A Christian's Guide through the Gender Revolution

To dive into the difficult discussion on gender today is often to be overwhelmed with terms: genderqueer, heteronormative, cisgender, polygender, pangender, etc., etc. And so, Vincent Gil asks at the beginning of his book, A Christian’s Guide through the Gender Revolution: Gender, Cisgender, Transgender, and Intersex: “How, then, should the Christian church, and individual families within it, understand this novel landscape of gender?” (3). To address this, he has written a rare, interdisciplinary book, one that is just as much at home in theology as it is in clinical psychology. “I didn’t write this book to reiterate positions you may have heard before about gender,” Gil writes. “I also didn’t write this book to challenge biblical doctrine on the subject, but rather, to understand better our theology of being” (3). The book is part medical guide to sex development, part theological treatise on how gender and the image of God come together, part parental guide for those who may have transgender or intersex children, part pastor’s guide to ministering to individuals, and part manifesto on cultural engagement for the church. That is all to say, Gil’s book offers a multifaceted treatment that addresses a range of questions, from the technical questions of theologians to the practical questions of parents.

Gil’s book moves between two extremes, and this is one of its key features. On the one side is a version of conservative Christianity that has refused to engage in the science of gender and sexuality, often reading the Bible with a problematic literalism, demonizing transgender and intersex individuals rather than coming alongside their difficult journeys, listening to them and their needs. On the other side, the author is wary of the “social movement of self-representation—a now rather institutionalized rebellion against binary and sometimes all gender” (7). In other words, he wants Christians to understand the complexities of gender—how it is a spectrum; how gender identity is not the same thing as physical/bodily sex; how, for instance, being male in physical sex is different than the cultural traits of being masculine; etc.—and he also cautions that the extremes on the other side are not helpful.

In charting a middle path, Gil’s proposal is tension-filled. For instance, he wants to remain faithful to his commitment to biblical authority, even biblical inerrancy (163), while embracing modern medical findings about gender. Interestingly, he points out that there are rabbinical writings that reflect on people who are intersex, treating them with high levels of dignity (78). Meanwhile, he insists that the story of Adam and Eve is not a story instituting a gender binary. He looks to one rabbinical tradition that insists that the first human was created “male and female,” an “undifferentiated, perhaps ungendered being” (68). However, he admits the conjectural nature of this interpretation: “Whether this interpretation is what the author has in mind or not, we’ll have to wait to ask God in person ‘on that day’” (69). In another place, he argues that while Jesus was male, he acted in androgynous ways (170). One wonders why Gil’s interpretations ought to be preferred over those who disagree with him, who cite biblical authority to legitimate their position as well. Deeper questions about biblical hermeneutics and theological methods are only addressed in passing.

Second, Gil wants to step in between “‘biology as destiny’ and ‘identity as choice’” (79). In doing so, he seems to draw a distinction between those who are influenced by ideology and those with gender dysphoria, who he thinks face something distinctly clinical. Yet, he is keen to argue that no definitive biological determinants have so far been identified for gender dysphoria, and he even goes so far as to suggest there are no biological determinants for sexual orientation either (75). Some would probably challenge him on this, although an assumption of a more complex biopsychosocial interplay is the default. However, if that is the case, what is authentic and what is ideological for Gil? While there certainly are extremes in this conversation, the lines he draws should perhaps be done with “pencil rather than pen,” especially given how much uncertainty Gil believes exists in the medical discourse.

Third, Gil walks a line between permitting different gender identities but still continuing to uphold the Bible’s prohibitions on homosexuality (153-154). While he is correct not to conflate transgender and intersexuality with homosexuality, Gil seems to work with a separation between identity and action just as much as gender and sex—one that reads Pauline texts in anachronistic ways (a tension already noted). What does this mean for transgender individuals and who they choose to relate to romantically? Early in the book, Gil gives the example of David/Michelle, a person with gender dysphoria who transitions to a woman. Michelle and her wife divorce amicably, as Gil states in this scenario. However, what if they were content not to divorce or if Michelle remarried, whether to a man or a woman? Would one of these possibilities be considered sinful for Gil? It is unclear from this book how Gil would respond to this.

Tensions aside, Gil’s book is a commendable effort from a the conservative Christian perspective to uphold biblical authority while advocating for deeper compassion and care for individuals outside the gender binary. It stands out for being unfashionably irenic and honest on a subject often marred with politics and polemics. The more one studies sexuality and gender, the more one realizes how complex and even messy the human condition is. Such facts should inspire an attitude of humility, kindness, and gentleness in those who think and act differently. In this regard, Gil’s work should be welcomed in the conversation as all sides involved commit to further listening.

Spencer Miles Boersma is associate professor of theology at Acadia Divinity College in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Spencer Boersma

Date Of Review:

August 23, 2024