Journal: Eikon
Volume: EIKON 01:2 (Fall 2019)
Article: Discipleship And The Transgender Convert: Issues And Proposals
Author: Robert Houston Smith

Eikon 1:2 (Fall 2019) p. 61

Discipleship And The Transgender Convert:
Issues And Proposals

Robert Smith

Robert Smith is a Lecturer in Theology and Ethics at Sydney Missionary & Bible College

Jesus’ call to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19) necessarily involves taking the good news to those who identify as transgender. Because the gospel is God’s power to save, we have every reason to expect that some of those to whom we witness will put their trust in Christ and set foot on the path of Christian discipleship. The purpose of this essay is to think through what this may look like and how the issues of baptism, membership, service, leadership, and communion might best be approached.

Eikon 1:2 (Fall 2019) p. 62

Understanding Transgender People

Defining Transgender

The term “transgender” has been variously understood over the last fifty years — sometimes more expansively, sometimes more restrictively. Today it is usually regarded as an umbrella term for anyone whose gender identity, expression, or behavior differs from that which is usually associated with their biological sex.1

As a way of encompassing all who come under the transgender umbrella, Rogers Brubaker has distinguished between three broad categories: (1) the trans of migration, which involves moving from one of the two gender categories to the other; (2) the trans of between, which involves defining oneself with reference to the two gender categories, but without belonging to either; and (3) the trans of beyond, which involves positioning oneself without reference to the two gender categories.2

These distinctions are helpful as they underline the fact that different people claim the label “transgender” in different ways, to different degrees, and for different reasons. The common saying is therefore true: if you’ve met one trans person, you’ve met…one trans person. Pastorally, it is vital not to make unwarranted assumptions about what someone who identifies as transgender means by the term. It is better to allow them to explain their experience, understanding, and choices.

Gender Dysphoria And Gender Deconstruction

It is also conceptually helpful, even if not always practically possible, to distinguish between gender dysphoria (a distressing psychological affliction) and gender deconstruction (a form of social rebellion).

Gender dysphoria is a clinical term that appears in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V, 2013), published...