The Bible is pro-transgender, according to guidance created for a Church of England lobby group.
Theological guidance for Christians claims that “not everyone in the Bible is cisgender” – their gender at birth – and says that biblical stories contain “some clear queer characters”.
Arguments for the pro-trans nature of the Bible rest on the treatment of eunuchs in scripture, and women taking part in apparently masculine activities. The guidance was produced by a campaigner who worked with a pressure group which has lobbied Church of England bishops for “radical inclusion” of sexual orientations and gender identities.
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It wants the Church to become one which “embraces unconditionally lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people”. The group lobbied bishops extensively as the Church sought to consult on issues of sexuality and gender as part of a process titled Living in Love and Faith.
It was hoped that responses to this process could push bishops to adopt a new “radical” stance ahead of the 2023 Synod.
Biblical ‘ancestors’ of trans people
The campaigner behind the guidance, Ann Reddecliffe, was also a representative for Inclusive Churches, an educational charity which lobbies for greater inclusion and is ascribed to by hundreds of churches.
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“In the Bible, the clearest example of this are eunuchs, who can be seen as the biblical ‘ancestors’ of trans people.”
The guidance states that in chapter eight of Acts, an angel is sent to instruct one of the early evangelists to go and seek an Ethiopian eunuch, who he finds reading scripture.
The evangelist, Philip, delivers the Christian messages to the Eunuch and subsequently baptises him.
‘Very male thing for a woman to do’
The guidance states that this shows that the Eunuch could be “a full member (of the Church) without having to be totally male or totally female. God called him just as he was”.
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The example given is the female judge Deborah, who despite being female leads the Israelites into battle, a “very male thing for a woman to do”.
Other extracts from the book, hosted on the website LGBTQ Faith UK which supports Changing Attitude, state that the Bible additionally “affirms gays and lesbians” and “affirms bisexuals”.
* Original Article:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/12/25/bible-pro-trans-queer-guidance-church-of-england/
