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A dissenting voice from the Anglican church in Syndey
ALERT: If you are uncomfortable reading views that may not align with your own beliefs then do not read this article.
Personally I think it is important that we understand conflicting views about our gender identity – as this will help in the battle to win wider acceptance.
The following article was written last year by Rob Smith who is an Anglican minister at St Andrew’s Cathedral Sydney. It presents a view point on the acceptance of transgender Christians that I believe is shared widely in the Sydney Diocese. Whilst I respect the right of any thinking person to hold views that differ from mine, the conclusions Rob Smith reaches show a troubling lack of understanding of gender.
The full article is here:
http://thinkingofgod.org/2016/09/making-sense-gender-confusion/Rob starts by describing what he calls the “new way of thinking about gender”. And suggests that “transgenderism is the next major issue that Christians are going to have to come to grips with – theologically, morally, medically, legally and pastorally.”
Then things start to get controversial in my view. He suggests that
Quote:In large measure, the rise of transgenderism has come about because of medical and surgical advances. However, at an ideological level, it has grown out of the feminist and homosexual revolutions.Although there are many references in the article to homosexuality, Rob states that there is not ” any necessary correlation between one’s sexual orientation and one’s gender identity. They are both separate (and potentially fluid) categories.” This leads him to the surprising conclusion that:
Quote:‘sexual orientation’ determines who you want to go to bed with, whereas ‘gender identity’ determines what you want to go to bed as. The bottom line is that biology determines neither! Moreover, just as you can choose who you go to bed with, so you can choose what you go to bed as. Everything is, ultimately, self-selected.He believes that gender is a matter of choice.
Quote:those whose gender dysphoria persists into adulthood would certainly not say they have chosen what, for them, is a deeply distressing experience. Even so, some measure of choice is necessarily involved – firstly, at the level of self-belief (e.g., I believe I am an actual woman trapped in a man’s body) and, secondly, in terms of the chosen way of addressing the perceived problem (e.g., I have decided to change my appearance or body to align with my self-belief).Rob sees the current “treatment” for gender dysphoria as a “tragedy” because “‘sex change’ is a biological impossibility, whereas psychological change is not”.
Quote:whatever the best way to classify gender incongruence, it should be treated with psychotherapy, not surgery.This leads him to suggest how the Christian church should respond to the “transgender revolution” with reference to selected passages from the bible. I will not quote what follows in the article as I find it offensive.
The conclusion appears to be that we are sinners for being Transgender and
Quote:Therefore, like the rest of us, transgender people need the gospel above all else. It is still the saving and sanctifying power of God, and still the only hope for sinners of every kind.If you reply to this thread please respect the beliefs of other members that might not align with your own views. Dismissing dissenting views will not in the long term lead to the acceptance we seek.
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6 Replies
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I think poor old Rev Smith has approached the subject purely from an intellectual viewpoint and any possible “real life” examples he may be drawing on for his conclusions seem to only confirm, not question or probe, his view.
I was brought up Catholic as I have mentioned before in my musings and although completely non-practicing (it would now take me far too long to confess all my holy sins that I would have little time left to commit any new ones) I respect anyone who finds comfort in their faith. I loathe blinkered views on any subject and enjoy debate…and my views can be changed via this.Rev Rob has looked at only one segment of our community to anchor all his arguments and has not looked any further. I do not feel “trapped in a man’s body” though I know others do. I completely choose who I go to bed with. I choose what I wear or don’t wear in bed. Emma is as much a part of me as the broken down ex-footballer she inhabits although she most certainly has her own thoughts, tastes, and her own preferences. You cannot generalise a group purely on how they present themselves. I know lawyers and scholars who love nothing more than romping around on weekends pretending they are Vikings and I know prim librarians who spend all their spare hours making Harley Quinn outfits for cosplay. Not all nuns are vicious sadistic bitches for example….although many in my youth were.
I can’t help how I feel, how I like to look when I go out, and who attracts me…and I suppose to a degree who is attracted TO me. It has nothing whatsoever to do with my sense of myself. It is what it is I do not select it from a drop down box or off a menu…and that’s what, at essence, makes us human. The ability to feel.I have read a few gospels in my time and most of it has no relevance to most people. The absolute exceptions however which we should all abide by are to show love and kindness to all and to live in peace…and to let others regardless of their choices to live in peace also.
Peace be with you Sisters….and to you Rev Rob xoxo
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Since Donald Trump’s recent announcement it seems that just about everyone who wants to comment has become an expert on the issue of transgender.
As I don’t consider myself perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, I’m no doubt a “sinner” but what I choose to wear and how I choose to present are not two of those sins.
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I fully agree with Adrian and her eloquent and appropriate rebuttal of Rev Smiths flawed concept of gender. I too preface this response with an apology to anyone if I offend their core religious beliefs: there being no such intent or inclination to do so.
That said, I would have thought that the Christian faith has one or two more pressing issues to pontificate about than trying to explain away our particular predilection in such a simple yet no less distorted narrative.
