Paul Luckraft reviews ‘God and the Transgender Debate’ by Andrew T Walker (2022)

Simon Wyatt reviews ‘Sexuality & Holiness: Remaining loving and biblically-grounded in a rapidly shifting culture’, by Mike Williams (2022)

Pride month and the LGBT assault

Banks and police join government in bowing to LGBT agenda

For the next generation – and for this one.

The controversy begun by the remarks of Australian rugby player Israel Folau, supported by England’s number 8, Billy Vunipola, has caused a stir far beyond the game of rugby. Izzy Folau simply quoted the Bible in warning that those who practice homosexuality go to hell.

Biblical teaching says “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman, that is detestable” (Lev 18:22). And the Apostle Paul states explicitly, “Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor 6:9-10).

According to Paul’s teaching, practising homosexuals should be treated in the same way as drunkards, swindlers, slanderers in our society and not given preferential treatment or be allowed to promote their activities.

These rugby players are simply stating the obvious. It’s a bit like the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes. Everyone was simply copying everyone else in praising the Emperor’s non-existent clothes. It took an innocent child to state the truth: “The Emperor is naked!”.

The New Normal

Billy Vunipola is quite right in saying that “man was made for woman to procreate”.¹ Two men practising anal intercourse cannot create life any more than two lesbian women pleasuring each other can create a human baby. But our teachers are told to tell the children that these are normal relationships and that gay parents having children through adoption, surrogacy or artificial insemination creates ‘normal’ families.

We all know that the ‘new normal’ being taught to our children in state schools is a blatant lie! There is a mass of sound academic research to show that the only type of family that consistently produces good results for children is the happy, faithful, heterosexual married couple. But we have a Parliament that has passed a law forcing teachers to indoctrinate four-year-olds with the idea that it is quite normal for some children to have two mummies or two daddies, and that all forms of family are equal.

We all know that the ‘new normal’ being taught to our children in state schools is a blatant lie!

Slippery Slope

This is a reversal of truth, an utter lie that can only lead to the destruction of society. It is social engineering: trying to mould the minds of children to accept LGBTQ+ values before they are able to think for themselves. It was Prime Minister David Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May who started us down this slippery slope, forcing the legalisation of gay ‘marriage’ through Parliament with the support of the Labour Party, against the wishes of more than a hundred Conservative MPs.

This virtually pronounced the death knell of the Conservative Party as the party of the family, and the party that works to conserve our heritage of biblically-based values - the Judeo-Christian foundation stones of Western civilisation.

It produced the Parliament that we have today consisting of 650 individuals who cannot agree on anything to give clear guidance for the future of the nation. The plain fact is that when they passed the Same-Sex Marriage Bill, Parliament brought judgment upon itself. It is, in effect, a Parliament doomed to fail, and no doubt that is how it will be known by future historians.

A Soulless Nation

Yes, of course we need to get out of the European Union, which is the most secular humanist political institution in the world. But leaving the EU will not solve our national problems or redeem our Parliament.

Indeed, this whole Parliament needs to be swept away and replaced by a new reforming group of politicians, not only with high moral principles but with an understanding of the Judeo-Christian spiritual convictions that have been at the heart of our Parliamentary system for hundreds of years and formed the bedrock of the British character that was admired by the world. We need a political revolution - and maybe, if we have to participate in the EU elections, we might just get one, as the result is likely to further shatter and divide our political parties.

Of course we need to get out of the European Union, but leaving will not solve our national problems or redeem our Parliament.

Meanwhile, the whole world is viewing Britain with amazement! They simply cannot understand what is happening in our Westminster Parliament, which for centuries has been renowned as a model of democratic government. Even those who were not great friends of Britain admired our stability and reliability. Today that has been shattered – maybe irretrievably; certainly it will not be easily retrieved.

