PMW 2017-093 by Lita Cosner (Creation Ministries, Intl.)

Introductory note by Ken Gentry
Postmillennialism is deeply interested in moral and cultural issues. This is because postmillennialism expects Christ’s victory in history, which necessarily involves righteousness and cultural stability. Yet we are witnessing the apparent collapse of Western Civilization. How does this comport with the postmillennial hope?

I will make only two brief comments in answer to this question. In a later article I will flesh this out more fully.

First, we must remember that postmillennialism does not claim either that historical progress will be witnessed relentlessly day-by-day. It is like our own personal sanctification: kingdom progress has ups-and-downs. We have come a long way since Nero’s persecution. Postmillennialism cannot be disproved until the Last Day, if its expectations do not appear by then.

Second, the current radical decline in common sense and morality could well lead to people turning to God in desperation. The absurd direction of contemporary culture cannot continue. Perhaps God is allowing this in order to demonstrate our need of him for personal morality and cultural stability. God often chastened Israel to bring her back to him. On a larger scale, he appears to be chastening the world by allowing the implications of absurdity to dominate the unbelieving worldview and its ridiculous culture.

A review of God and the Transgender Debate by Andrew T. Walker

Christians in Western culture today have to deal with subjects that even 20 years ago would have been almost unthinkable to most. And the issues of gender and sexuality are among the toughest that confront Christians today—recently, the Nashville statement was released as one attempt to define the Christian view of sex and gender. How do we maintain a biblical worldview when simply believing that there are two biological sexes, readily identifiable in humans and determined by genetics, is now considered by many to be hate speech?

Andrew T. Walker’s book God and the Transgender Debate seeks to help Christians walk through some of the complicated issues surrounding the discussion of transgender individuals. Transgender people are individuals who, though usually biologically healthy males or females, feel that they are actually the opposite sex from what their biology would indicate. So for instance, a ‘trans man’ would be a biological female who nonetheless maintains that she is male, and who seeks to alter her identity to fit that designation. Some adopt this identity very early in life, and some doctors even prescribe puberty-blocking hormones to prevent gender-confused youth from developing as normal boys and girls, making it easier to ‘transition’ to the opposite sex later.

As It Is Written: The Genesis Account Literal or Literary?
Book by Ken Gentry

Presents the exegetical evidence for Six-day Creation and against the Framework Hypothesis.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

One of the most helpful aspects of Walker’s book is that before he addresses the facts, he addresses the attitude with which we as Christians should come to the debate. He points to the compassion that Jesus showed to hurting people, even when he was correcting their unbiblical practices and ideas:

Jesus loved people. That’s important for me to remember as I write a book with the word “debate” in its title. And it’s good for you to remember as you read a book with the word “transgender” in its title. Because at its heart, this debate isn’t about a debate. It’s about people: precious people made in the image of God who are hurting, who are confused, who are angry, who are scared, who may have been told by their family that they are unwelcome. It’s about some people who are delighted with how culture has shifted when it comes to gender identity, and other people who are concerned about how culture has shifted (p. 14).

However, the grace he calls for in responding to transgender individuals does not exclude the truth taught in Scripture regarding what it means to be a man or a woman.

How we got here

To properly respond to the transgender issue, we have to understand how culture got to the place where we can be confused about such foundational truths regarding human identity. He points to various elements including the loss of Christianity’s influence in key areas of the culture and the rise of radical individualism.

The Christian’s foundation

In a context where fundamental definitions of human identity seem up for grabs, it’s necessary to return to the foundations of where the Christian worldview comes from. Walker identifies God, the Creator, as the authority. Furthermore, the Gospel shows that God is good and wants what is best for us. “A crucified Creator is a God who has the authority to tell us what to do, who has the wisdom to know what is best for us, and who has proved that he can be trusted to tell us what is best for us” (p. 44).

Furthermore, God has designed mankind as male and female. . . .

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