Wisdom from God is pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, and full of mercy. His words are unwavering, without hypocrisy, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, which can pierce the soul and spirit. James 3:17; Hebrews 4:12-13 (RBK)
The following chapters are earmarked toward Christians, so they will have a better grasp on how to minister to those who identify themselves as homosexual or align with the LGBT Community. Some of these chapters were taken from my earlier notes taken when putting together my book, Revealing God’s Design with Love (What the Scripture tells Christians about Homosexuality and Gender Change). This book can be purchased on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble (www.barnesandnobel.com) , and the website, Destineemedia.com
I find the subjects of homosexuality and gender change to be two of the most controversial and challenging on which I have written. This was not the case in 2001 when I first wrote about homosexuality and one of its derivatives, same-sex marriage. When I presented a Biblical view of homosexuality and same-sex marriage back then, I received a lot of agreement, encouragement, and supportive comments from other Christians. Some of those comments are in this web site section under the title, Same Sex Marriage.
This has not been the case this time around. American culture has changed and now reacts with greater tolerance towards all spinoffs of homosexuality, including gender change, which was hardly on the radar back in 2001. Several Christians have cautioned and even encouraged me to reconsider writing on this subject, as I may get heavily criticized, harassed, or ridiculed. Nevertheless, I have forged ahead and written a book that focuses on what the Scriptures teach about homosexuality, gender change, and their derivatives.
These chapters explore many difficult questions about this issue, some are rhetorical, but most are not. The answers to these questions are based on Scripture and my experiences or conversations with gays and those who have changed their gender. Some were friends, acquaintances, and others participated in some of my previous ministries. In case you were wondering, I have never been gay or interested in changing my sex. I have different temptations, desires, and enticements in this life, but these are not among them.
I have noted in this work a significant divide among churches today on ways to minister to gays and the transgender person. On one end of the spectrum, some churches feel we must accept homosexuals and the transgender person as is, and not try to change them. Other churches reject and refuse to minister to those who have these sexual orientations and lifestyles. Both church philosophies have elements of rightness and wrongness in their approach to applying what they believe God would have them do according to the Scriptures.
Special notes regarding terminology
The following terms: homosexual, gay, and LGBT will be used interchangeably throughout these chapters. Homosexual is the term the Bible uses to describe a sexual relationship or attraction between those of the same gender. Gay means the same but is a more acceptable term in many societies and cultures today. The acronym LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) stands for different expressions of homosexuality and gender identity.
L-Lesbian is a female homosexual, one who experiences romantic love or sexual attraction to other females.
G-Gay is often used to describe homosexual males but can also be applied to homosexual females.
B-Bisexual identifies both males and females who have romantic and sexual desire toward both genders.
T-Transgender person is one who has chosen a gender identity that does not correspond to his or her birth sex. A transsexual is a transgender person who has undergone a medical procedure to make a gender change.
Besides homosexual, other terms found in Scripture that relate to homosexuality include effeminate and cross-dressing.
Effeminate– A boy or man who intentionally tries to display feminine traits, so he can be identified as a woman. The opposite would also be true of a woman trying to become like a man. Both are forerunners to changing one’s gender. There are those who may naturally display traits of the opposite sex, but this does not condemn them. It is only when they try and be the opposite gender that puts them in opposition to God and His design for them.
Cross-dressing– To dress in clothing that is usually worn by the opposite gender with the intent to be identified with that gender. This is yet another precursor associated with changing one’s gender.
The terms Scripture, Scriptures, Bible, Word, and Word of God are all the same and will be used throughout interchangeably.
When using the term Hollywood, I am not referring to a particular city or even the people who live in this Southern California metropolitan area, but to those who make up the news media and entertainment business. In a broad sense, ‘Hollywood” in this book also refers to those who are deemed worldly, that is, those whose lifestyles run counter to God and His written Word.
The initials RBK, which may come after a particular quoted Scripture, stands for revised by Kent, the author. I revised some verses for the sake of brevity. In the process of doing this, I worked hard to make sure the original meaning of these verses was not changed.
The quoted passages and verses within the text are usually from the New American Standard (NASB) Version.
In these chapters, all Scriptural references that appear in parenthesis can be found in my book, Revealing God’s Design with Love (What the Scripture tells Christians about Homosexuality and Gender Change), or in your Bible. In each chapter only the Scriptural references dealing with homosexuality and gender changed are listed at the end of each chapter.