Winston Churchill, reminding the nation of the great Christian heritage underlying the British Commonwealth of Nations, rightly warned that “A nation without a conscience is a nation without a soul, and a nation without a soul is a nation that cannot live.”²

The Message of Good Friday

This is where the message of today, Good Friday, offers the only hope for our nation. On this day nearly 2,000 years ago, God carried out an act of divine intervention into human history by allowing his own Son to commit his life into the hands of violent, hate-filled, sinful human beings. He willingly sacrificed his own life to make possible a new relationship with God the Father, Creator of the universe.

Through faith in Jesus we all have the opportunity, not only of forgiveness of our sins, but of actually entering into a new relationship with God that transforms our sinful human nature.

This is the good news that Christians have to proclaim to the world: that God has done something for us that we could not do for ourselves, in overcoming our self-centred propensity to love the world and indulge in everything that is evil and corrupt, rather than things that bring health and happiness and put the welfare of others ahead of ourselves.

Hope for Britain

As any sociologist will tell you, all forms of social change tend to go to extremes: the pendulum swings too far one way and then the backlash begins. The rugby players who have dared to tell the truth, bringing on themselves the wrath of the secular humanist establishment, may be a little sign that the backlash has begun.

There are many other signs that young people are open to the truth: they are fed up with the mess that the older generations have created and they are looking for a new way. Last week Charles Gardner reported on evangelism happening in schools in Doncaster – and since then we have heard other reports from elsewhere in the country of hundreds of young people giving their lives to Christ.

There are many signs that young people are open to the truth.

There is a group of Christian rap artists, singers and dancers based in Manchester who are touring northern towns and cities and seeing hundreds of young people respond to the Gospel. Next month there is a great Christian gathering planned in Trafalgar Square on Pentecost Sunday, when thousands of young people are expected to fill the Square and demonstrate their faith in Jesus.

For those who have eyes to see and an understanding of the times, these may be little signs of the turning of the tide. The message of this Good Friday, that Jesus is the hope of the world, is our only hope for a turning point in the history of Britain. This is certainly something to which we should be directing our prayers!

References

1 The Times, 13 April 2019.

2 Sandys, J, 2015. God and Churchill. London: SPCK, p182.

Moral decadence and cowardice…or demonically inspired madness.

Ely Cathedral proclaims solidarity with the LGBT community and flies the rainbow flag at the city’s first ever Gay Pride Parade¹: yet more evidence, if any were needed, of the Church of England’s growing celebration of apostasy.

Let us be clear, the Bible unequivocally prohibits any and all behaviours identified as sexual sin, which includes fornication, adultery, homosexuality and incest – in fact anything outside marriage between one man and one woman for life. It also clearly states that in the beginning God created Adam. Then, because there wasn’t any fit helper or companion that could be found for the man, and he was lonely, God took one of his ribs and made a ‘woman’.

So from the beginning the man and the woman were a part of each other. They were ‘bone of bone’ and ‘flesh of flesh’, and together they ‘completed’ each other. God’s command and gift to them was to live with each other in lifelong and exclusive union, so that they might support each other, and together care for any children they might have.

That’s the template for humanity and the way we are made – not as gender-neutral beings who can choose for ourselves if we want to identify as men, women, or anything in between, but as biological beings with clear identifying characteristics based on our sex at birth.

The template for humanity, the way we are made, is not as gender-neutral beings who can choose for ourselves how to identify, but as biological beings with clear identities from birth.

Of course this isn’t to say that on occasion things don’t go wrong: sadly, a very few babies are born with ambiguous genitalia, just as others are born with life-threatening conditions or disability – and when that happens, all alike need help. But the starting point is that we are created male or female – it’s in our DNA - and we are designed to live in lifelong, exclusive ‘relationship’ with someone of the opposite sex. For the Church, in its wisdom, to hold or maintain anything that deviates from this fundamental order is a denial of Christian faith, and apostasy.

