Thread by @WokePreacherTV

Can these 3 perspectives on transgenderism be "integrated" somehow? Wheaton prof Mark Yarhouse says yes.

Today in "nuancing ourselves to death"... 🧵

I'm clipping from a talk Yarhouse recently gave to the social justice-focused Anglican Diocese known as C4SO (Churches For The Sake Of Others). It's some of the most nuanced nuance I've ever encountered. So I recommend watching the whole thing if you can

Yarhouse introduces his 3 "lenses" on trans identity: "I'm not asking you to pick one to the exclusion of the other two. I'm asking you what are the things that they might be getting right...I think we should integrate the best aspects of these lenses rather than pick one." (1/7)

First, the "Integrity" lens: "For this group, this is largely a moral concern. You're making a bad decision...I think it is a biblically faithful starting point to begin with Genesis 1 + 2, but some of the ministry applications have not always been as helpful." (2/7)

Second, the "Disability" lens. "The Christians drawn to this lens...believe in Genesis 1 + 2, but they minister out of the story of the fall in Genesis 3...emphasizing things not functioning properly, so they're less likely to try to restore creational intent." (3/7)

To illustrate this perspective, Yarhouse quotes a friend discussing the difference between lower-case "d" deaf people and upper-case "D" Deaf people... (4/7)

Third, the "Culture To Be Celebrated" lens, which is self-explanatory and "where the rest of culture is rapidly moving toward": (5/7)

As an example of a real-world interaction of people operating from different lenses, Yarhouse recounts an interview Barbara Walters did with Jazz Jennings and his siblings (note Mark blasphemes God by using preferred pronouns here). (6/7)

He wraps up: "I don't want you to so much land on one and say the rest have nothing to offer. With some intellectual humility, could we look at the three lenses and say what are they getting right before we critique them?" [I've deleted some dead air to make this <2:20] (7/7)

Again, this talk was extremely nuanced, there were some good things (he talks about how 75% of dysphoric kids desist after puberty), and it is important to understand other perspectives, but we dare not try to synthesize things that cannot be reconciled. A can NOT equal non-A.

While trying to erase the binary choice of "repent" (a word he never utters) or "transition," Yarhouse sets up lots of false dichotomies. The 1st group obviously grasps that feelings of dysphoria are not necessarily a "bad decision," but changing one's sexual presentation is.

Also, we notice when only the first perspective is described as "not helpful" and the absolute insanity of queer culture is merely describe as something "Christians grapple with." E.g. later on, Yarhouse dings a pastor for telling a dysphoric woman to "pick up your cross."

"For him it was kind of like a Pez dispenser. He just kind of said something that sounded right, but it wasn't ministry. Ministry is not proclaiming things from a mountaintop. It's stepping into the valley with people and saying 'I'm going to walk with you in this.'"

This isn't complex. Jesus declared (before taking up the cross) that he would do the Father's will and not his own, thus to do the Father's will wrt dysphoria is to agree that his will was to make you female, and you will resist your flesh's will and affirm God's choice daily.

Of course it goes beyond proclaiming truth from the "mountaintop" and it should turn into prayer and counseling and sharing in activities and hospitality, etc. But his alternative appears to be drowning people in empathy in the hopes of maybe, someday smuggling in a little truth.

In his closing remarks, Yarhouse says he's not "at war" with the lens of queer celebration and asks us to change our approach to be more like that one because otherwise, dysphoric ppl won't get identity and community from Christians.

Here's a direct transcript of his final statement. It's a flat-out lie to say that the first approach has no positive vision of identity and community. It's just that this community does not exist without belief and repentance.

John 3:3-8
Rom 6:6-11
Eph 4:17-24
1 Cor 6:9-11