The Pastorate

In the words of Lord Farquad, "Oh, now isn't this precious?" I mockingly quote this in reference to Al Mohler's latest blog. Apparently, a United Methodist woman pastor has had a sex change to become a man! Who needs to cut passages out of their bible anymore so they don't have to obey? Now we can literally change ourselves to meet God's standard.

Consider the following marketing ploy: "Are you a female wanting to pastor a church? Are you currently a female pastor wanting to be more aligned with the Word of God? Have we got the surgery for you! For just ten easy installments of $999.99, you too can become a man! That's right! You can change your appearance to look more biblical! Are you tired of congregation members confronting you on your sin? Are you tired of suppressing your conscience every time you read the Pastoral epistles, 1 Corinthians, or any passage that teaches about God's design for male leadership in His Church? Look no further than our sex change operation!"

How ludicrous is this? Mohler's article is gold! Consider the following paragraphs:

There can be no question that some persons suffer excruciating gender confusions. But the answer to this must be the embrace of birth gender as a central dimension of God's will for the individual. Christians must understand that gender --the sex of an individual -- is a part of God's glory in creation. God's own verdict on the creation of humanity as male and female, both made in His image, was that is was "very good." The transgender temptation is a repudiation of God's own verdict on His creation and His plan for humanity.

The emergence of this phenomenon is a direct consequence of the massive social, moral, legal, and ideological shifts that mark our times. The concept of autonomous individualism has led persons to believe that each of us holds the protean ability to create and re-create ourselves into whatever or whomever we wish -- and that no one outside the autonomous self has any right to set limits on this self-definition and transformation. The therapeutic revolution has deluded modern Americans into thinking that patterns of basic rebellion against God are means of self-liberation and therapy. The law has been transformed into an instrument of social revolution, even as many legal authorities claim that traditional definitions of marriage, sexuality, and gender are artifacts of an oppressive and patriarchal age.

So God calls His creation very good in their God-given gender and society uses it as a fuel for rebellion. The only thing worse would be the church that He created embracing that kind of thinking. Well, that day is here; and it is sad.

May the Lord bring us some severe persecution to purify His Bride!