Embodied: Transgender Identities, the Church, and What the Bible Has to Say
- What it means to be transgender, nonbinary, and gender-queer, and how these identities relate to being male or female
- Why most stereotypes about what it means to be a man and woman come from the culture and not the Bible
- What the Bible says about humans created in God’s image as male and female, and how this relates to transgender experiences
- Moral questions surrounding medical interventions such as sex reassignment surgery
- Which pronouns to use and how to navigate the bathroom debate
- Why more and more teens are questioning their gender
Written for Christian leaders, pastors, and parents, Embodied fills the great need for Christians to speak into the confusing and emotionally charged questions surrounding the transgender conversation.
Reviews (134)
A Welcome Tone with Flawed and Misleading Content
What is true of all Preston Sprinkle’s work is also true of this book. The tone of his writing is a welcome departure from many other books on this topic coming from those who share his theological convictions. Sprinkle strives to keep the humanity of transgender people in mind as he writes, and frames the book in a relational context. He also takes the role of both teacher and pastor throughout. This is welcome and appreciated. My disagreement is with the content of the book and the relational implications. First I’m going to talk about the theology, then about the impression he gives of the trans community, and finally about why he is setting his readers up to treat transgender people in heartbreakingly unkind ways. Sprinkle is clear about how he’s framing the discussion: “If someone experiences incongruence between their biological sex and their gender, which one determines who they are—and why?” He acknowledges that, “The Bible doesn’t directly ask and answer this question.” (p. 63) But he says God created our “sexed bodies” in Gen 1:27 and these bodies determined whether someone was male or female. In contrast, he often implies that psychological gender has more to do with gender stereotypes and emotions than anything else (ch. 3,5, & 8). Therefore, since God made our “sexed bodies,” our reproductive organs are the only morally acceptable way to determine our gender identity. This is an ontological argument. A moral imperative for transgender people flows from the way their reproductive organs were originally created by God. Theologically, this is problematic. It’s entirely possible in this life for us to have difficulties with our bodies, difficulties to which we must adapt or choose to adapt, but which are not moral in nature. It would seem God created our faces and skin in a certain way, but there is no moral implication to changing our appearance with makeup. We do a lot of creative things with how we use our bodies and tools to enhance our performance or comfort. We create prosthetics for missing limbs. If someone experiences gender dysphoria, why can’t this also be seen as a situation to which we can adapt? Why should there be an ontological moral imperative for this type of intervention, but not for others? Sprinkle returns to Gen 1:27 again and again throughout his book as evidence that “the phrase ‘male and female’ is Genesis 1:27 refers to biological sex, not gender roles or identities.” (p. 96) Yet when he spent an entire chapter talking about Gen 1:27, his conclusion was more tentative: “Whatever the image of God points to, one thing is clear: our bodies are essential to bearing God’s image.” (p. 64) Still, neither of these points demonstrates a moral imperative against being transgender. Our bodies (in part) reflect God’s image. That doesn’t mean there can be no change in how sex or gender are experienced. Otherwise, celibacy would be a violation of God’s will because Gen 1:28 says “be fruitful and multiply.” The text of Genesis 1:27 says that God created man in “his own image,” meaning that both “male and female” reflect the nature of God in some way we clearly don’t fully understand. We do know God contains all of both what it means to be male and what it means to be female. Since God is both male and female, God is not either male or female. God is not either/or, therefore we don’t need to be either/or in order to reflect God. What is meant by us reflecting God in our sexed bodies is not that they are binary, because God is not binary. Being transgender isn’t a departure from God’s image, because God contains both male and female. We don’t fail to reflect God’s image when we don’t stay in our gender lane. God doesn’t have a gender lane. This is a rather common point made by those who affirm transgender identity, and one Sprinkle would have come across, but which he leaves out of his chapter on Genesis 1:27. One thing he does address is the non-binary nature of the creation narrative. In Genesis 1 God created animals of the water and land, but this doesn’t mean there are no amphibians. God made day and night, this wasn’t meant to exclude dusk and dawn. So why is it that male