Assault Now Permitted

At a similar event to that in Ely, earlier this summer in Bournemouth an elderly gentleman was physically assaulted by a gang of LGBT thugs, for daring to say homosexuality was a sin prohibited in the Bible. You’d think on the basis of age alone such bully-boy tactics would have provoked public outrage and calls for punishment of the offenders. But no! Apparently in 21^st Century Britain, ‘hate crime’ goes only one way, so that if you’re gay, lesbian or trans-gender, you can say and do whatever you want.

Is this really what democracy has become? Where free speech is permitted only for those who follow current – and, by definition, transitory - cultural norms? And is this why the Church has buckled? Is it afraid? Or has it been infiltrated and taken over by the self-serving and/or deliberately malign?

When the Church loses its voice, the rot in society spreads, and the weak and voiceless become increasingly vulnerable to abuse. Now, on the coat tails of adult licence, it is becoming mandatory that children as young as four be inculcated with this sexually damaging ideology that flies in the face of biology and refutes science. At the very least, teaching a child of four that it’s up to them to choose their gender is deeply confusing; at worst it is pure and simple exploitation, prioritising justification for adult behaviours over child welfare. But subsequently teaching children the finer details of anal and oral sex, without mention of the attendant, but well-established, physical risks and harms, is criminal.

The unhappy truth is that we are breeding a damaged generation, caught in the slime of moral degeneracy, and for whom sex in all its forms has become the be-all and end-all of life, with paedophilia and abuse flourishing for the simple reason it is very hard any longer to say ‘no’.

When the Church loses its voice, the rot in society spreads and the weak and voiceless become increasingly vulnerable to abuse.

Enough!

No matter what LGBT and transgender activists would have us believe, sin is not a variable concept subject to cultural change that can be redefined at whim. And God has not become more sophisticated in the two thousand years since his Son walked the Earth calling people to repentance. Nor has he changed his mind about what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour.

The bottom line is, either God is a figment of mankind’s collective and fevered imagination - in which case nothing said in the Bible matters a jot. Or he really is the Supreme Being and Creator of all, and the moral precepts in Scripture stand, in which case we need to get a bit of backbone and defend the faith for which Christ died.

It is not possible to compromise with sin. A little bit of pre-marital sex or adultery isn’t okay, no matter what we teach children today about their sexual rights. Anal sex isn’t ‘normal’. Destroying innocent life before birth because the mother doesn’t ‘feel ready’ is not a woman’s inalienable human right. And self-identifying as a surgically changed man or woman, with a lifetime ahead on drugs, is not fulfilment: it’s mutilation.

As the battle for the soul of our nation grows, the devil still prowls around like a wolf, seeking those he can devour. He is becoming worryingly successful. It is time for the Church and ‘ordinary’ Christians alike to stand up for and defend our faith.

First published on the Voice for Justice UK blog, 21 August 2018. Rev Lynda Rose is Director of VfJUK. 

References

1 See coverage here.

The new wave of feminism is nothing to do with love, life or liberation.

On Wednesday of next week (8 March), it will be International Women’s Day.

Coinciding with this, some 673 protest marches are being planned in cities around the world – 35 countries have expressed interest so far – and a ‘general strike’ is being called, that women everywhere might express their resentment about inequality by walking out of their jobs and onto the street, placards held high. It’s being called ‘A Day Without a Woman’.

This strike and the marches are the latest in an apparent ‘new wave’ of feminist activism since Trump took the US presidency – though actually it started before this and elsewhere, with protests against gender violence in Argentina and a mass revolt in Poland against a proposed abortion ban.

But, as with the many other increasingly militant manifestations of liberal protest, this new wave of feminist demonstration deserves some closer analysis.

Boycotting What?

So, what is Wednesday’s march all about?

