The Hensel Twins
Anatomy books and medical journals vividly display the mind-boggling examples of genetic “abnormalities.” [1] From mental faculties to every single part of the human body, it is undeniable that sometimes, things don’t come out perfect. Every one of us has either seen or experienced some manifestation of this fact of life.
In High School, I played football with a guy who had split hands and feet malformation (SHFM), also called “Lobster Hands” and feet. It seems unbelievable, but I lined up with him many a time. He still stands out as the most remarkable inspiration of courage I have ever experienced in my life. He fully accepted and adapted to the fact that he was just born that way. The entire school supported him and no one ever made fun of him.
Profound Delusion
It’s absurd to imply that since The Fall of Man until now, the one and only aspect of this world that has remained unaffected and is always perfect, is gender. This defies reality that the entire world can clearly see. As believers, we’re supposed to be reaching that world. But implying that there is no such thing as gender confusion, appears revoltingly ignorant and delusional.
Worse, such ignorance transforms natural compassion into cold-heartedness, cutting off our fellow human beings from the kindness and acceptance that everybody needs. Rejecting the homosexual can be as inhumane as despising the mentally and physically challenged.
This implication is also completely contrary to biblical insight. Just read beyond the second chapter.
The Original Has Been Altered
Beginning with the fall, in Genesis chapter 3, there have been major catastrophic events that have resulted in changes to the world God originally designed. Among these events are The Fall, The Curse, The Flood, Babel, and many others
Among the changes are; death, [6] shortened life spans, [7] a different atmosphere, [8] extreme weather, rain, rainbows, [9] extreme seasons, changes to the animal kingdom like predation, fangs, carnivorous diet [10] and the fear of man,[11] changes to the plant kingdom, such as weeds, [12] and a cursed earth, and other changes like diverse languages, [13] pain in childbirth, [14] sweat in labor, [15] and the entrance of sin.
Everything has changed. We have never seen a sunset or a flower as God originally made them. [16]
Genes Are No Exception
Clearly, genetics changed too. Goliath.
The original genetic purity was so far superior to that of today, that the propagation of the entire human race grew from just one family. Even after “the fall,” when death had entered the creation, lifespans were up to a thousand years.
The robustness of our initial stock has since rapidly and severely declined. Presently, no amount of exercise, nutrition, hormones, steroids, clean living, scientific manipulation, surgery or medical management can even come close to achieving the perfections of the original seed.
Gender is not an exception to this corruption. Although X and Y chromosomes determine male or female, there are imperfections at that level as well and some are born with genital and/or hormonal confusion.
What Are We Talking About
Here is one example. At age 22, Sarah Gronert was the international focus of outrage and controversy in women’s tennis. Born with both male and female genitalia, opponents claimed she had an unfair advantage in strength that was overpowering her competition on the court.
Gronert underwent surgery to remove all male characteristics and is now legally classified as a woman. The WTA, (Women’s Tennis Association) lets her compete as a female.
http://www.zimbio.com/The+Searched/articles/309/Sarah+Gronert+Hermaphrodite+tennis+player
But Gronert nearly quit the sport at age 19 because of the intense ridicule of her condition by others. Instead, she courageously persevered and underwent the surgery. [2]
Face It
No matter how deeply it may disturb and contradict the common Christian view of the homosexual, the truth is, some people are just born that way.
The Conundrum Of The Simple
This reality presents a problem for simplistic theology because there is a Bible verse, in Genesis Chapter One, that says, God made them male and female?” [5]
Cherry picking passages from the Bible always results in sour contradictions. The complete overview of the scriptures details the fallen world with a fallen human condition that accounts for the puzzling things we see around us today. Simply put, what we are today, is not how God originally made us. To make it even simpler, Genesis 1 ain’t Genesis 3.
Compassion Or Condemnation
We have compassion for conjoined twins because we know they had no choice. But do we show the same kindness toward those born with gender confusion?
Imagine having two genders warring inside you during your formative years. [3] The inner bewilderment alone would be torturous.
Do we empathize with our neighbor’s crisis, or passively-aggressively execute a punitive consequence by withholding encouragement in the name of God.
The struggles of personal identity and “fitting in” socially, are formidable enough for anybody. But they are immeasurably compounded by the additional challenge of gender confusion. This is multiplied further by peer and religious pressures and social prejudices that are murderously cruel. Even parents, if ignorant, can amplify the tensions in the one environment which should be a refuge, the home.
Understandably, the documented suicide rate and drug usage among such cases are extremely high. The pressures are overwhelming.[4] The self-destruction, bitterness and depression are easy to understand.
This should draw out the most aggressive kindnesses of Christ’s Church, but the opposite is true. Instead of leading the way with understanding, misunderstanding tips a hostile sword toward all homosexuals?
A distinction must be made between those that are born that way and those that pursue that way.
The Christian Closet
I worked in the ministry with a wonderful couple for many years. All that time, I was completely unaware that they both had homosexuality in their past personal lives before they came to Jesus. They are a great support to each other and an inspiring example of how God puts two people together for strength.
After a very long and trusting association with them, they finally confided in me and divulged this secret part of their past life. Insights into homosexuality came with their disclosure.
It was greatly enlightening for me to learn that this had been present in them since childhood because I always held that this kind of thing was never a matter of birth. In both their cases it was neither chosen nor pursued. It wasn’t acquired nor desired and caused major unwanted conflict as they were growing up. Neither of them had ever been abused or molested and they both came from relatively stable Christian families. They testify, and counsel, that there are some people who, like them, were just born that way.
It was heartbreaking to sense their anxiety in sharing this part of themselves. They are mostly terrified of the blowback of Christendom to such a revelation. Clearly, they are afraid of being rejected.
Although my co-laborers ministry is extremely fruitful, and they walk in the highest integrity without a hint of weakness, they still observe careful discretion about sharing their testimony.
I felt privileged to have their trust and I committed to stand with them unconditionally. It turns out, that there are many believers, and ministers, that are similarly closeted, and in need of such support.
Reaching The Real World
Current gene pools carry the markers and scars of every mutation, adaptation, and corruption that has ever occurred. When God made them Male and Female, originally, the DNA was perfect. Today, it isn’t. It’s different.
Today’s entire world is different from the original. Reaching that world with the Good News of the Gospel, and God’s unconditional love requires that we acknowledge the sub-ideal condition of things.
God says, “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” [18] His people are certainly destroying others due to lack of this particular knowledge. And to impugn God with, “why did you make it this way?” is a disastrous ignorance. The clear and simple answer is, He didn’t!
We can ignore realities like the Hensel Twins. We can deny the existence of gender confusion. Or we can love like God does and like my High School did for my football teammate. The entire school was blessed for it.
The truth combined with that heart of compassion is a powerful influence. It’s the only one that can effectively carry the Good News to a suffering world. It is, “speaking the truth in love,” Ephesians 4:15.
May our understanding and love, catch up to the current world that God so loves.
Continued in Homosexuality Part 2 The Wrong Question
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WnkBIWGhHA&t=18s
[1] http://www.loa.istc.cnr.it/old/medicine/abnormalities/class3.html [2] http://www.zimbio.com/The+Searched/articles/309/Sarah+Gronert+Hermaphrodite+tennis+player [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_dysphoria [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_among_LGBT_youth [5] Gen.1:27 [6] Rom.5:12 [7] Deut.34:7 [8] Gen.9:13 [9] Gen.2:5 [10] Gen.9:3 [11] Gen.9:2 [12] Gen.3:18 [13] Gen.11:7 [14] Gen.3:16 [15] Gen.3:19 [16] Rom.8:22 [17] Urban Dictionary [18] Hos.4:6