and female is such a strict and unchanging category? Sprinkle did talk about this, but he very carefully framed the argument to set the bar too high. He said that the claim he has to refute is that these non-binary categories mean that the Bible was actively teaching that gender is nonbinary. He gives his reasons why the biblical author probably didn’t mean that. Fair enough. I’m sure they didn’t. But the claim isn’t that the Bible is actively teaching nonbinary gender, but that Sprinkle’s claim that the Bible is teaching and morally binding gender binary that excludes transgender identity and persists for all time is an unreasonable assumption to place on a text. Had Moses been trying to make such a point, would he really have used the same language he used throughout the chapter in which binaries were not binding? Sprinkle’s other theological points essentially make the assumption that since people are identified as “male and female” or as “men and women” both in this life and (probably) the life to come, the Bible is continuing to teach that God created us with sexed bodies that reflect the image of God. For example, he takes the fact that Jesus was a man as evidence that he was teaching us to live out our sexed bodies. “Jesus’ sexed embodiment challenges the notion that biology is irrelevant to identity.” (p. 73) Of course, no one is saying that biology is irrelevant, this is a strawman argument. What those of us who affirm transgender identity actually believe is that biology is entirely relevant, and that Sprinkle does not have a holistic understanding of biology. There is an abundance of evidence (that Sprinkle did not present) that we have an internal sense of gender identity which we receive from our brains (AKA our central nervous system). This is biological because our brains are very much in our bodies and our central nervous system literally connects to every part of our body. When Sprinkle talks about the brain and gender, he only presents evidence about fMRIs and other medical attempts to directly measure the gender identity of the brain. He says these attempts often rely on gender stereotypes, which may be true. I’m not familiar enough with this research to know. But he fails to accurately represent the broadly accepted scientific understanding, which is that gender identity and gender stereotypes are distinct. Just because we can’t measure neurological gender identity yet doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. For most of human history we couldn’t measure genetic sexual markers, that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist until we were able to verify them. Some people we consider intersex today looked exactly like transgender people until we found a biological marker. As Megan Defranza (author and documentarian) often says, the only difference between some intersex people and a transgender person is that the intersex person can point to something measurable, and the transgender person can’t. In fact, we have abundant evidence that people do have a neurological gender identity. You can read about this in Kathy Baldock’s book, “Crossing the Bridgeless Canyon,” chapter 8. But if you study this topic even a little bit, you will come across Dr. Money’s (misguided) work and other follow-up studies that show the reality of biological gender identity. We can’t identify it directly, but we can see its effects. Sprinkle excludes all this from his book, and so his conclusions are flawed. Instead, Sprinkle says that “when it comes to questions about the soul, the mind, and other immaterial aspects of human nature, we’re dealing more with philosophy and theology than we are with science. You can’t determine via CAT scan whether someone has a female soul trapped in a male body.” This statement lacks awareness that there are a variety of psychological tools based on self-report and behavior that are used regularly to draw conclusions in behavioral sciences. More disturbingly, this is a way of dismissing the gender identity that transgender people tell us they are experiencing. You can’t do a CAT scan, fair enough, but you can listen to them and believe what they say, especially in the context of an abundance of scientific evidence that neurological gender identity is real. Personally, I’m uncomfortable with the assumption that we can’t take into account what transgender people say about their own neurological gender simply because we can’t verify it with a medical test. Particularly, my Christian faith informs me that this would be a prideful posture for me to take towards transgender people. With all this as context, I return to Sprinkle’s ontological framing of the question. If one part of a person’s biology (their neurology) is communicating a gender identity that is not expected based on genital or reproductive sex, is it really appropriate to assume a moral imperative to live into one’s genital or reproductive sex even at great psychological cost? Does the Bible really teach that? I think it would be news to the people who actually