Last month, several prominent female academics and activists introduced ‘A Day Without a Woman’ in The Guardian, as “a day of striking, marching, blocking roads, bridges, and squares, abstaining from domestic, care and sex work, boycotting, calling out misogynistic politicians and companies, striking in educational institutions.”¹

The article presents a stirring call to women to stand up against wage inequalities, job insecurity and male violence. It seems attractive at first – indeed, for many decades the feminist movement has been inviting, even for Christian women. It is hard to argue against recognising the contribution that women make to national economies, or the need to protest against domestic violence.

A new wave of increasingly militant feminist activism is beginning.

However, there is more to it than this. Further down the manifesto, the group ally themselves with a “new, more expansive feminist movement” that not only protests the usual inequalities, but also radically pushes the LGBT agenda and rails against “xenophobic immigration policies”.²

The National Review criticises the planned demonstrations as representing “a standard, vague list of clichéd left-wing hobbyhorses, not a principled protest engaging current policy problems.”³

So what is really going on – and why are these protests being described as more ‘militant’⁴ than ever before?

Behind the Scenes

Co-organisers of Wednesday’s march (the US variant) include Rasmea Yousef Odeh, a convicted Palestinian terrorist who spent 10 years in prison for her part in two bombings of Israeli students, and Angela Davis, former leader of the Communist Party USA and long-time supporter of the violent Black Panther movement. This kind of leadership alone suggests that more is going on here than merely a groundswell of popular concern for the welfare of women.

Despite this, the campaign is being presented in a very positive, accessible light. The website is pleasant to look at (with more than a hint of pink in the colour scheme – surely not!) and encourages women to join a movement happening “In the same spirit of love and liberation that inspired the Women's March” of January.⁵

The problem with this statement is that it’s simply not true; news coverage of the January march made it clear that it was far from loving and liberating – from Madonna’s virulent and vulgar speech to the hate and rejection directed at pro-life women trying to join the proceedings. In fact, it rapidly became clear that only one brand of feminism is welcome in this new ‘movement’: that which accepts ultra-left-wing attitudes towards life and liberty.

There is more going on here than merely a groundswell of popular concern for the welfare of women.

It should come as no surprise, then, that one quarter of the feminist groups that took part in the January march owe some $90 million in funding to ultra-left-wing billionaire George Soros.⁶ Soros, a former Clinton supporter, is well-known for using his fortune to fund groups around the world that promote (among other things) abortion, the destruction of biblical gender roles and relations, and the globalist vision of broken-down national borders, too often by seeding anarchic protests.

Selective Campaigning

Women's march in Washington, January 2017. See Photo Credits.So, despite appearances, these protests are not just popping out of the ground spontaneously, but represent some deeper and more insidious agendas. Meanwhile, back on the surface, the fact that these agendas fail to translate into genuine concern for women is drawing accusations of hypocrisy.

For instance, commentators are lamenting that thousands of women are somehow being mobilised to shout about perceived gender inequalities in the Western world (where women have more freedoms and opportunities than anywhere else on earth) whilst completely ignoring situations of far worse oppression elsewhere (e.g. much of the Middle East, where women are prohibited from walking unaccompanied down a street, for example).

Instead, critics are suggesting, the feminism currently taking to our streets seeks to stir up anger amongst thousands of normal and well-meaning citizens, against vague and easily warped ideas of ‘oppression’, whilst turning a blind eye to genuine issues of real inequality.

In other words, it seems more concerned with fomenting anarchy than with solving real problems.

LGBT Agenda

As such, these marches and protests are not the place to go if you’re looking for a constructive definition of femininity or womanhood. In fact, the entire movement fails to offer a concrete, helpful vision for what being a woman actually means – largely because it isn’t concerned with that.

The Guardian manifesto pitches the movement as “anti-racist, anti-imperialist, anti-heterosexist and anti-neoliberal”⁷ – but this long list of ‘antis’ revealingly leaves out any ‘fors’. The entire movement is negative and destructive - and as such, risks leaving women feeling confused about what they are actually fighting for.

