2017: The Year Baptists Went Transgender

You know things are getting completely out of control in our world when there are transgender pastors in Baptist churches. Daniel Robinson, who now goes by the name Allyson Robinson, is our nation’s first transgender Baptist preacher. A recent article revealed that during a Baptist gathering in April, Robinson detailed how a supposed angel of the Lord named “Reason” convinced him to pursue being a transgender minister of the gospel.

He said that one day in his early seminary days he contemplated suicide, but an “angel of the Lord” that he called “reason” stopped him. “What if God hasn’t fixed you because you’re not broken?” Robinson said he heard inside of himself. “That can’t be true,” he thought. “The Bible says I’m broken.” “WHAT IF THE BIBLE IS WRONG?” THE VOICE SAID. “WHAT IF YOU’VE BEEN READING IT WRONG?” Robinson told those gathered that in that moment he “sacrificed his certainty” and hoped that God would count it as “righteousness.”

There is so much to break down, but let’s begin with this word righteous. Something that has been declared righteous has been approved by God. Conversely, something that has been declared unrighteous has been divinely disapproved. Paul gives a list of several of these unrighteous actions in his first letter to the Corinthians.  

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

Perhaps you read that list and thought, “Wait, Paul didn’t say anything about transgender people!” Well, this is one of the many cases when the early Christians provide a tremendous amount of historical clarity to the modern reader.

The word effeminate is seldom used in our society, but the early Christians wrote a decent amount about those who could be described by that adjective. Here’s an example:

Men play the part of women, and women that of men, contrary to nature; … no passage is closed against libidinousness; and their promiscuous lechery is a public institution. … Such was predicted of old, and the result is notorious: the whole earth has now become full of fornication and wickedness. I admire the ancient legislators of the Romans: these detested effeminacy of conduct; and the giving of the body to feminine purposes, contrary to the law of nature. … What reason is there in the law’s prohibiting a man from “wearing woman’s clothing“? Is it not that it would have us to be manly, and not to be effeminate neither in person and actions, nor in thought and word? … The apostle very firmly assails them. “Be not deceived; neither adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers,” and whatever else he adds to these, “shall inherit the kingdom of God.” – Clement of Alexandria 195CE, ANF Vol. 2, p. 444, 469, 600 [CD-ROM]

Clement of Alexandria could have used several modern terms to describe the unrighteous behaviors he witnessed. Transgender, transvestite, gay, bi-sexual and several other descriptors could apply. However, to Clement, they all could fall under the word effeminate, which leads to the next point.

Notice that this “angel of reason” encouraged Robinson to indulge his effeminate urges. One could use the post-modern rationale that God made me this way, and it feels good, so it must be good and true for me.

But when dealing with these vital issues of morality, we shouldn’t disrespect ourselves and others by wallowing in the mire of post-modern subjective relativism. We need concrete, objective truth that remains unaffected by time and culture. We need the Scriptures.

We already witnessed God declare effeminacy unrighteous, but just incase there was any question about the reasoning used by Robinson’s “angel”, Paul made this inspired prophecy in his second letter to Timothy:

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

Lovers of self. Arrogant. Unholy. Without self-control. Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Holding to a form of godliness, but denying God’s power.

Consider all of those descriptors, and think about what this “angel of reason” encouraged Robinson to do. The “angel” encouraged Robinson to indulge the fleshly, sinful desires with the attitude that God can’t change people to be in line with the Scriptures. That spiritual being convinced Robinson to deny the regenerative power of the gospel, which is a truth we all need to believe with all our hearts and minds.

Finally, when looking at Robinson’s story, I was reminded of Paul’s warning to Christians in Galatians 1:8, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!”    

According to Muslims, an angel named Gabriel strangled Muhammad during his sleep, and then commanded him to recite the words of scripture given to him from Allah.

Joseph Smith has convinced countless Mormons that in 1820 he was visited by God the Father and Jesus who informed him that all churches were deceived.  He then claimed that in 1823 he received a visit from an angel named Moroni, and was told about golden plates which were supposedly written in Reformed Egyptian. Smith boasted to have been blessed with the supernatural ability to translate the plates, and eventually produced the Book of Mormon.

Look, let’s not make the same mistake America’s rationalistic forefathers did in downplaying or outright dismissing the supernatural. There are lying spirits that are actively seeking to convince Christians to apostatize. They are seeking to ravage the Church.

As Paul and Tertullian advise us, may we take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ. May we love Him far, far more than ourselves and demonstrate that love by crucifying our fleshly lusts and following after Him.

