Bruce Jenner, Biblically
The Bruce Jenner transformation is getting a lot of media attention. He is depicted as “courageous” because he is following through with who he believes he is. ESPN is giving him a “courage” award (by contrast, this article argues true courage is found in our military, law enforcement, etc.). Yet, in all the melee, we must ask, what does God think about Bruce Jenner and how should Christians respond to his transformation?
The transgender movement began with three pedophile activists. That’s right … pedophile activists. I’m not just throwing these words around for shock value. The birth of sex change surgery is terribly depraved (read more about that here). The movement began as a mess and continues to spread the distorting effects of sin to its participants.
God did not err in making Bruce a male. Scripture teaches that God creates male and God creates female (Gen 1:26-27). Because God made Bruce a male, Bruce is a male. A DNA test will confirm this. Moreover, any confusion about what sex Bruce ought to be lies within Bruce’s mind, not his body. This is what sin does. It infects the mind. Paul writes that conformity to Christ begins with the mind (Rom 12:2). On the authority of Scripture, we can conclude that God made a male when He made Bruce. The effects of sin left this man (and all of us) desperately maligned in our thoughts, words, and deeds.
Bruce needs the love of Christ. He doesn’t need a surgery; he needs the gospel that will save his soul from hell. He needs to be reconciled to His Creator. It would be unloving to believe the gospel and claim to know God, but withhold that truth from Bruce. It would be a most unloving act to claim to be a Christian, then turn and support the widening of the gulf that stands between Bruce and God. (Denny Burk does an excellent job balancing the Bible’s teaching on non-provocation and loving truth-telling here). The Christian must pray for this man and his soul; it would be unloving not to.
God sees Bruce Jenner as a male. Christians must love him; love involves truth-telling, not lies. Jenner is in a pitiable state—one that only Christ can rescue him from. The Christian must stand behind God’s design and extend His Son’s love to people like Bruce Jenner.