Identity Crisis

 

As I gasped at an online article (that I subsequently verified as true); I wondered what would happen if I showed up at the doctors and told him that I now identified as a cat…would he offer me a saucer of milk ? Probably not, but if someone (even a child) declares that they ‘feel’ like they are another gender than their actual one, despite the physical evidence to the contrary, the doctor may proceed with hormone therapies or surgery to mutilate them and they can transition to another gender.

Well I suppose there are few surprises left in the madness of our age; a one minute read of a newspaper reveals the brokenness of humanity as it spirals down ever further into confusion and depravity.

One would however expect better from within the Church, and the Catholic schools entrusted with the formation of the hearts of the next generation of Catholics. The article I just read was about a transgender ‘man’ (a woman who has undergone a transition to become a ‘man’) who is a teacher of religion at a Catholic school in England… supposedly ‘bridging the gap between LGBT community and religion’. A little further study revealed that the Bishop of the same diocese is officiating at LGBT Masses.

Casualties of gender ideology and the LGBT agenda are stacking up, ruining people’s lives; they need help and only God can fix this. He equipped the church to deal with any such attack on the dignity of the human person. He gave His church the power of His word to call to repentance, His gifts of counsel and Healing to restore their minds and hearts and the gift of Exorcism for those under the worst kind of demonic oppression to set the captives free. How He longs to set them free and heal them and welcome them home; without compromise, fully restored. He makes no treaties with the enemy of their souls who seeks only to pervert and destroy them.

Ambiguity is Satan’s foot in the door and there is already plenty of it without importing it into the classrooms or church; we do a great disservice to those who are confused about gender when you sign a peace treaty with the author of confusion.

‘Taken leave of their senses’

The greatest gift of God is surely His mercy. I love the stories of salvation we read in the Gospels which illustrate the process or journey from misery to joy, from the depths of depravity to a clean slate, from betrayal to loyalty. 

Like with prodigal son where it says ‘when he came to his senses’.. (Luke 15:11-32) barely a word of his well rehearsed confession spoken and he was lifted up again. Or the sinful woman who “stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears”. Not a word spoken at all, just an abundance of tears. (Luke 7:38). St Peter followed suit when Christ looked at him as the cock crew and ‘he went out and began to weep bitterly’ (Luke 22:62) And this is the formulae, sorrow for sins, tears of repentance which welcome forgiveness and a new (changed) life. 

It works. I believe each person has this opportunity to grasp that moment of grace, initiated as it is by the Lord Himself. Often, as in the biblical examples it is preceded by sin, self destruction and hitting the bottom. There are many tear- stained prison cell floors; cries in the shooting galleries of drug users and everywhere else where there is pain, suffering and bondage. And beautiful life-giving conversions take place. 

Alas there is a movement within society and even within the churches which seeks to do the exact opposite- a counterfeit kingdom you might say, where ‘having taken leave of their senses entirely’; they would like to avail of or offer a generic, easy and cheap alternative. Redemption without sorrow for sin, without tears, without repentance and worst of all without change. They demand acceptance, inclusion, and perhaps have an eye on domination, without a change of heart. 

Civil laws can change, like enabling divorce and the simultaneous decriminalisation of abortion and homosexual acts for example (in 1967) but the response of the church cannot follow suit. And yet in America a group of gay and lesbian ministers, Methodists and Episcopalians, ‘blessed’ an abortion clinic. Both churches have or are debating blessing same-sex unions as well in their churches and it seems likely that the truth will be the first casualty (Romans 1 26:27) Even in our church there is ‘sympathy’, perhaps brought about by guilt at being harsh in the past. 

  

Surely we must not sell anybody short on these or any other important topic, people deserve nothing less than the truth and should be offered nothing less than the full saving grace and transforming power of salvation through repentance; no one can give anyone permission to sin.