We don’t necessarily wrestle with a battle over our gender, but we have internal wrestles with our sin and with living in a world that often feels like a mismatch to who we are. Christians understand the struggle with our bodies being at war with our minds (Romans 7:22-23). While the Scripture offers a different solution than the transgender movement, we recognize that dysphoria is real. All of us have not felt right. In fact, we came to Jesus because we knew we were not right. So, what is God’s view of gender dysphoria? As Christians we should approach this conversation with great kindness and compassion. Gender dysphoria and the transgender movement surface questions about origin and happiness. How did we get these bodies and how can we be happy?
About Origin
The Scripture teaches that God created each person in His Image, male and female (Genesis 1:26-27). God did not set His Image on the birds, the animals, the sunset, the ocean, or the forest—He set it on people. There is a distinction between men and women in the first chapter in the Bible, and this distinction is not one we gave ourselves or created ourselves. It is a distinction God gave. There is not biochemical evidence or a hormonal cause in the body for one being transgender, so transgender advocates argue that gender is independent of the body.
In her insightful book, Love Thy Body, Nancy Pearcy shows how the world’s view of personhood divides the body from the person. In the transgender movement, feelings of gender are divided from objective, physical sex. Yet, the Scripture’s view of personhood is a high view of the body, with body and soul gloriously connected. We are created in His Image, our bodies are gifts from God, the bodies of believers are temples of the Spirit, and one day every believer will be with Jesus in a renewed and glorified body. What is God’s view of gender dysphoria? The Christian faith has such a high view of the body because Jesus, God the Son, entered our world in a human body and right now He is in a glorified body.
About Happiness
God is the Designer who has authority. Happiness comes when we follow Him and His design—not when we rebel against Him. Lia Thomas made headlines for competing first as a male on the Penn State swimming team and then as a female. Lia is a transgender woman and was nominated by Penn State as the 2022 Woman of the Year. When asked about transitioning, Lia said “I just want to be happy.” God wants Lia Thomas to be happy too, but we are dealing with two views of happiness.
The world is saying “if you face gender dysphoria, then listen to your mind and change your body.” The Scripture says, “offer your body to God and allow Him to transform your mind.” (Romans 12:1-2). The transgender movement says to resolve the tension by changing your body. The Scripture presents God’s view of gender dysphoria by saying you may live with tension while allowing God to transform your mind.
I have had helpful conversations with a pediatrician and therapists in our church about the adolescent mind and body. If a teenage girl who is struggling with anorexia believes she is overweight, a loving response is not “well if that is what your mind is telling you, then let’s schedule surgery for you.” The loving approach is to work on the mind to match the body—not to change the body to try and match a changing mind. Our minds are constantly changing, especially when we are teenagers. In fact, the research says that gender dysphoria typically resolves itself. According to Abigail Shirer’s research, 70% of adolescents who are not affirmed in their desire to transition outgrow gender dysphoria.
