A Better Transition

The first time I heard of someone having a sex change was while listening to “American Top 40” in 1979. Casey Kasem talked about a musician named Walter Carlos who was a pioneer in electronic music (his 1968 album “Switched-On Bach” was one of the first successful recordings to feature a synthesizer). Walter dropped out of the public eye for a number of years and had gender reassignment surgery before emerging as “Wendy Carlos.” I was shocked when Casey wished “her” luck and looked forward to “her” upcoming work. At 15 years old, I couldn’t believe someone changing their sex was something to be taken seriously. 

Fast forward forty years later. We now live in a society of gender fluidity. Individuals of all ages can suddenly change their sexual identity at the drop of a hat. Facebook now offers users 58 different ways to identify their gender. The proofreading app Grammarly recently published a blog article about “how to use gender pronouns respectfully” because “it’s Pride Month.” 

People who won’t address transitioning individuals by their preferred gender can find themselves in trouble. One Virginia high school teacher lost his job for refusing to call a female student by male pronouns. Peter Vlaming (who is a Christian) offered to use the student’s new name and avoid feminine pronouns, but the school wouldn’t accept his compromise. Other God-fearing people have been harassed, threatened, and censored for not calling transgender people their preferred pronouns.

I refuse to conform to this lunacy. The Bible makes it clear God created man male and female…period! There are no alternative genders. Nor does Scripture accommodate individuals wanting to change their sex. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Sadly, some parents have encouraged their children to become transgender. As Charisma columnist J. Lee Grady stated, “This is not just an attack on family values; it’s an attack on basic intelligence.”

If you happen to be someone struggling with gender identity, please don’t interpret this article as hateful. I’m speaking the truth in love plus using common sense. To identify a biological male with a feminine pronoun (or vice versa) is like calling a dog a cat. It doesn’t change who they really are. A few years ago I did street ministry with a man who admitted he used to wear women’s clothes until he was set free from gender confusion. As 1 Corinthians 14:33 points out, “God is not the author of confusion but of peace…”

Are you seeking to change your identity? A better transition is to become a new creature in Jesus Christ. 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” - 2 Corinthians 5:17

An Open Letter to Barack Obama

Dear Mr. President,

I’m a Christian missionary who has previously lived and worked in Washington, DC. I write this letter out of concern for the great nation that you currently lead.

Yesterday you held a “Gay Pride” reception at the White House. I first found out about this after discovering a lesbian teenager was invited to attend. Constance McMillen, a Mississippi high school student, had her senior prom canceled because she couldn’t take her “girlfriend” to the prom.

In an interview two years ago at Saddleback Church in California, Pastor Rick Warren asked you to define marriage. You replied, “I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Now, for me as a Christian...it’s also a sacred union. You know, God’s in the mix.”

As a Christian, Mr. President, why are you publicly endorsing lifestyles that clearly go against God’s word? As a brother in Christ, I strongly advise you to read Romans 1:18-32 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. By encouraging people to live immoral lifestyles, you are leading them on the path of eternal separation from God.

Mr. President, what would happen if Malia or
 Sasha decided to become a lesbian at a young age? What if one of your daughters wanted to bring a “girlfriend” to her prom? Gay activists would tell you that you should be supportive if you really love your daughter. But Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Jesus also gave a severe warning in Mark 9:42 to those who cause a child who believes in Him to sin.

Mr. President, the Bible defines all sexual activity outside of marriage as a sin. By encouraging teenage homosexuals, you are not only enticing them to violate God’s word but also to break the law regarding sexual activity with minors. I recognize that being the President of the United States is a difficult job for you cannot please all the people all the time. But ultimately, you will have to answer to God for decisions that affect the lives of millions.

Contrary to what you said last year in Turkey, the United States of America was founded upon the Judeo-Christian ethic. Continued disregard of these moral values has resulted in broken families and a misled generation of young people with no solid foundation of what’s right and wrong. In a few years, we might see individuals protesting for the right to marry their relatives, pets, or plants!

Even the Father of Our Country opposed homosexuality. On March 14, 1778, at Valley Forge, George Washington ordered a practicing homosexual within his ranks to be "drummed out of the military." I can't imagine what Washington would think of what's happening now in the city named after him that recently legalized same-sex marriages.

Let me clarify that I am not a homophobe and will minister God's love to homosexuals I encounter while doing street ministry. 2 Peter 3:9 says that God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. I personally know former homosexuals who overcame same-sex attraction with God’s help.

In closing Mr. President, I will continue to pray for the well-being of you and your family. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 commands us to pray “…for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life.” But I’m also praying that you repent of making ungodly decisions.

May God have mercy upon America and her leaders.

In Christ,

Todd R. Post