Who are the ravening wolves but those deceitful senses and spirits which are lurking within to waste the flock of Christ? … Who are the false apostles but the preachers of a spurious gospel? Who also are the Antichrists, both now and evermore, but the men who rebel against Christ? … We, however, are not permitted to cherish any object after our own will, nor to make choice of that which another has introduced of his private fancy. In the Lord’s apostles we possess our authority; for they did not choose to introduce anything themselves, but faithfully delivered to the nations (of mankind) the doctrine which they had received from Christ. If, therefore, even “an angel from heaven should preach any other gospel” (than theirs), he would be called accursed by us. – Tertullian 198CE, ANF Volume 3, p. 387, 389 [CD-ROM]

An American Boogeyman

When the first plane collided into the World Trade Center, I was at my parents’ house getting ready to leave for my Koine Greek class at Houston Baptist University. I couldn’t believe what was happening, and rage began to flood my heart. The anger only intensified when I learned my professor hadn’t cancelled class.

We were soon told that Islamic terrorists were to blame and I can remember telling my dad, “We need to blow those Middle Eastern folks off the face of the earth.” That’s not the kind of talk that should come out of a Christianity major’s mouth, but in that moment, I wasn’t thinking like a Christian. I was thinking like an American. 

America loves war. It’s been documented that as long as the USA has existed, there have only been a total of 21 years when we haven’t been fighting with someone somewhere.

Because America loves war, America needs a boogeyman. A boogeyman is anything or anyone we are told is a threat to our God-given right to experiencing the American dream. America not only needs boogeymen, but loves them because they give us a reason to actualize the violence we fantasize about. They give us a reason to come together. Boogeymen give us a reason to believe in the cause of America again and make sacrifices for the State, whom we view as our practical provider and protector.

Various boogeymen throughout America’s history have included the Native Americans, the British, African Americans, Fascists, Communists, drug dealers, Democrats and Republicans. Over the last decade-and-a-half, the main boogeyman that has supposedly been threatening the freedoms of America has been radical Islam.

Newly elected President Donald Trump reignited Americans’ fear and hatred of radical Muslims in his inaugural address. 

"We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world -- but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first. We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to follow. We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones -- and unite the civilized world against Radical Islamic Terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth."

President Trump is clearly seeking to annihilate the people who believe in radical Islam. When you try to destroy an ideology by destroying the people who adhere to that ideology, history proves that these endeavors generally fail. Attempting to destroy a philosophy or an ideal through violence releases the seeds of martyrdom, which only causes that movement to spread.

Don’t get me wrong, though. Like all belief systems that set themselves up against the gospel of the kingdom of God, I do not think that Islam is a good or even neutral thing. It needs to be confronted. However, according to the Scriptures, the way Christians fight against evil is diametrically opposed to the methods of worldly warfare. It is also exceedingly more effective.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. – 2 Corinthians 10:3-4

Before you neuter these divinely inspired words or think Paul to be naïve, take a moment to read this account of the way Christians powerfully fought against terrorism in the third century.

The adversary had leapt forth to disturb the camp of Christ with violent terror; but, with the same impetuosity with which he had come, he was beaten back and conquered. … But when beaten back … he perceived that the soldiers of Christ are now watching, and stand sober and armed for the battle; that they cannot be conquered, but that they can die; and that by this very fact they are invincible, that they do not fear death; that they do not in turn assail their assailants, since it is not lawful for the innocent even to kill the guilty; but that they readily deliver up both their lives and their blood. … Let us be urgent, with constant groanings and frequent prayers. For these are our heavenly arms, which make us to stand fast and bravely to persevere. These are the spiritual defenses and divine weapons which defend us. – Cyprian 250CE, Volume 5, p. 622-623 [CD-ROM]

I don’t think it’s fair to call the Christians of the first three centuries pacifists. They were fearless and passionate warriors. However, because they belonged to a kingdom that is not of this world, the method of their warfare was otherworldly. Instead of firing arrows at their assailants, they called upon the name of the Lord. Instead of attacking and killing their enemies, they blessed and loved them into friends. Instead of mirroring evil with evil, they overcame evil with good and destroyed the works of the devil.

The early Christians were not naïve. They knew exactly what they were doing. And by the end of the third century, despite Christianity being an illegal religion, 1/10^th of the people in the Roman Empire followed the kingdom way of Jesus Christ. They radically changed the religious landscape of the world by loving their enemies without any qualifications, just like their Lord did on the cross.

So please, fellow Christian, do not be deceived. Radical Islam is not the boogeyman. President Trump is not the boogeyman. Neither Democrats nor Republicans are the boogeyman.

When we pause to think like Christians, we remember that Satan is the real boogeyman; he is our adversary. Satan is the ruler of all the kingdoms of this world, the father of lies who deceives the whole world, and he delights in the destruction of the image of God. But those who follow Jesus will overcome him by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony, for they will not love their lives even when faced with death.