Pathways Theological Education
Making Sense of Theology, January 2025
Mid-Term Reflection Paper - Grade = A
Those of us who identify as Christians share a common desire to live out the way of Jesus Christ as we understand it in the world. We read the same scriptures, recite similar creeds and prayers, and believe in Jesus Christ. But beyond that, it often doesn’t seem like we can agree on much else.
Usually, when students read a textbook in school, they develop a common understanding of the material and can pass a standardized test on it at the end of the year. But when Christians read the Bible, most of us would probably end up failing the final exam miserably unless it was finely tuned to our specific theology. This makes it very difficult to find common theological ground on which to reflect on modern issues facing humankind. And a good example of a vehement theological disagreement between conservative and progressive Christians is the dignity and inclusion of transgender people in American society.
When more than two million people in the United States identify as transgender[1] and the head of the Catholic Church says that "gender theory is an error of the human mind that leads to so much confusion" and that "being transgender goes against the order of creation,"[2] then we have a failure to understand one another theologically. The Pope’s stance, drawing very little from scripture and leaning mostly on Catholic tradition, largely ignores reason and lived experience. By not considering all the resources available for theological reflection – especially by ignoring the lived experience [JV3] of at least 81.6 million children of God around the world – the Pope and many other religious leaders miss an opportunity to offer the compassion and hope that God offers to ALL of God’s creation.
Micah 6:8 says, “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” This Old Testament verse aligns very closely with the messages of Jesus Christ throughout His ministry and forms one of the most important foundations of the Christian faith. It encapsulates the moral and spiritual expectations that God has of humanity. These core values are there to guide us as we navigate the complexities of the modern world and try to find theological answers to human challenges. Because as Christians, all believers are all called to make sense of our faith by engaging in theological reflection[3], which Stone & Duke define as “faith seeking understanding”[4].
However, our conclusions often differ because we have different starting points for this reflection. When these differences are purely philosophical or are only about the life of an individual church or denomination, they don’t pose such a problem. But when our theological views are translated into concrete attitudes, actions, or public policy that have a harmful effect, we should feel especially obligated to go back to those core Christian principles of love, compassion, justice, and mercy and re-engage in theological reflection.
When Theology Does Harm
Let’s start with a concrete understanding of the harm being done in the first month of 2025. Executive orders are stripping people of legal recognition of their gender, access to medical care, and fundamental rights. The rollback of gender-affirming healthcare for minors has left families scrambling for care, forcing some to take the drastic measure of relocating to states with more inclusive policies. The ban on transgender individuals in the military has shattered careers and military service valuable to the United States, while the restriction on passport gender markers complicates international travel and personal identification. These measures not only jeopardize the safety and well-being of trans people but also reinforce societal stigmatization, increasing the risk of mental health struggles and violence against an already marginalized group of people. Where is the compassion for these fellow members of the body of Christ? Why is it so easy for those who call themselves Christians to demonize and discard them?
The Lens of "Embedded Theology"
We all begin our faith journey with what is called embedded theology[5]. This is a set of beliefs that we inherit from our families, cultures, and traditions before we ever start thinking critically about them. It’s the stuff we learn at home and church in and in our social circles that we might not even realize we learned. This is the place that deeply held beliefs about gender and sexuality often stem from. These views come from cultural norms and traditions, and not really from any deep scientific understanding of biology, psychology, or the core values of Christian faith. They are our “automatic pilot” views that at some point, as adults and as Christians, we will hopefully reflect on.
When we start to question our embedded theology, often through some compelling event or crisis that causes us to reconsider what we believe[6], we have the opportunity to engage in what is called deliberative theology[7]. This involves reflecting on our assumptions, questioning our inherited beliefs, and seeking alternative perspectives on the issues that impact us and our communities. This type of theological reflection facilitates growth and change and encourages us to make use to all four theological resources available to us in the Methodist Quadrilateral (scripture, tradition reason and experience) to create a new theological template[8] that serves new situations. Deliberative reflection invites us to question what we’ve always taken for granted and stimulates us to formulate our faith as clearly and coherently as possible.
Take, for example, the extremely common example of parents who come from high-demand, conservative religious denominations and experience the coming out of one of their children. While their embedded theology may tell them that homosexuality is a sin, their love for their child may cause them to reflect on that theology and begin to form a new, deliberative theology where they can reconcile the love they feel for their child with their faith. Most often this is done by reframing scripture in ways that liberate instead of condemning and rejecting traditions in favor of reason and the lived experience of their own child.
The Bible: A Source of Inspiration, Not a Weapon
Many Christians cite specific biblical passages to condemn gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. However, it is important to remember that the Bible is not inerrant[9], and it presents a large and complex diversity of viewpoints within the specific cultural and historical contexts of its day[10], as well as representing the points of view of its individual authors and those who have copied and edited the Bible over 20 centuries. It is a complex collection of books that are a source of inspiration, history, and culture, yet they are often used as legalistic texts to condemn others. Biblical interpretation requires us to acknowledge the historical and cultural context in which the scriptures were written, recognizing that some interpretations may reflect patriarchal or discriminatory views that are no longer accepted today.
The Bible condones slavery (Exodus 21:2-6, Leviticus 25:44-46, Ephesians 6:5), mandates the death penalty for offenses such as working on the Sabbath (Exodus 31:14), adultery (Leviticus 20:10), disobedience to parents (Deuteronomy 21:18-21), and homosexuality (Leviticus 20:13). Women were treated as property, had limited rights, and were required to remain silent in church (Exodus 22:16-17, 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, 1 Timothy 2:11-12). The Bible also supports harsh corporal punishment (Proverbs 13:24, Proverbs 23:13-14) and condemns wearing mixed fabrics (Leviticus 19:19) and eating shellfish (Leviticus 11:10-12).