wrote the Bible. Sprinkle says “I don’t think the bible is too out of touch and outdated to speak into our topic with authority.” (p. 109) But this is another strawman argument. The Bible didn’t speak to communism and social media, nor was anyone in the bible an abolitionist. That’s not because the Bible is “out of touch and outdated.” It’s because, as Sprinkle says, “We have to understand what the Bible says on its own terms, in its own context, as it addresses its own situations.” (p. 107) The fact that the “situations” of the Bible didn’t include an awareness of transgender people doesn’t mean it’s “out of touch,” it just means that it’s eternally relevant through the principles and values it teaches, not because it speaks directly to every modern question. On page 209-210 Sprinkle talks about a friend of his “who struggles with persistent gender dysphoria.” Though their reproductive physiology is female, they become deeply depressed to the point of self-harm when people persistently refer to them with she/her pronouns. Sprinkle says that they want to transition medically and live as a man, but they don’t believe it would be right or that Jesus would want them to do so. Preston uses gender-neutral pronouns for them in order to help them not fall into deep depression and self-harm. As I read this, I found myself desperately wanting them to spend time with my transgender Christian friends who also love Jesus and also strive to be faithful, rather than with Sprinkle. I know so many thriving and spiritual transgender Christians who have well-articulated the Christian faith and made peace and found wholeness body and soul. Austen Hartke is a lovely example of this, and he writes of many such people in his book “Transforming.” Sprinkle’s friend doesn’t need to struggle with persistent gender dysphoria and self-harm all because of philosophical ideas about ontology that have been mapped onto the Bible in a way the original authors surely never intended. It’s all so sad to me. As Christians, we should be spending our energy loving people, bringing healing to the world, and teaching people about the matchless love of Jesus, not struggling to survive with daily depression and frequent self-harm all so we can avoid gender transitions. That’s just not the gospel. This brief story makes it all-too-clear that Sprinkle’s theological approach has little to offer in terms of healing for transgender people. There is another important area I want to address now that I’ve talked about my theological problems with “Embodied.” If someone doesn’t have much experience with transgender people, one would get an inaccurate picture of the community after reading this book. One example is the incredible amount of space he spends discussing Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria, ROGD. Despite its name, ROGD is not a psychological condition at all. You won’t find it in the DSM. As you read about it, it seems that these are people who briefly thought they were transgender because of social groups online. There are limited stories of such people beginning the transition process. This makes a good argument for following careful protocol for adolescents who want to transition (protocols that are recommended by professional organizations and perhaps not 100% followed in some countries). It’s suspect to say ROGD is an accurate description of the transgender community. He spends a lot of time talking about this, and very little time talking about the most common transgender experiences. Also, for all the time he spends, he never says something that would be very comforting to his mostly American readers: genital surgery is not allowed in the US until a person is a legal adult. He also describes something he calls “autogynephilic trans*,” claiming he knows two people who identify this way (he originally suggested the idea to one of them). But autogynephilia is not a gender identity. It’s listed as such in the DSM V, the diagnostic manual for mental health professionals, as a paraphilia. Paraphilias involve intense and disturbing sexual arousal for inanimate objects, dead bodies, children, unconsenting adults, etc. Pedophilia is the best known paraphilia, but foot fetishes would be another example. Not all paraphilias cause harm to others as pedophilia does. Sometimes they are just mildly disturbing neurotic disorders. Because autogynephilia is a paraphilia and not a gender identity, “autogynephilic trans*” is a misnomer. Autogynephilia has nothing whatsoever to do with gender identity. It’s not a type of trans. The idea that all or most trans women are autogynephilic has been proposed and widely rejected by the scientific community, practitioners who help trans people, and trans people themselves. Even the two people Sprinkle mentioned as “autogynophilic trans*” downplayed the erotic elements. Sprinkle describes one saying, “he’s just comforted by femininity, which he experiences when he wears soft and silky female clothing.” I can certainly see why someone in a religious community that