God Created Them Male And Female

Introduction:

A. There is a gender identity crisis sweeping across our nation and culture.

1. This is a serious issue facing adults, teens and children, and as I address this subject in today’s sermon, I will do my best to present this information in a way that is appropriate for all ages.

2. The cover of Time magazine on June 9, 2014 had a picture of Laverne Cox, a person born a boy, but is now living with a different sexual identification, and acts on the TV show “Orange is the New Black” as a woman.

a. The article in that issue of Time that featured Laverne was all about the transgender experience and its’ aim was to mainstream and celebrate the transgender life.

3. Today, when we think about transgender issues, we think about Bruce Jenner.

a. As you know, for most of his life, Bruce Jenner was known as the all-American man.

1. He won Olympic gold in the decathlon at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

2. Bruce was a married man and fathered children.

3. It seemed like he had everything a man could want – an impressive athletic career, family, fame and fortune.

b. But then people began to notice a change in him, he was taking on a softer appearance.

1. On April 24, 2015, in an interview with Diane Sawyer, he went public.

2. Bruce Jenner announced he was transsexual saying, “for all intents and purposes, I’m a woman…call me Caitlyn.”

c. How did our culture respond to Bruce Jenner deciding to become Cailyn Jenner?

1. In July of that year, Vanity Fair magazine featured her on their magazine cover.

2. In August, Jenner won the Social Media Queen award at the Teen Choice Awards.

3. In October, Glamour magazine named her one of its 25 Glamour Women of the Year, calling her a “Trans Champion.”

4. In December 2015, she was named Barbara Walters’ Most Fascinating Person of 2015

d. Jenner said to Diane Sawyer in that April interview, “I would sit in church and always wonder, ‘In God’s eyes, how does he see me?’ ”

B. That indeed is a good question – it is the right question for Jenner and for us to be asking.

1. How does God see those struggling with their sexual identity?

2. What does God think about people who have a man’s body, but believe they have a woman’s mind, and visa versa?

3. What does God think about the questions and issues surrounding gender identity and transgenderism, and what should we think?

4. How should we, as Christians and the church, respond to these cultural and societal changes going on around us, and how do we respond to the Bruce/Caitlyn Jenners in our neighborhood?

C. If this was an issue that only involved individuals, personally and privately, then we might attempt to only address the topic with those individuals when they cross our paths.

1. But, unfortunately, it doesn’t just impact individuals, personally and privately, it is an issue that has been thrust into the public forum and is being championed in our culture.

2. The media is filled with transgender characters and messages; including in literature, theater, TV, movies, music and web series.

3. Many public schools are educating their students (our children) about transgenderism, and in some cases the indoctrination begins in the kindergarten, with books like “I Am Jazz.”

4. Endorsed by the American Library Association, the “Drag Queen Story Hour” has spread to twenty-one states, targeting preschool and grade school children with homosexuality and transgenderism in public libraries, a news article reported on Aug. 23, 2018.

5. The Associated Press made a film of a “Drag Queen Story Hour” in New York.

a. And in one scene, the drag queen asked the children, “Who wants to be a drag queen when they grown up?” And the little children raised their hands and squeeled, “Meeee!!!”

6. And surely none of us have missed the lawsuits concerning transgender bathrooms in N.C.

D. Yes, this is an issue that cannot be avoided and must be understood and addressed.

1. This is indeed a big subject with many complicated aspects to it, but it is also a very personal issue in that it deals with real people whom God loves and whom we must care about.

2. Although we could spend many sessions on this topic, I want to try to address it in one sermon.

3. In doing so, I must be cursory rather than comprehensive, and yet I believe we can gain an understanding of the struggle and the biblical principles that address it.

4. My main goal in this sermon is to communicate what the Bible teaches about this topic, and to suggest how we as Christians and a church should interact with the world in general and how we can help those who are wrestling with issues related to sexual and gender orientation.