Then again the good Reverend has form when it comes to defending what is a rigid interpretation of his theist beliefs. Fundamentally he attempts to explain away our essential attributes within the context that some of us can be naturally cured of our affliction as we emerge from adolescence or beyond that with suitable psychiatric intervention. A couple of years ago he wrote an article for the “Gospel Coalition”, a journal for students of theological and religious studies wherein he betrayed the same kind of arrogance when addressing what he considered was the “Amorality of Atheism”. In this he professed a similar binary view despite his not so subtle attempt at impartiality. When you write an article with chapter headings such as “Atheist Delusions”, and “The Folly of Atheism” and sums up his discourse by proposing that there can be only two views that students have to consider wherein he states that: “every attempt to maintain both morality and atheism is simply an exercise in intellectual incoherence”. So there is the choice: “maintain atheism and embrace amorality or maintain morality and embrace theism” quote. The Reverend Smith is a fundamentalist to the core and his challenge is not how his faith can embrace and or intellectualise the diversity challenge it faces: his challenge is how to cure us!
Like Emma (whose response I equally enjoyed) I was brought up in a strict and traditional Catholic household and community. Whilst the various Christian Faiths have, at times, sought to be more accommodating of our natural inclinations, the bottom line is we represent an increasing problem for them: amongst the many others they have.
Apologies if I drifted off topic a tad but I enjoyed Adrian’s unique way of analysing and dissecting the Rev Smith’s poorly veiled attempts to profess an insightful understanding of the issues we face whilst prescribing various remedies we need. Lastly, and on the subject of the suicide rate amongst the transgender population. This matter was raised in a news media broadcast a couple of days ago when a right wing US politician challenged a former serving officer in the Marine Corps who did two tours of duty in Iraq before coming out as trans. The former marine was, needless to say, defending the right of trans folk to join and or stay in the military. The politician raised the issue of their higher suicide rate as a prime example of why transgenders in the military were a liability. The former marine acknowledged the statistics but appropriately raised the issue of suicides amongst the transgender population as a consequence of not being accepted for who they are and what they want to be, its attendant stresses: and often tragic outcomes. We have a long way to go in our pursuit of a gender blind society.
Regards to All.
Marian
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Reading Marian’s thoughtful and enjoyable views above prompted a somewhat startling realisation as I was coming to the end of her contribution. I admit it is somewhat left-field……
Gene Roddenberry was a man far far ahead of his time wasn’t he? His Star Fleet accept absolutely everyone! Tis a pity our earth based militia cannot heed his words as the diversity among the folk on the USS Enterprise and others add to the mix and are not feared or shunned by closed minded simpletons attempting to continue to prop up thinking which is clearly not in step with today . I should note at this point that I am not a massive Star Trek fan – this thought just occurred to me xx
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Thanks everyone for this.
As a – now publicly ‘out’ Anglican transgender priest (not in Sydney but elsewhere in Australia) maybe I can also offer a few thoughts myself…Sadly I think we can expect more of the arguments of people like Rob Smith in the future – especially when marriage equality is finally achieved. The Christian Right realised they had lost that argument a while back and have been progressively turning their attention to transgender issues every since – Rob Smith’s work being a leading example of this. They are too late I think to win this culture war also but it will get messy for some (and as a transgender Anglican priest myself, I guess I may be one
). Hence the historic importance of the recent welcome and affirmation of transgender people by the (Anglican) Church of England’s General Synod recently – passed so overwhelmingly and with the support of the worldwide leader of the Anglican Communion, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Within Australia, the emergence of Equal Voices will also help to address this, though winding folk like Rob Smith up further (Equal Voices being a movement designed ((at last) to bring allies and LGBTIQ+ Christians together to address the ‘Christian deficit’ in understanding and affirmation – see more if interested at https://equalvoices.org.au/). As the English experience has proved, there is a (slow and bumpy!) sea-change happening in many church circles across the western world. Hopefully this will further alleviate the pain, shame and struggle of some.In a recent article on the Anglican move forward in the Church of England – worth a read for the very good links and other resources for anyone who is interested – Tina Beardsley (one of the pioneer Anglican transgender priests) observes rightly (in words which apply well to Rob Smith’s work):
The picture today has changed vastly for the better. Many trans people are assimilated into their church’s community life without any problem, though not all churches are welcoming to gender variant people. ..
Often the failure to welcome and include the trans person is due either to a lack of knowledge, or limited insight into the vulnerability of transition, and the stresses and losses that can accompany it…
Sometimes, though, trans people encounter problems because their pastor questions the basis of their transition on theological grounds. This theology, however, is rarely based on an impartial consideration of the science or the empirical evidence of trans people’s experience. .I am myself working towards a website (with the current working title of “Trans Spirit in Australia”) partly as a way of offering a more informed corrective to such Sydney Anglican arguments.
Tina Beardsley’s full article can be found here: – http://www.onebodyonefaith.org.uk/blog/blackburn/
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Thanks for your great post Josephine. You are an inspiration.
Regards Marian