No modern human being – regardless of theology - is willing or capable of adhering to these legalistic restrictions today, nor do they find the punishments these verses proscribe to be appropriate or acceptable. Luckily most Christians today recognize the importance of historical and cultural context, choosing instead to focus on the Bible’s overarching themes of love, justice, and compassion.
The authority of the Bible exists to empower and inspire rather than confine us[11]. The Bible itself contains the morally despicable views listed above, and a large diversity of theological viewpoints. The Bible is not meant to be conformed to, but rather to offer a diversity of voices to challenge our own perspectives. We must be willing to engage with the Bible creatively, allowing its diverse voices to guide us as we seek justice and understanding for all people, including those who have been marginalized and those who our embedded theologies have taught us to reject.
The Gospel of Love and Inclusion
At its heart, the gospel is the good news of God’s unconditional love and acceptance for all of God’s creation[12]. It calls us to extend grace and inclusion to all people, and in the life and ministry of Jesus, we see that he extends those gifts especially to those who are most vulnerable. God’s love is not limited to those who conform to our expectations or standards but extends to all of God’s creation. As Christians, the Gospel calls us to love and serve others, including those who are different from us. To exclude or harm transgender people is to act against the very spirit of the gospel. When we see the face of God in others, we recognize their full dignity and humanity.
Created in the Image of God
A central belief in Christian theology is that all people are created in the image of God; that we are the Imago Dei[13]. This idea emphasizes the inherent dignity and worth of every individual, regardless of their individual characteristics. God’s love is our birthright. And this is played out across all of nature, which exhibits infinite diversity in infinite combinations.
Genesis 1:27 affirms that all people are created in God's image and emphasizes the sacred worth of every individual, including those who experience gender differently. Galatians 3:28 rejects social divisions, declaring that there is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, thereby reinforcing the equality and worth of all believers. Psalm 139:13-14 further emphasizes God's intimate knowledge and intentional creation of each person, affirming that all people, including transgender individuals, are fearfully and wonderfully made.
By looking at real lived experience and embracing scientific research into the human condition, we can use the theological resources of reason and empathy for lived experience to expand our ability to acknowledge the dignity of all God's people. Affirming the existence of transgender people does not diminish the value of cisgender people. It isn’t a zero-sum game and God’s love is not a finite resource. Loving and respecting trans people simply expands our understanding of the infinite ways in which God’s image is expressed in the human race.
Liberation Theology: Standing with the Marginalized
Liberation theology reminds us that God has a special concern for the marginalized and oppressed, as seen through the ministry of Jesus. It encourages us to let go of strict scriptural or traditional orientations to theology and asks us to start with the experiences of those who have been pushed to the margins of society. The experiences of trans people are squarely in society’s margins, and trans people often experience suffering, oppression, discrimination, violence, and lack of recognition. By standing in solidarity with transgender people and advocating for their rights, we embody our Christian faith and work toward justice for all. Supporting the rights of transgender people is not a rejection of Christian faith; it is an affirmation of it.
Though the cultural construct of transsexuality did not exist in biblical times, there are several examples of how non-gender conforming individuals like eunuchs were regarded. In Isaiah 56:3-5, God promises eunuchs a lasting place in the divine community, affirming their worth. Jesus also recognizes different kinds of eunuchs in Matthew 19:12, acknowledging that some are born this way, some are made so by others, and some choose it for spiritual reasons, validating the diversity of their gender expression. The story of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-40 demonstrates God’s radical inclusion, as Philip immediately baptizes him, showing that divine love and grace are fully available to those who exist outside conventional gender norms.
A Call for Transformation
When our faith is unexamined, static or rigid, we become a people divided, mired in petty disagreements about the relative value of God’s vast creation. The Bible is a call to ongoing growth and transformation, both individually and collectively as a society. The church should be a place of welcome and affirmation for all people, where everyone is valued and loved. I pray that in our lifetime, we will reverse the trend of demonization of trans people and embrace a more inclusive vision of our faith that values and honors their lives. By doing so, we take up the mission of Jesus to make the world more fully reflect the love and justice of God.
Questioning one’s embedded theology can be challenging, but it allows us to deepen our expression of Christian love and justice. I hope that through thoughtful reflection and action, we can all move closer to a full understanding that God's love is for everyone, with no fine print.
References
Brown, Delwin. What Does a Progressive Christian Believe? A Guide for the Searching, the Open and the Curious. New York: Church Publishing Incorporated, 2008.
Stone, Howard W. and James O. Duke. How to Think Theologically. 3rd Edition. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2013.
Nessan, Craig L. “Liberation Theologies in America. Wartburg Theological Seminary. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.493
[1] https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-the-transgender-community
[2] https://apnews.com/article/religion-catholic-lgbtq-transgender-gender-theory-e36e68a6bfabb33729d0d3f53230bafe
[3] Stone, Howard W. and James O. Duke. How to Think Theologically. 3rd Edition. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2013. 24.
[4] Stone, Howard W. and James O. Duke. How to Think Theologically. 11.
[5] Stone, Howard W. and James O. Duke. How to Think Theologically. 14.
[6] Ibid. 17.
[7] Ibid. 17
[8] Ibid. 47
[9] Brown, Delwin. What Does a Progressive Christian Believe? A Guide for the Searching, the Open and the Curious. New York: Church Publishing Incorporated, 2008, 16
[10] Ibid, 19
[11] Ibid, 23
[12] Stone, Howard W. and James O. Duke. How to Think Theologically. 74
[13] Nessan, Craig L. “Liberation Theologies in America. Wartburg Theological Seminary. 2017. 4
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