Reading: Gender - Slides

Gender

Henry Reyenga

Christian Worldview on Gender

The Christian Presuppositions 

A heart to please God and his design.  The fall may have messed things up, but we still see his handiwork in his normative creation.

Genesis 1:27   So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 

The Modernist Presupposition

Gender is assigned at birth and science can describe the assignment. Gender is actually biologically fixed by mother nature. 

The Postmodernist Assumption

No categories can take away from my autonomy. There are no norms or aboslutes.

Source of Terms

Terms are defined by Psychiatry.org 

https://www.psychiatry.org/

Gender

Gender- denotes the public (and usually legally recognized) lived role as boy or girl, man or woman. Biological factors combined with social and psychological factors contribute to gender development. 

Assigned Gender 

Assigned gender - refers to a person’s initial assignment as male or female at birth. It is based on the child’s genitalia and other visible physical sex characteristics. 

Gender-Atypical 

Gender-atypical - refers to physical features or behaviors that are not typical of individuals of the same assigned gender in a given society. 

Gender-Nonconforming 

Gender-nonconforming - refers to behaviors that are not typical of individuals with the same assigned gender in a given society. 

Gender Reassignment 

Gender reassignment - denotes an official (and usually legal) change of gender. 

Gender Identity 

Gender identity - is a category of social identity and refers to an individual’s identification as male, female or, occasionally, some category other than male or female. It is one’s deeply held core sense of being male, female, some of both or neither, and does not always correspond to biological sex. 

Gender Dysphoria

Gender dysphoria - as a general descriptive term refers to an individual’s discontent with the assigned gender. It is more specifically defined when used as a diagnosis.

Transgender

Transgender - refers to the broad spectrum of individuals who transiently or persistently identify with a gender different from their gender at birth. (Note: the term transgendered is not generally used.)

Transsexual

Transsexual - refers to an individual who seeks, or has undergone, a social transition from male to female or female to male. In many, but not all, cases this also involves a physical transition through cross-sex hormone treatment and genital surgery (sex reassignment surgery). 

Gender Queer

Gender queer - blurring the lines around gender identity and sexual orientation. Gender queer individuals typically embrace a fluidity of gender identity and sometimes sexual orientation.

Gender Fluidity 

Gender fluidity - having different gender identities at different times. 

Agendered

Agendered - ‘without gender,’ individuals identifying as having no gender identity. 

Cisgender

Cisgender - describes individuals whose gender identity or expression aligns with the sex assigned to them at birth. 

Gender Expansiveness 

Gender expansiveness - conveys a wider, more flexible range of gender identity and/or expression than typically associated with the binary gender system. 

Gender Expression 

Gender expression - the manner in which a person communicates about gender to others through external means such as clothing, appearance, or mannerisms. This communication may be conscious or subconscious and may or may not reflect their gender identity or sexual orientation.

The Christian Response

Respect Each Person’s Journey!

Colossians 4:5   Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.  6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. 

 

Take Responsibility for Yourself

Philippians 2:12    My dear friends, you have always obeyed God. You obeyed while I was with you. And you have obeyed even more while I am not with you. So continue to work out your own salvation. Do it with fear and trembling.