However, a key part of what the campaign is really for is hidden in the term ‘anti-heterosexist’, above. Rather than being about the welfare of all women, regardless of sexual orientation, this campaign is more about pushing LGBT ‘rights’ and challenging heterosexual norms, in the guise of protest against ‘gender oppression’.

The campaign is less about the welfare of all women and more about pushing LGBT rights.

The manifesto deliberately pitches the purposes of Wednesday’s strike and marches as “to mobilize women, including trans women, and all who support them in an international day of struggle”.⁸

This positions the whole movement as part of the much bigger sexual revolution that has been going on since the 1960s, seeking to ‘liberate’ people from the perceived ‘shackles’ of heteronormativity - that is, the established, biblical norms of heterosexual family life. In other words, it is simply the latest manifestation of revolt against the boundaries set by God, in direct rebellion against our Creator.

Don’t be fooled by the use of Donald Trump as a focus for anger and protest on Wednesday. This is not one bit about Trump – it’s about God.

Ugly Anarchy

At the risk of sounding melodramatic, I believe this entire movement is actually satanic in origin, because it involves such clear and orchestrated rebellion against biblical principles. Personally, I am delighted that God made me female – but I am equally passionate about promoting his vision for womanhood (and all that this entails, including femininity, sexuality, marriage, motherhood), not the morally relative vision of postmodern feminism, which is already a long way down a very slippery slope.

Whilst thousands of women are being mobilised by vague talk of ‘inequality’ and ‘injustice’, inspired to march by a confusing mixture of causes, by its fruits shall this new movement be known. Nobody is being ‘liberated’ by the protests, which are increasingly angry, vulgar and violent. They seem to be more of a Trojan horse for anti-establishment anarchy than for genuine democratic protest – the enemy thrashing his tail, as we noted last week.

But the word says “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight!” (Isa 5:20-21).

The latest 'feminist' protests are a Trojan horse for anti-establishment anarchy, not genuine democratic protest.

What Can We Do?

It’s time for Christians everywhere – men and women – to turn to the word and ask God to open our eyes afresh to a positive, scriptural definition of femininity and womanhood (and masculinity and manhood!). It is this biblical vision alone that can offer a living, breathing, soul-quenching alternative to modern feminism.

If you were considering joining the strike on Wednesday (apparently 15 cities and towns in the UK will host a march of some kind), I would urge you to abstain – and perhaps instead to consider hosting some kind of alternative event in the near future, to help others near you explore the Lord’s vision for the two genders.

Let’s also respond to the ‘new wave’ of feminism with a ‘new wave’ of prayer. Today happens to be the Women’s World Day of Prayer, and women (and men) all around the world will be gathering to hold a special service celebrating God’s creation of women and thanking him for his blessings.

Why not use this as a reminder to pray over Wednesday’s marches: that they will fail to foment violence, and actually cause disillusionment amongst women, prompting them to question what they are getting involved with and the kind of vision for gender, sexuality, life and liberty that it promotes. Pray that God will turn the enemy’s plans for good.

References

1 Alcoff, LM, Arruzza, C, Bhattacharya, T et al. Women of America: we're going on strike. Join us so Trump will see our power. The Guardian, 6 February 2017.

2 Ibid.

3 Wilhelm, H. The embarrassing confusion of the 'women's strike'. The National Review, 22 February 2017.

4 See note 1.

5 Women's March website.

6 Soros gave $90m to feminist anti-Trump protest groups. Liberty Headlines, 17 January 2017.

7 See note 1.

8 See note 1.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘One Flesh’ by Peter Sammons (2012).

This very readable and accessible book sets out the biblical perspective on marriage and male-female relationships generally. Taking its title from Genesis 2:24 (which Jesus endorses in Matthew 19:5), the main theme is the uniting of the two genders according to God’s purposes.

