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Cultural perceptions of transgender theory have shifted recently. Evidence continues to mount that cross-sex hormones have generally negative outcomes for minors. Approval of measures to ensure sex segregation in sports has increased. J. K. Rowling, previously maligned due to her call for single-sex locker rooms, has smoked a victory cigar because the United Kingdom’s highest court affirmed a biological definition of sex. Yet for some activists, transgender theory is as certain as the attractional nature of gravity, despite the theory’s roots in recent and highly debatable philosophical reasoning.
What transgender theorists lack in philosophical consistency, they often make up for with belligerence. The vehemence of their assertions about the nature of sex and gender has moved transgender theory from edgy philosophy to a basic cultural assumption preposterously quickly. This cultural transition happened so rapidly and thoroughly that it’s often difficult to understand where these ideas came from. Though we’re seeing a vibe shift, Christians still need to understand transgender theory because it’s unlikely to disappear soon.
In The Body God Gives: A Biblical Response to Transgender Theory, Robert S. Smith offers an in-depth evangelical engagement with transgender theory to help Christians find their footing in a sexually confused culture. Smith—a lecturer in theology, ethics, and music ministry at Sydney Missionary and Bible College—sets out “to evaluate the central ontological claim of transgender theory,” which is that “the sexed body does not determine the gendered self” (3). Working from an orthodox Christian framework, Smith makes a vital contribution to a biblical understanding of this hot-button cultural issue.
Confronting Transgender Theory
Gender studies scholarship is often confusing. Their essays and books are known for excessive jargon and tortured prose. Additionally, many gender theorists write from epistemological foundations that radically diverge from a Christian worldview or common-sense understanding of reality. Engaging the literature of the field can be daunting, yet Smith has done the heavy lifting to understand before critiquing.
As Smith’s analysis unfolds, the internal tensions within the field of gender studies are quickly apparent. For example, some theorists view gender as performative. Others view it as a product of cultural assumptions. And still others follow Michel Foucault’s theory that gender is based on power dynamics enforced through social regulations. The common theme among these perspectives is that “all aspects of humanity, but especially sex and gender . . . do not have meaning in themselves; meaning is supplied by speech” (88). Thus, reality is an ever-changing liquid shaped by humanity.
Critical theorist Judith Butler’s pioneering work in gender theory exemplifies this liquidity. Her views have changed over time as she’s moved from seeing sex as real and gender as culturally performative to a more fluid view that both sex and gender are socially constructed. Butler’s evolution anticipates the waves that continue to toss our society. Smith engages with her work at length, showing how it has shaped our culture.
Yet Butler’s ideas weren’t entirely novel developments. They were the result of a long process influenced by figures such as Freud and the rise of first-wave feminism. The sexual revolution and second-wave feminism further accelerated the movement, pushing for a reimagining of traditional roles and gender binaries. Smith’s recounting of the intellectual history of gender theory is one of the key contributions of The Body God Gives as he pours a foundation for a response.
Evangelical Foundations
Smith is unabashed in his affirmation of the central authority of Scripture, which entails reading with a holistic biblical theology in view. As he sets out to provide what he calls “theo-anthropological and theo-ethical answers” to questions concerning the sexed body and gender, he states his assumptions early that human identity is fundamentally rooted in God’s divine authority and his revelation in Scripture (43). Part of Smith’s project is to develop a solidly biblical anthropology to counter transgenderism.
No single verse explicitly prohibits transgenderism as it’s understood by many proponents. However, the sum of Scripture forbids separating the sexed body from biological sex and gender. Thus, Smith’s anthropology is rooted in the biblical storyline of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation.
The sum of Scripture forbids separating the sexed body from biological sex and gender.
Humanity was created male and female. Subsequently, the fall distorted human sexuality. But Jesus’s teachings on the body’s purpose and destiny point toward the hope of redemption. The resurrection ultimately affirms a sexed embodiment. This theological framework explains the existence of conditions like gender dysphoria and intersex, while asserting a creation-based sexual ethic that shapes traditional Christian definitions of sex and marriage.
Smith contends that while gender and sex are distinct, gender remains anchored in biological sex. This has three key implications:
1. “The purpose of gender expression is to reveal sex” (156).
2. “Inverting the sex/gender relationship disastrously undermines the significance of personal embodiment and historical embeddedness” (156).
3. “If sex is the foundation of gender, then the central transgender claim—that the sexed body neither signifies nor determines the gendered self—cannot be sustained” (157).
None of these implications is new, yet Smith’s study is refreshing and deeply theological. It’s a delight to see how he grounds his conclusions in the hope of redemption and the restoration of God’s design for humanity.
Admirable Synthesis
The Body God Gives provides a persuasive argument for holding biological sex and gender identity together. Smith’s critique is rigorous yet compassionate. He shows how many, like those with an intersex condition, are harmed when the culture adopts transgender theory. He also recognizes that real people experience gender dysphoria and that the gospel can help. The arguments about transgenderism have real-world implications.
This is the most thorough evangelical analysis of transgender theory to date. The result is a definitive explanation of gender studies’ intellectual roots, which have shaped transgender theory over the past 75 years. Smith’s thorough engagement with the convoluted theories of gender activists makes this a challenging read for those unfamiliar with the field.
This is the most thorough evangelical analysis of transgender theory to date.
Beyond his critical engagement with transgender theory, Smith surveys existing evangelical works on the subject. So the book is useful for those looking for an evaluation of more accessible resources. Hopefully Smith will leverage his expertise to write future works for a broader audience.
Smith’s book belongs on the shelf with seminal works like Carl Trueman’s The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self and Robert Gagnon’s The Bible and Homosexual Practice. The Body God Gives is an essential resource for academics, pastors, and church leaders dealing with transgender theory from a biblical perspective.
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Originally sourced via trusted media partner. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/body-god-gives/
