Targeting Transgenderism: Two Overtures to the PCA 50th GA
In my opinion, the BCO is not the main issue. The issue is not simply women in the pulpit, nor the sexual mutilation of children, nor even the legitimacy of homosexuality (in some form or another). The issue is transgenderism. The issue is men and women giving in to sinful impulses that cross the lines that God drew in creation when he created male and female and assigned them their roles in the world he created.
Transgenderism has just recently replaced racism as the great sin of the modern day. Yes, racism is still in the game, but it has been hijacked by the transgender movement. Like the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement of a few years back, transgenderism is becoming very aggressive to the point of violence. Transgenderism is the new wokism, and the church appears to be staying out of the debate, or in some cases following their lead.
In the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) we have seen a Christian school associated with one of our churches attacked by a brutal transgender murderer, leaving 3 children and 3 adults dead. Shortly after this event a national rally scheduled in Washington D.C. called the “Trans Day of Vengeance” was cancelled, but only because of bad publicity, not because there was any change in the attitude of the potential participants.
The definition of transgenderism is simple. It describes men acting like they are women and women acting like they are men. Whether it is simply a mind-game, a creeping gender role reversal, a change of clothes, a change of name (or personal pronouns), hormone treatment, or surgical mutilation of the body, it all goes back to the same sinful impulse in the hearts of both men and women to be something they were not created to be. God Almighty assigned our sex at birth, and our sex determines our gender roles in the church, and to some extent in society taken as a whole.
When women claim they have a right to the pulpit, whether in preaching, exhorting, or teaching, they are attempting to reverse the gender roles God has ordained in the church. It is a form of what I call creeping transgenderism. It is a subtle form, but it is one nonetheless. Paul said plainly in the context of church worship that “A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness, but I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man but to remain quiet” (1 Tim. 2:11-12).
Overture 15 seeks to change Book of Church Order (BCO) 53 by adding a new section number 7: “No woman shall preach, exhort, or teach at a public worship assembly, including assemblies or chapel services where men are present in any congregation, educational institution, or gathering overseen by the Church or one of its agencies.” This is good as far as it goes, but it needs to be amended to add the prohibition of the public reading of the Scriptures and the public leading in prayer by women in congregational worship services. Afterall, Paul said women are to remain quiet.
But regardless, the main issue here is not simply women in the pulpit, but we must realize that the root cause is incipient transgenderism, that is, women unhappy with their calling and with their role in the church, and the sinful impulse to take on the role of a man. Or maybe, even worse, it is about men who are transferring their headship to the woman by taking on the submissive role of the female.
The second Overture (#12) requests that the PCA petition the United States Government and the 50 State Governments to “Renounce the sin of all medical and surgical sex change procedures in minors by the American healthcare system because they result in irreversible harm.” Again, this is good as far as it goes. However, the Bible forbids any transgenderism, including in adults (see my article Deuteronomy and Transgenderism). Here again, we see the sinful impulse of males and females seeking to transform themselves or their children (or the children of others) into the opposite sex, and vice versa.
If we dive even deeper into the root causes which has necessitated both overtures (#12 and #15), it should be noticed that the need for these overtures arises out of the PCA’s ongoing struggle which is being addressed again this year (overtures #9, #16, #17, #23, #24). This issue is that homosexuals (which includes those who identify as homosexuals, but do not practice it) have no right to the pulpits in the PCA. Homosexuality again is just another form of transgenderism. It is nothing less than men seeking to play the woman in sexual relations. In the bedroom, you be the man and I will play the woman, or at least let me dream about it and go public about it without guilt.
The PCA seems unable to make definitive statements anymore. Maybe, we hesitate because we think it would be unloving toward others to tell them the truth. However, I believe it is better to preach the truth and call men and women to faith and repentance in Christ than make a half-way covenant with sin.
Every year, as we go to General Assembly meetings and to Presbytery meetings, we must recognize that we are engaged in more than simply ecclesiastical and mere academic exercises. When we ask the question about what does the Bible teach on these issues, we are not just voting on changes to the Book of Church Order before we safely go home. Actions have consequences. How we vote will impact our people and our nation. We are voting on issues that have resulted in the shedding of blood in our nation.
As we commissioners make our way to the 50th General Assembly of the PCA, let us make sure that we realize what we are doing. In my opinion, the BCO is not the main issue. The issue is not simply women in the pulpit, nor the sexual mutilation of children, nor even the legitimacy of homosexuality (in some form or another). The issue is transgenderism. The issue is men and women giving in to sinful impulses that cross the lines that God drew in creation when he created male and female and assigned them their roles in the world he created.
Larry E. Ball is a retired minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is now a CPA. He lives in Kingsport, Tenn.
-
Traffic Stop Turns into Powerful Moment of Prayer Between Trooper and Father with Cancer
ABC7 notes, “What Wilkerson and her dad didn’t know at the time was that Doty had previously been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and required surgery to remove his colon. He had only been back on duty a few months at the time of the stop.” Right then, Trooper Doty asked if he could pray for Geddis and his family. Instead of a ticket, Wilkerson and her father received grace and prayer.