The author’s aim is for his readers to get “a clearer idea of how God wants them to live out their lives as regards the opposite sex”, adding that “we will see some pitfalls to avoid and discover some principles which, if adopted, will help us to make good and healthy choices for the way we live our lives and with whom we share them” (p12).

This is no starry-eyed approach to what can be a difficult topic, both in theory and in practice. Living ‘happily ever after’ may be the hope and dream but reality is often very different, and the author is well aware of the hurts and disappointments that can occur in the pursuit of one of life’s main blessings. He tackles very sensitively the risks and rewards of entering into marriage and explains well the enormous responsibilities that such a lifelong commitment carries with it.

This is no starry-eyed approach to what can be a difficult topic.

Soul Mates?

One interesting point is where he discusses the modern idea of a soul mate. Sammons asserts that “the Bible in no place so much as hints at such an idea” (p48). He adds that this concept owes much to the New Age movement and actually has pagan roots. He states that Scripture “gives us no indication at all that there is only one person in all eternity that we might marry”, which he describes as “extremely liberating” (p48). In principle, happiness can be found with any one of many people, if both partners are prepared to work at building a life together. It should be added, however, that the author is clear that once a marriage takes place, there is then only one partner while each is alive.

One good section of the book is the account of the ‘true love story’ of Isaac and Rebecca, from which the author draws several godly principles.

Further scriptural passages given lengthy treatments include the romance between Ruth and Boaz and, inevitably perhaps, the Song of Songs. In these cases the author brings out the clear distinction between the Hebraic mindset on such matters and that portrayed by Greek thinkers, such as Plato and Augustine, which has so influenced Western culture.

The Definition and Purpose of Marriage

It is not until we get halfway through the book that the author attempts a biblical definition of marriage (too lengthy to quote here), the main point being to contrast it with a legal dictionary definition (even lengthier!) where it is called a contract rather than the more biblically accurate description of marriage as a covenant.

Interestingly, Sammons asserts that the first task of marriage is to banish loneliness, and only of secondary significance is that it enables a man and woman to join with God in the process of creation of new life.

Legally marriage is a contract, but the more biblically accurate description of marriage is a covenant.

Also at this halfway point, we are given a fuller understanding of the meaning of ‘one flesh’ which is too often assumed to refer primarily, or even exclusively, to sexual union. Sammons suggests the phrase in Genesis means much more, namely “to become a single functioning unit that draws its strength from itself. Being one flesh entails the complete identification of one personality with the other in a community of interests and pursuits, a union that is consummated in the act of physical unity” (p93). Much to ponder there!

Tricky Issues

As well as explaining the ‘leaving and cleaving’ aspect of becoming ‘one flesh’, the author also touches on the related topics of singleness and polygamy. Furthermore, he does not shirk the tricky issues of male headship, cohabitation and divorce, all of which he approaches with sensitivity yet firm convictions. It is also pleasing to note that he has stern words for those who promote sexual experimentation under the guise of sex education.

Boy meets girl – it happens all the time. But then what? Writers and musicians down the centuries have depicted many scenarios that could follow, often with less-than-happy consequences. The Bible never claims that marriage is easy, or that it will be a bed of thornless roses. But, Sammons believes, “the genius of marriage is that it provides a wonderful medium for love to grow…love is not so much the basis for marriage, but rather marriage is the basis for love” (p162).

Sexual sin may or may not be the worst form of sin, but its consequences can be more far-reaching than most. In this area of life, as in all others, Christians will want to live by godly standards but, as Sammons points out, “we are up against a powerful alliance of enemies: our own natural inclinations, the propaganda of the world, and the propaganda of the devil” (p101-102). We will have a better chance to stand against ‘the world, the flesh and the devil’ after reading this book.

One Flesh (171 pages, Glory to Glory Publications) is available from the publisher for £9.99 inc. P&P, or for free as a downloadable e-book. Also available on Amazon.

Dr Clifford Hill reflects on the BBC's social engineering agenda.

