Trans Persecution
Are we struggling for the right reasons?
October, 2023
In recent months, transgenderism and transgender rights have become unavoidable controversies. Those who don't follow every wisp of "progressive" views of gender and sex are liable to be denounced as hateful or bigoted. Christians are especially targeted due to a basic biblical concept: that God created humanity male and female (Genesis 1:27), and that "gender expression" doesn't override biological design. Most Christians agree that many gender stereotypes are irrational, yet they are still dismissed as "far right extremists" for suggesting there are any important differences between sexes or genders.
When believers receive such backlash, it's often labeled "persecution." Is the current climate against God's design for humanity an instance of persecution? How should believers react to the overwrought anger being thrown at their views?
Words like "persecution" land in a fuzzy category along with "good," "delicious," or "overpriced." Those aren't totally meaningless, but they're subject to opinion. The Bible connects persecution to things like torture, death, imprisonment, hardship, and loss (Acts 22:4; Galatians 1:13; Hebrews 11:36–38). Being insulted or ignored on account of one's views is not necessarily "persecution." It's certainly a form of mistreatment. Modern culture is woven with a strong thread of bullying. Those who disagree with the current chart-topping fad are shamed and ignored—mostly because those who shame and ignore have no meaningful answers to offer.
A typical claim is that believers not in favor of radical social change are "against people." Or that they "hate" those with whom they disagree. Or that resisting attempts to force 99.99% of people to empower the preferences of the 0.01% means believers are "forcing" their views on others. Being "against someone" is an emotionally charged expression. Christians are not called to be against people, but we are certainly commanded to be against sin. That's truly an application of being "for someone:" to lovingly tell them what's wrong and why it matters (James 5:19–20). From a legal perspective, most Christians agree that how someone wants to dress and live is "their life:" they should be legally allowed to do as they please. Where many non-trans people object is when their own lives are forced to accommodate or affirm the desires of a transgender person.
Is this conflict purely religious? Purely secular? Or some mix of both? In the strictest sense, there is no clean divide between religion and spirituality versus law and politics. Every law—without exception—is based on a moral principle. Morality is inextricable from one's worldview. Worldviews cover the same fundamental ideas covered by religion. In hyper-literal terms, the current obsession with LGBTQ issues is not religious, but social. At the same time, facets of it seem deliberately targeted at people of biblical faith. It's not biblical "persecution," in that sense…yet…but it's certainly aligned with a rebellion against God's truth (1 Peter 4:3; Luke 6:22).
Scripture advises us to counter worldly slanders proactively by proving them to be lies (1 Peter 2:12; 3:15–17; Philippians 2:15; Titus 2:8). To not be correctly associated with "haters" means not to speak with actual hate or vitriol. To not be seen as "against" people means speaking more about what's good and right than how someone's choices are distasteful. Even if we're perfect in those efforts—and we never will be—that's no guarantee of a peaceful life. Being misunderstood and slandered is part of the Christian experience. People don't want to know the truth, nor do they care to give it a fair shake (Romans 1:18–25). No matter what we do, there will always be people who lie, twist, and mischaracterize our beliefs (1 Peter 2:12; 3:15–17; John 17:14).
Politically, to deflect labels like "extremist" starts by dissociating with actual extremists and provocateurs. We do well to remember that just because someone is "on our side" doesn't mean we should ignore their bad behavior or excuse unloving words and actions. Likewise, well-meaning Christians sometimes feel a misguided urge to remain politically "relevant." Being more attached to tradition and culture than the Bible, they may try to prevent changes in culture through government. But people don't change to correspond to laws; laws change to reflect the wider culture. And that culture is shaped through the sum of many personal changes. It’s not accomplished by a wholesale embrace of whoever has the best chance to defeat the "worse" political party…even if they're only slightly "less worse."
Ultimately, these choices are between individual people and God; we can't force them to believe, nor should we act as if we can. Nor, of course, should Christians sit idly by and ignore a culture rushing into insanity. All we can do is remember that the spiritual battle is fought at a personal level, not from the top down. Every person in or supporting LGBTQetc causes has their own motives and their own goals. Many are sincere, in a fallen sinful sense (2 Corinthians 4:4). They have convinced themselves about the issue, and therefore they don't want to be told "no." Others are less sincere, acting as much with hatred towards things they don't like as self-interest or love of others. Almost all miss the irony that many responses to "anti-trans persecution" look an awful lot like persecution, themselves.
God wants all people to find Him (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4; Matthew 28:19). Regardless of how others are motivated, believers should be driven by a desire for others to find the truth we've found, like sick people learning of a cure or starving people finding a source of food. If the world hates and insults us for that, so be it (Matthew 5:11–12). As this month's spotlight verse points out, this is not a new experience for those who believe in God (Psalm 38:19). But truth wins in the end (John 16:33).
-- Editor
