Many years ago, in very different times, I went through a phase. During this phase, I was fascinated by "girly" things. I played prince and princess with the girl next door and insisted on being the princess (I wore a blanket as a dress). I also have a distinct memory of wearing a pair of boots that felt girly to me, and instead of feeling revulsion, I was curious enough to wear them around the block, imagining myself as female. This all happened when I was about 7 years old.

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. —Psalm 30: 4 Lots of questions are coming up in the church. "Someone in my family has SSA. What do I do?" Or maybe, "Someone in my family is transgender. What should I do?" When I get questions like these, I strive to have two things in my response: compassion and truth. We are called to both: Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, h

How wonderful to ask God a question and receive an answer! I recently read a passage in the Book of Numbers and felt a kind of envy. In this passage, God gives instructions to the Israelites through Moses about how to celebrate Passover. The celebration will take place in the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month (Numbers 9: 3). It's a grand plan—but there are a few hands raised: But some of them could not celebrate the Passover on that day because they were ceremo

Homophobia is a form of disgust, judgment, or even hatred toward same-sex practices or the people who are tempted by them or who engage in them. It is a response to sin, to be sure, but how Christian is this response? How should Christians view homophobia? Here we consider these questions and look at two risks that Christians should avoid. The word homophobia first appeared in the year 1969 as a way to describe fear on the part of heterosexual men that other men might think t

The desire to experience God personally and directly can lead to an uncomfortable disharmony between our sense of God and our expectation of how God should be. Shouldn't God fulfill our every need? Shouldn't He grant us each a spouse of the sex of our choosing? When scripture says that two are stronger than one (Ecclesiastes 4: 9–12), does it really matter if the two are of the same sex? Our sense of need is fallen just like every other aspect of our being. Our sense of wha

How do you view yourself as a Christian? Do you see yourself more as a sinner, lurching through a life of defeat, disappointment, and frustration? Or do you see yourself as a conqueror in Christ, victorious even in the midst of your struggles? The difference is more important than you might think. Sinners and saints It's hardly surprising that the Greek word hamartolós (sinner) appears 46 times in the New Testament. But did you know that it never refers to those who have alr