What is the BBC doing? Last night they broadcast an hour-long piece of pernicious propaganda purporting to be a serious documentary called 'Transgender Kids'.¹

As a documentary giving serious consideration to the subject it was a total flop – it was neither informative nor interesting. But it was very revealing about the BBC's clear agenda to change the moral values of the nation.

There were very few children actually featured in the programme and their stories were interspersed with long speeches from so-called 'experts' on what was described as 'gender dysphoria'.

The programme was all about what's happening in Canada - the only mention of the UK came in the last few minutes, when the commentators were trying to persuade viewers that gender dysphoria is now a worldwide issue with expansive statements about the need for "gender affirmation" being universal! The implication was that children all over the world are clamouring to change their sex. But there were no hard facts or statistics given to back up these sweeping claims.

Canada Leading the Way

Two or three children spoke about their experiences and the experts said that children as young as two or three can express unhappiness about their gender. In Canada they are treated in a Toronto clinic which practises "developmentally affirmative therapy".

They prescribe gender-blocking drugs to children to delay the onset of puberty and when they become teenagers, if they still want to change gender, they can proceed to sex-reassignment surgery. The programme admitted that 88% of boys, when reaching this stage, do not proceed but decide to stay with their birth gender.

In Canada, 'gender dysphoric' children are treated with gender-blocking drugs before being offered sex-reassignment surgery.

The stories of the girls who wanted to be boys were mixed in with scenes of gay pride marches and placard-waving transgender adults, leaving the distinct impression that the whole so-called 'documentary' was just a cover for LGBT propaganda.

Again, there were no statistics given to show how widespread it is for children to express unhappiness about their gender. The statements from parents certainly did not give confidence that the adults in these children's lives had shown wisdom in their counselling.

A Global Phenomenon?

A major object of the programme appeared to be to give the impression that clinics around the world are flooded with children wanting to change their gender. It implied that this is a universal phenomenon that requires a major attitudinal change among parents and teachers to be able to identify the so-called 'classic symptoms', so that publicly-funded 'gender affirmative treatment' can be universally available.

Many of the statements made in the programme were anecdotal rather than evidence based research data to support the views of the 'experts'. But there were a number of times when the transgender slogans about "the new normal" were slipped into the script which revealed the real purpose of the so-called 'documentary' - blatant social engineering.

It is sad that the LGBT community are going to such lengths to try to convince the public that their lifestyle is "normal". Clearly, they recognise that it is not normal and that is why they are campaigning to change the definition of 'normal' to 'new normal'!

The programme gave the impression that this is a universal phenomenon that requires major attitudinal change.

Imposing A Different Value System

Those caught in or choosing a homosexual or transgender lifestyle have every right to pursue this course for their lives – although what a Christian response to this looks like is obviously a controversial topic worthy of much discussion and prayer.

What I object to is the values promoted by the LGBT lobby being imposed forcibly on the rest of society as is apparently being advocated by Dame Louise Casey, the Government's 'integration' czar. In a recent speech to a select committee in the House of Commons, she labelled church schools who support traditional marriage as "homophobic". The BBC appears to be participating in this campaign of social engineering to change our national attitude to family, marriage, love and gender away from God's original design.

In Britain, we already have laws protecting minority groups from discrimination - our so-called 'hate laws' are there for this very purpose. In a civilised society, it is right that we should respect the rights of minority groups; but it is not right that the BBC (as our national broadcaster) should use its power at prime time to broadcast a blatant piece of social engineering - such as the 'Transgender Kids' programme last night.

Postscript: Clearly this is not just a social issue which is part of the natural movement of change that occurs from one generation to the next, reflecting changes in technology and living conditions. What is happening here is a deliberate attempt to change the foundational values and beliefs of our society, which are rooted in our understanding of Creation, the nature of existence and the health and well-being both of individuals and society as a whole. These are essentially 'spiritual' concepts that we will be examining in greater depth in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we value comments from our readers.

