Body and Culture 2

Intro

—>Shark Tank, the lying mirror

>The thing about a lie, it paints a picture of reality that is fundamentally untrue.

and nearly always leave destruction in its path

A dark reality

Street sign

9 yr. old Jacob Lemay

41% of transgender people will attempt suicide

Review:

What were some of the main things we talked about that were essential ideas from ?

What were some of the things we saw that our culture believes about our relationship with our bodies?

What did we see our culture believes about truth?

Lies Our Culture Believes

1. No Design in Nature

What do we see in Genesis chapters 1-3?

a) God created the world

b) He created it in moral perfection in absolute keeping with his design

c) The ill-effects of the fall are the result of human rebellion against God’s design, not a flaw in the design or absence of a design.

The destruction of the “ought” principle in the “death of God.”

“The two main elements of [Darwin’s] theory—random variations and natural selection—were both proposed expressly to eliminate plan or purpose. As historian Jacques Barzun notes, “This denial of purpose is Darwin’s distinctive contention.” -Nancy Pearcey

“The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference. As that unhappy poet A.E. Housman put it:“For Nature, heartless, witless Nature Will neither know nor care.” DNA neither knows nor cares. DNA just is. And we dance to its music.” ~Richard Dawkins,

no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference. As that unhappy poet A.E. Housman put it:“For Nature, heartless, witless Nature Will neither know nor care.” DNA neither knows nor cares. DNA just is. And we dance to its music.” ~Richard Dawkins,

poet A.E. Housman put it:“For Nature, heartless, witless Nature Will neither know nor care.” DNA neither knows nor cares. DNA just is. And we dance to its music.” ~Richard Dawkins,

“For Nature, heartless, witless Nature Will neither know nor care.” DNA neither knows nor cares. DNA just is. And we dance to its music.” ~Richard Dawkins,

Will neither know nor care.” DNA neither knows nor cares. DNA just is. And we dance to its music.” ~Richard Dawkins,

DNA neither knows nor cares. DNA just is. And we dance to its music.” ~Richard Dawkins,

~Richard Dawkins,

Where do we draw the line, and by what right?

Why shouldn’t someone who identifies as disabled be allowed to make that happen?

Why shouldn’t someone who identifies as a reptile be allowed to do that?

2. All Truth is Relative

Modernism, Postmodernism, Post-truth

“A modernist view of nature leads inevitably to a postmodern view of morality.” -Nancy Pearcey

Coherence vs. Correspondence theory of truth

But what does Scripture say?

Romans 1:18–32 NKJV

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Romans 1:18-

>We must lovingly and faithfully drive people to the truth of God!

3. My Person Is Distinct from my Body

Popular reemergence of gnostic dualism

Consider a transgender person—born a male, with every genetic/biological marker of the male sex down to the cellular level—yet this individual believes themselves to be a female trapped in a man’s body.

This person has embraced dualism—that they posses an inner person whose identity is being held captive by their material body, and this conflict can only be addressed by bringing the outer shell into subjection to the inner person.

This is highlighted by Jessica Savano, who is a male-to-female transsexual, who endeavored to raise funds on kickstarter for a documentary titled “I Am Not My Body.” In the promotional Savano stated “I know I’m not my body. I’m a spiritual being.”

Gender therefore becomes an identity formed in the mind, not the body—SEE THE GENDER UNICORN

As Christians, we must reject this worldview and present a wholistic view of the human person

Psalm 63:1 NKJV

O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.

Psalm 44:25 NKJV

For our soul is bowed down to the dust; Our body clings to the ground.

Psalm 32:3 NKJV

When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long.

Ps

Proverbs 4:21–22 NKJV

Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.

Ps. 323

—> Observe the inconsistencies of the secular gender worldview:

Anchors authentic gender identity in gender stereotypes despite its own argument that gender is an artificial construct.

Affirms that the true self is fundamentally distinct from the material body, yet requires an alteration of the physical body to bring personal wholeness.

Preaches acceptance but demands self-loathing.

“On the one hand, [transgender activists] claim that the real self is something other than the physical body, in a new form of Gnostic dualism, yet at the same time they embrace a materialist philosophy in which only the material world exists. They say that gender is purely a social construct, while asserting that a person can be “trapped” in the wrong body.” -Ryan Anderson

4. Gender is Mutable & Gender Fluidity is Desirable

This is not only biological nonsense, but completely unlivable

5. Gender Fluidity is Desirable

You are male or female down to the cellular level

Hormonally, psychologically, reproductively, you are rooted to an unchangeable gender.

This is by the intimate plan and design of God

Psalm 139:13–14 NKJV

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.

> If gender is fluid...

>you can now be fined in New York for not referring to someones preferred gender pronouns, in California health care workers could face jail time for failing to refer to patients by preferred pronouns…fluidity makes these demands impossible

>bathroom policies become completely unenforceable

5. That Gender Theory is Not Destructive

“This is a real outcome of transition. I’m a real live 22 year old woman with a scarred chest and a broken voice and a 5 o’clock shadow because I couldn’t face the idea of growing up a woman. That’s my reality.” -Carie Stella, one of a growing number of formerly transgender who are detransitioning.

. That Gender Theory is Not Destructive

It pits social theory against natural theory

There is no basis in evolutionary thinking that allows for genderless distinctions that is not ultimately a mutation

It pits the person against their personhood

Instead of recognizing the human as an embodied person in a unified whole, gender theory locks the inner person and the outer person in a mortal struggle neither can truly win.

It steals the future of children

We treat 6 year old children as “gender experts” despite overwhelming statistical evidence that they will outgrow their dysphoria. Instead we ruin their lives by cramming them into a political and highly secularized agenda.

“Parents are told that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones may be the only way to prevent their children from committing suicide. Never mind that the best studies of gender dysphoria (studies that even transgender activists cite) show that between 80 and 95 percent of children who express a discordant gender identity will come to identify with their bodily sex if natural development is allowed to proceed.” -Ryan Anderson

>In fact, studies show that those who “successfully transition” face suicide rates 19x greater than the general population.

—>Jacob Lemay, born Mia, now 9, but transitioned at 5 years old!

It leaves the person in shambles

It is violence against the very design of God and is the self-destruction of the human person.

“This is a real outcome of transition. I’m a real live 22 year old woman with a scarred chest and a broken voice and a 5 o’clock shadow because I couldn’t face the idea of growing up a woman. That’s my reality.” -Carie Stella, one of a growing number of formerly transgender who are detransitioning.

6. That there is hope and healing apart from the gospel of Jesus Christ!!!