Metaphysical Transgenderism | Evangelization by Wood Paneling: The Galli Report

Metaphysical Transgenderism | Evangelization by Wood Paneling | [View online]( [Give Now]( Advertisement [The Galli Report]( [Home]( [Podcast]( [Subscribe]( Friday, April 6, 2018 Metaphysical Transgenderism That’s a mouthful, and it should not be confused with people who genuinely suffer from gender dysphoria. But the issue has become an “ism,” and this is confusing the conversation about what it means to be human. [The Disappearance of Desire,]( this week’s long read, from Commentary, ponders the place we find ourselves: Now we have the necessary elements to put together the vision of the human person offered by the trans movement. Each person has a strong innate sense of gender that, according to the activists, may or may not align with his or her physical sex. When the two don’t align, we are dealing, in essence, with brains or minds that are trapped in bodies with the wrong sex organs. It is incumbent on the rest of us, then, to recognize the “true” self that is so trapped and help it break free from the prison of the body. This is a profoundly metaphysical, even spiritual, vision. Two More Good Pieces from Holy Week—And Still Worth Reading after Easter! [Is the Wrath of God Really Satisfying? God’s anger against sin is real on Good Friday, but he doesn’t “turn his face away” from the Cross]( by Thomas H. McCall [Taste and See that the Lord’s Supper Is Good: A biblical understanding of food whets our appetites for the fullness of the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday](, by Peter Leithart ‘Papal Murk’ That’s the phrase that characterizes Ross Douthat’s evaluation of Francis’s pontificate so far. This, at least, according to [a review by Rod Dreher,]( summarized as “His new book says Francis’s pontificate is a revolutionary moment, one that’s left the Church in dark and uncharted waters.” So we have two conservatives commenting on a liberal pope, so it’s not quite fair, but their analysis is nonetheless worth the time of Protestant readers. As Dreher puts it: Any Christian or secular conservative who cares about the stability of Western civilization cannot be indifferent to the fate of the institution that, more than any other, created it. The Orthodox Church is alien to the West, and Protestantism has become far too fragmented and rootless to hold things together. The cultural critic Camille Paglia, a lesbian atheist who sees things more clearly than many Catholics, [told the Jesuit journal](America that even though she strongly supports the Sexual Revolution, if Francis’s Church “trims its doctrine for politically correct convenience, it will no longer be Catholic.” Evangelization by Wood Paneling Comedian John Crist on [the décor that will make for church growth.]( Too late for this Easter for your church, but maybe by next year! Grace and Peace, [Mark Galli] [Mark Galli] [Mark Galli](mailto:GalliReport@christianitytoday.com) Editor-in-Chief, Christianity Today Advertisement More from Christianity Today [Is the Wrath of God Really Satisfying?]( Theology [Is the Wrath of God Really Satisfying?]( God’s anger against sin is real on Good Friday, but he doesn’t “turn his face away” from the Cross. Thomas H. McCall [Read More]( [Taste and See That the Lord’s Supper Is Good]( Theology [Taste and See That the Lord’s Supper Is Good]( A biblical understanding of food whets our appetite for the fullness of the Lord's Supper on Maundy Thursday. Peter Leithart [Read More]( [The Incredible Hospitality of Good Friday]( Theology [The Incredible Hospitality of Good Friday]( Jesus’ death demonstrates God’s love for outsiders, enemies, and strangers. Krish Kandiah [Read More]( [View All of our Latest]( In the magazine [Remembering Billy Graham - April]( [Cover Story]( [How a Humble Evangelist Changed Christianity As We Know It]( Churches were divided. Believers eschewed cultural influence. Liberal modernism was on the move. Then God made Billy Graham. [Lead Us Not Into Scandal]( [Rick Warren: What I Learned from Billy]( [View Full Issue]( [Subscribe Now]( Related Newsletters [CT Books Newsletter](ctbooks/subscribe.html) Each issue contains up-to-date, insightful information about today’s culture, plus analysis of books important to the evangelical thinker. [Sign Up Now](ctbooks/subscribe.html) [Christianity Today Connection Newsletter](connection/subscribe.html) Get the inside story with this official newsletter of the global media ministry. [Sign Up Now](connection/subscribe.html) Advertisement Follow Us: [Follow on Facebook]( [Follow on Twitter]( [RSS]( Want to stay informed but a little short on free time? Try The Galli Report, a weekly newsletter giving you 5 must-read articles for thought leaders handpicked by CT Editor Mark Galli. The Galli Report Delivered free via email to subscribers Weekly. [Subscribe]( to this newsletter. You are currently subscribed as {EMAIL}. [Subscribe]( to more newsletters like this. 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