A transgender man has given birth after conceiving a child with his transgender wife. Fernando Machado was born a female; his partner Diane Rodriguez was born a male. Neither has completed sex reassignment surgery. As a result, the transgender man was impregnated by his transgender wife and bore a child.
Gender identity issues are increasingly in the news these days. The Wall Street Journal reports that sex reassignment surgery is becoming more common as a growing number of hospitals offer the procedure and insurance companies provide coverage. And efforts are underway to encourage more children to question their gender identity.
For instance, Washington State public school curriculum will begin teaching kindergarteners to "understand there are many ways to express gender." By grade five, students will be taught to "identify trusted adults to ask questions about gender identity and sexual orientation." We are likely to see more such initiatives: The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network received a $1.425 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control in 2011 to promote the LGBT agenda in public schools at taxpayers' expense.
It's no coincidence that unbiblical morality is increasing as trust in the Bible decreases. Since 1990, the American Library Association (ALA) has released each year a list of the ten "most challenged books." Now the ALA has released its 2015 list. For the first time, The Holy Bible is on the list. The only reason given: "Religious viewpoint."
According to Barna, the percentage of adults who read the Bible once a week or more is steadily declining. It is highest among Elders (49 percent) and lowest among Millennials (24 percent). In addition, the number of people who disagree strongly that "the Bible is totally accurate in all the principles it teaches" has nearly doubled in the last six years.
In the moral maelstrom of these days, how can you and I make a difference?
Surprisingly, our first job is not to change the culture. Rather, it is to keep the culture from changing us. Why would people want what we offer if it's no different than what they already have?
God's call is clear: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind" (Romans 12:2). Note the order: refuse to be conformed before you can be transformed.
God's Spirit wants to transform us into the character of Christ (Romans 8:29) by renewing our minds through Bible study, prayer, and other spiritual disciplines. But we must choose between following the fallen world and serving the risen Savior. We can be conformed to the culture or transformed by Christ, but we cannot be both (see 1 Kings 18:21).
If you were less like the world and more like Jesus, what would change in your life today?
Note: For more on today's conversation, please see my latest website article, Conformed or Transformed? 3 keys to God's best for your life. Also, I will be speaking on my latest book, State of Our Nation: 7 Critical Issues, at the Dallas Arboretum on October 4 at 7 PM. Cost is $10 and includes a free signed copy of my book. Click here to learn more and to register. I hope to see you there.
Publication date: September 28, 2016
For more from the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, please visit www.denisonforum.org.
Do you want to live a life in whole-hearted pursuit of loving God and others?
Read today's First15 at www.first15.org.
