools into this debate whether they wanted to be a part of it or not. This kind of seismic shift on one of the most basic human institutions was not the right way to address this issue. Coercing public schools to adopt such policies under the threat of losing federal support and funding sets a dangerous precedent.
There are and will continue to be difficult questions concerning this latest shift in our culture. Are Christians who are employed by the public school system, whose job it will be to enforce this policy, now asked to affirm the administration’s position on gender definitions and fluidity? Should Christian parents consider pulling their children out of public schools? Could there be increased violence, bullying, or fighting in restrooms and locker-rooms as a result of the administrative knocking down the barriers between genders? How will this affect gender segregated school athletics? These are, I believe, all valid questions that are sure to be debated for months to come. The vital question for Christians to answer right now is how we will respond to our government and to those in transgender community. Dr. Russel Moore has written a great piece on this issue I’d encourage all Christians to read.
Here are three points which I believe the church must do as this controversy intensifies:
1. Don’t Overreact: It would be a bad idea to immediately pull your child out of school today on hearing this news. Cries for boycotting, protesting, and petition signing are often knee jerk reactions to this kind of news. As Christians we are going to have to become more accustomed to the culture at large disagreeing with us. We don’t need to drum up headlines about how we are “as mad as hell and not going to take it anymore”. God is sovereign and in complete control, nothing the U.S. government does ever takes him by surprise. This is a time for prayer and faith not political activism, those days have run their course. Which is not to say engaging in politics is not important, but we cannot be ready to wind up the political machine of the “moral majority” to fight such changes. The “moral majority” no longer exists. This directive shows that Christians should care deeply about who is in the White House. Yet, it also demonstrates that we cannot assume that elected officials are going to side with us on these kind of issues. Christians especially need to pray for those we know who work in the public school systems as they will face the brunt of this oncoming challenge.
2. Love our Neighbor: As Christians we must acknowledge that the transgender community is made up of real people who are attempting to find their identity and place in the world. We cannot point sinners to their Savior if we sin against them by shouting over them or dismissing their struggles. Loving our neighbors in the LGBT community is vital for the integrity of the Gospel message to be heard. They are not our enemy (Ephesians 6:12). This issue regarding bathroom access is not going away any more than the transgender community will. We need to acknowledge the need for compassion and work to find alternative solutions that will not compromise the boundaries between genders.
3. Point to the Truth: Part of loving our neighbor well is to point them to the truth of the Gospel. We must respectfully but firmly stand our ground on who God is and what He has created us for. The Imago Dei is more important than ever before. Humanity was created in the image of God and we cannot redefine that, it is our essence. To abandon the truth both theologically and biologically about gender is ultimately harmful to those who struggle with their gender identity. Our identities are ultimately rooted in Christ and we can only truly know ourselves when we know him. The concepts of identity, gender, sex, and marriage our culture is adopting are unsustainable and reckless. They will hurt many people for the sake of a progressive agenda. The church must be ready to minister and love those who have been victimized by that skewed view of who God created us to be. It’s also important to recognize as Dr. Moore points out that there is work to be done in how we view gender in the church: “If you don’t have a category for a rough-and-tumble woman, like Jael, or a harp-playing man, like David, your church is handing over your children to the gender ideologies of the moment.” To truly engage and minister to those suffering from gender dysphoria we need to clear away cultural notions of femininity and masculinity and embrace the biblical definitions. God’s word has better answers than the world does about who we are and how we are to live. It’s important we are ready to clearly teach what those truths really are to hurting people.
Reading through the Times article I couldn’t help but recall the words of the mad man in Nietzsche’s parable where he exclaims, “what were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving?” There seems to be no slowing down the progressive avalanche of change and reform in the name of the sexual revolution in this country. I can’t help but ask “whither are we moving?” as a country when I see events unfolding like this.
The boldness with which the White House is acting on this issue is a sign of the speed with which our nation is departing from the historic Christian worldview. As things continue to change, the Church is going to experience refinement at a level that is needed and necessary for the Gospel to stand apart from the culture at large. As followers of Christ we are becoming ever more aware that we are and have always been sojourners and strangers in this world (Philippians 3:20). Let us be a light to a dying world by loving our neighbor and proclaiming the truth of the Gospel whatever the cost and wherever our country is headed.