Dr Lisa Nolland reports on an up-coming conference tackling sexuality and gender from a biblical perspective.

Many Christians and other social conservatives are becoming concerned by the LGBT rights takeover in the public (including religious) realms in the West. For increasing numbers of children, this social engineering is becoming embedded in the classroom.

Even Christian teachers are needing to 'explain' how two men or two women can now marry, leading children as young as seven or eight to start to believe that they are 'gay' because they too 'love' their same-sex best friend. Of course they do, but that doesn't mean they are gay!

The Church seems to be wanting to sit this one out, hoping against hope that things will return to normal. Sadly, of course, not only is that not going to happen, but indeed, the activists have only just begun! 'Stage Two' is that of totalitarian enforcement: just look at Canada to see how (in)'tolerant' it is now in places.¹

Silent Church

The average person does not begin to know how to navigate these minefields. Christian leaders of mainstream evangelical organisations in this country say very little, concentrating on politically correct or 'feel good' projects, or (like Archbishop Welby) wax lyrical about the needs of the LGBT communities. The very rare conservative 'extremist' willing to stand up for the truth is fined, fired or (at best) humiliated for making politically incorrect comments.

Mostly, however, the average Christian just wants to get on with life and the normal routines of family, work, etc. Even this, though, is increasingly difficult. Stonewall is in several hundred schools and it is only one of various LGBT programmes being pushed at the moment. With LGBT matters being pushed to the fore comes a turning up of the volume of all things sexual for children and teenagers.

Robbing Children

How do children know if they are gay or not? How can they find out if they are? As the excellent video Robbing children of their innocence notes, kids are tacitly encouraged to explore their sexuality in such programmes. That may or may not be the intention, but it is one of the outcomes. See for instance the subtexts of the 'sexual advice' on the highly-acclaimed, NHS-endorsed 'Respect Yourself' site for teenagers in Warwickshire.

Even more troubling is that such high risk and potentially life-altering sex acts as 'felching', 'fisting' and 'rimming' are whitewashed and tacitly promoted to under-age children.² This is complete madness - and yet few, if any, blow the whistle.

Being Prepared to Respond

Closer to home, though, how can one respond when your daughter tells you she is gay or your son insists he is a girl? What to do about the increasingly vociferous demands of Stonewall to 'make your school "safe"'? How about when your child comes home from a school RE session and asserts that Jesus never mentioned homosexuality so loving gay relationships must be OK?

Messy Church, Alpha and Christianity Explored simply cannot do the necessaries here. What can help, though, is The 'New Normal', a Christian Concern conference in November which will engage at the cutting edge of these issues. We will have leading people in their fields coming to update and inform, educate and inspire us as to how parents, pastors and youth workers, in particular can respond.

Beyond Our Borders

We also are doing our bit for those in the developing world who are at the mercy of the activists. The Diocese of Machakos, Anglican Church of Kenya, has created a unique and holistic programme on sex and gender issues which we are thrilled to support in The 'New Normal'. A collection of used clothing, shoes, toiletries, bags and suitcases as well as money will be taken at the London conference.

Proceeds will help at-risk-kids, families, the church and wider community in Machakos, near Nairobi, Kenya. Currently, we are not aware of any other kind of response by any church anywhere. So we want to give Bishop Joseph every possible support. Funds from 'progressives' will be denied to him, so it is vital we do our bit!

The 'New Normal' conference will be held on 12 November 2016 at the Emmanuel Centre, London (10am-5pm). For the full programme and to book tickets, click here.

Lisa Nolland (MA, MCS, PhD) is Convenor of Anglican Mainstream's Marriage, Sex and Culture Group. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to email Lisa.

References

1 E.g. Van Maren, J. Transgender madness is sweeping our schools. Parents, protect your children. LifeSite News, 26 August 2016.

2 See the Respect Yourself website.