What started as a routine traffic stop quickly turned into a powerful moment of prayer between a North Carolina state trooper, and a father who was undergoing treatment for cancer.
ABC7 News reports that earlier this year, Dr. Ashlye Wilkerson was driving back home from Duke University hospital in Durham, North Carolina when she was pulled over for speeding.
Dr. Wilkerson was driving her father, deacon Anthony Geddis, back from the hospital, where he was receiving chemotherapy for stage four colon cancer.
But after the trooper approached their car, deacon Geddis spoke up to try and protect his daughter.
Wilkerson told ABC7, “He was still a little weak because he had a treatment that day. He cleared his voice and said, ‘This is my baby girl, she’s driving me back home from treatment I had chemo.’”
Instantly, Trooper Jared Doty had a change of heart.
Read More
Related Posts: -
For What Are You Living?
Death brings an end to our lives. Generations come and go. History books are updated. Our trophies end up in the trash. Our diplomas turn to dust. Our publications go out of print. We must not live for things that have no eternal value. Instead, we must put God at the center of our story, and live for Him, “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21).
If someone observed your life for a week, for what would they conclude you are living? Would they observe that you oppress others for power? Would they witness you being envious, foolish, a workaholic, or greedy? Would they say you pursue rugged individualism, or isolate yourself to gain power, position or prestige? The Preacher of Ecclesiastes observes these things in the people around him, and brings them to our attention in order to reveal for what we should be living (Ecc. 4:1-16).
When the Preacher saw “the tears of the oppressed” with “no one to comfort them” he concluded that it would be better for them to be dead than alive, and even better to have never been born (Ecc. 4:1-3). In a broken world oppression is a sad but true reality for many people. But the Lord sees the affliction of His people, hears their cry, and knows their sufferings. He demonstrated this when He delivered the oppressed Israelites out of the land of Egypt (Ex. 3:7-10). But He most fully demonstrated this when He sent His Son into the world “to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18). Ironically, our liberty came at the cost of His oppression. But it was through the cross that God “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them” (Col. 2:15). Thankfully, there is coming a day when oppression will be no more. In the new Jerusalem, “God himself will be with [His people] as their God” and “will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev. 21:3-4). In the meantime, we live in the midst of a fallen world where we will witness oppression. Therefore, the church needs to do everything she can to comfort and help the victims in the name of Jesus Christ.
If power drives the oppressor, then envy drives the workaholic (Ecc. 4:4). But gaining in toil and skill motivated by envy of one’s neighbor gets one nowhere in the end. “Bitter jealousy and selfish ambition” is “earthly, unspiritual, demonic” and leads to “disorder and every vile practice” (Jas. 3:14-16).
Read More
Related Posts: -
There Are Arrogant Arguers among Us
I had posted a terrific meme about prayer on the social media. Who could get upset about that? Indeed, never in a million years would I have imagined that anyone could possibly take offence at it or want to pick a fight over it. Yet sure enough, that is just what happened.
Some folks just love to argue. It happens all the time, and it can result in a lot of bad outcomes. Yet sadly there are also people who claim to be Christians who are in this camp – they can be so very carnal and fleshly. We all have had to deal with them, and it is so grievous to see it happening.
For example, you can be sharing wonderful and powerful biblical truths and one of these folks will come along all bent out of shape, completely missing out on what the Spirit of God is seeking to achieve. One especially finds this on the social media.
One major form this carnality takes is that of bickering, arguing and quarrelling over biblical and theological matters. Some folks just seem to thrive on picking fights and starting arguments. Never mind all the biblical warnings against this, such as 1 Timothy 6:4.
There Paul says that we must avoid those who have “an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension…” Such folks need to be reminded “not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers” (2 Timothy 2:14).
And again: “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful” (2 Timothy 2:23-24). Yet some believers seem to absolutely love to argue.
Just hours after I posted an article yesterday titled “You Might Not Be a Christian If…” I got someone on the social media saying something so silly and unedifying and so carnal that I could easily have added it to my article as another indication of where a person is at spiritually. I could have said this: ‘You might not be a Christian if want to start a war over a basic biblical truth.’
Another way of putting it would be this: ‘You might not be a Christian if while all others are spiritually blessed and encouraged, but you are not.’ Or this: ‘You might not be a Christian if you want to pick a theological fight over something that every other Christian is being fully blessed by.’
I have written on these sorts of things before, calling it an example of ‘leaning on the arm of flesh.’ Let’s say you are at church and a powerful and anointed sermon is being preached. Everyone there is being blessed and encouraged and spiritually ministered to. But one guy is sitting there all grumpy and ornery, missing out on what God is seeking to do and say.
He would rather find fault with something than let God’s Spirit speak to him and convict him. In that situation he is simply living in the flesh. He is being carnal, and not spiritual. At that point he is so far from where God wants him to be. Sadly I encounter folks like this far too often.
Read More
Related Posts:
