Is Gender Mortal or Eternal? Fixed or Cultural? Biological, Psychological, or Both?

There is a great deal of discussion these days about gender. Indeed, the whole question of gender has become one of the battlefields in our ongoing culture wars. Moreover, much of the debate around the topic has focused on emotion instead of objective analysis. Also, sadly, the Christian community has decided to wade into the debate and drag God and the Bible with them!

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary entry for "gender," the complexity of this term is underscored in their answer to the question: "Are gender and sex the same?" We read there: The words sex and gender have a long and intertwined history. In the 15th century gender expanded from its use as a term for a grammatical subclass to join sex in referring to either of the two primary biological forms of a species, a meaning sex has had since the 14th century; phrases like "the male sex" and "the female gender" are both grounded in uses established for more than five centuries. In the 20th century sex and gender each acquired new uses. Sex developed its "sexual intercourse" meaning in the early part of the century (now its more common meaning), and a few decades later gender gained a meaning referring to the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex, as in "gender roles." In other words, our usage of these words has evolved over the centuries (this is an expected phenomenon in the realm of languages).

The same article goes on to inform us that: Among those who study gender and sexuality, a clear delineation between sex and gender is typically prescribed, with sex as the preferred term for biological forms, and gender limited to its meanings involving behavioral, cultural, and psychological traits. In this dichotomy, the terms male and female relate only to biological forms (sex), while the terms masculine/masculinity, feminine/femininity, woman/girl, and man/boy relate only to psychological and sociocultural traits (gender). Even so, the article acknowledges that our cultural usages of these words tend to be more amorphous/fluid than the way that the scientific community uses them. And, of course, among some people of faith, anything associated with the scientific community is suspect!

In the Psychology Today article on "Gender," we read: "All humans are born with biological characteristics of sex, either male, female, or intersex. Gender, however, is a social construct and generally based on the norms, behaviors, and societal roles expected of individuals based primarily on their sex. Gender identity describes a person’s self-perceived gender, which could be male, female, or otherwise. In recent years, expanding the public understanding of gender has freed many to feel more comfortable in their own skin and live as the people they believe themselves to be. People whose gender identity corresponds to their biological sex may be referred to as cisgender. Transgender people have a gender identity that does not conform to the sex they were assigned at birth. And people whose gender identity feels neither masculine nor feminine may identify as non-binary, while those who feel no gender identity may refer to themselves as "agender." I can already hear my religious friends asking: "OK, but what does GOD have to say on the subject?" The answer to that question may surprise you.

The book of Genesis makes very clear that male and female are biological realities for the purposes of reproduction in both humans and animals (see Genesis 1). As it related to humans, we read: "So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27, NLT) Now, a cursory/superficial reading of this text will prompt some folks to say, "There you have it! Case closed. God says there are TWO genders." However, if we take this passage within the context of this particular story, and how these terms are employed throughout the Judeo-Christian Bible, we will arrive at a more nuanced and more scientifically consistent application than the superficial and simplistic interpretation would allow! In this passage we are told that BOTH genders reflect God. And, in the following chapter, we are informed that the female was made from a part of the male; and that when the two were joined together in sexual intercourse, they would become one person (Genesis 2:21-24). Finally, a little later, in God's instructions to Noah, we see that male and female were an integral part of his plan to preserve the animal kingdom aboard the ark (see Genesis 6 and 7).

Later still, in the same book, we see God commanding Abraham and his male heirs to circumcise the foreskin of their penises (Genesis 17). Indeed, this was to be the symbol of God's covenant with these ancient and culturally patriarchal Hebrews (Genesis 17:11)! Moreover, this was later stipulated to occur on the eighth day after a male child was born (Leviticus 12:3). In fact, most of the commandments of Torah were addressed to the male head of household - as women in that society were seen as completely dependent on the men. Even so, there were also specific rituals designated just for the females of that society (see Leviticus 12 and 15:19-30). Notice too that both of these rituals were related to natural biological functions of the female. These kinds of sociocultural designation for the genders also extended to things like wearing types of garments and hair length (Deuteronomy 22:5 and I Corinthians 11:14-15).

What about the spiritual/eternal application of gender from a Scriptural perspective? In the Gospels, we read that Jesus Christ told his disciples that when humans would be resurrected in the future that "they will neither marry nor be given in marriage." (Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25, and Luke 20:35) Interestingly, under the terms of the New Covenant, circumcision became a matter of a spiritual operation on the human heart - both male and female (Romans 2:28-29 and Galatians 6:15). Finally, the Apostle Paul wrote this to the saints of Galatia: "For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you." (Galatians 3:26-29, NLT) Hence, it is clear that from God's perspective sex/gender/male/female is a temporary sociocultural construct. Under that construct, women had to be silent in Church, keepers at home, etc. In God's Kingdom, we see that these artificial designations completely disappear.

Now, what about you? Does this knowledge have any impact on your thinking related to gender/sex? It should! Does it modify your views on the subject of gender identity? It should! What do you think?