opposes transgender identity might favor autogynephilia, as it seems to make their desire to live as a woman less connected to their essential being. Instead of being an unchangeable gender identity, they could think of it as a weird impulse. But what this man is describing is “autogynophilic trans*” does not actually fit the DSM definition at all. It’s not autogynophilia. Sprinkle admits that “autogynephilic trans*” is controversial. However, this is not just controversial. It’s widely discredited. This isn’t the only perspective Sprinkle presents as just-another-way-to-be-transgender which is actually problematic, pejorative, and rejected by the majority of the trans and scientific communities. Sprinkle then takes his thesis that there are lots of ways to be transgender way too far. He told the story of a young girl who experienced horrific trauma and believed (with typically childlike naiveté) that she could have stopped it if she was a boy, and therefore wished she was a boy. After telling this tragic story, Sprinkle says “if you’ve met one transgender person, you’ve met… one transgender person.” But nothing about this story indicates transgender identity. Sprinkle is trying to link trans identity with trauma and mental illness. Sprinkle is leaving a skewed impression. He quotes youtube stars and controversial ideas not accepted by most transgender people as descriptions of what it is to be transgender. He conflates gender stereotypes with gender identity. He leaves out the main, identifying quality of being transgender, which is a persistent sense of gender identity at variance with one’s external sex. In his appendix, Sprinkle addresses the suicide risk that is so prevalent in the transgender community. He strongly implied that the suicide risk is from transgender people having mental disorders and is unrelated to their treatment by their communities. As someone who is familiar with the research in this area, I found it shocking that he ignored the robust and convincing research demonstrating confidently that bullying, transphobia, discrimination, harassment, assault, rejection, and other behaviors motivated by prejudice directly cause mental health struggles in the trans community. He even made a list of why people might be suicidal (p. 233) and while including very uncommon difficulties, he ignored the discrimination and rejection by others. It’s difficult for me to fathom how he could have accidentally missed this. He quoted a trans friend of his who said that people who commit suicide are “volatile and unstable” (p. 235) and it’s not really about things that were said to them by those who reject them. He says “suicidality can be socially contagious, which means we need to be extra sensitive in how we talk about it.” (p. 237) But he is misunderstanding the recommendations of psychologists. Suicidal behavior and thoughts are contagious. Therefore we shouldn’t do things like reading suicide notes or encourage suicidal people to describe their thoughts and feelings of suicidality to potentially suicidal people. We should also be cautious when someone commits suicide because people whom they know are at risk. However, he says that a medical professional should not tell someone they are at risk of suicide if they don’t transition. Frankly, if a medical professional believes suicide is a real risk, it would be unethical to withhold this information from their patient or their patient’s guardian. Talking about suicide risk, openly asking people if they are suicidal, and addressing it directly is the cure, not the disease. Being candid will help families make informed decisions. It may help them choose to support and affirm trans people, which is protective against suicide (and Sprinkle never acknowledges this). Instead, Sprinkle makes people feel like it’s coercive for medical professionals to be candid about suicide risk. Perhaps that has to do with his belief that “relieving someone’s suffering is not really a strong, stand-alone ethical point.” (p. 187) He seems more concerned with people violating what he believes to be the Bible’s ethical teachings. The big-picture impact of this book is a fraught relational pattern. Preston sets his readers up to have particular relationships with transgender people which could seem compassionate, but that I believe is ultimately disingenuous. He coaches his readers not to be upfront about their beliefs throughout the book. Being too upfront isn’t a good way to start a relationship. This is something he does in his other books as well. On page 195 he makes it clear. Christians should start with lots of earnest listening, but “one long-term goal of discipleship is for all believers to identify with their biological sex.” This is a relationship with an unstated agenda destined to end in either conformity to that agenda, or rejection. Whether you read Sprinkle’s book or not, I sincerely hope you read with some skepticism and don’t stop with his book. Please also read Austen Hartke’s book “Transforming,” and if you have a more scholarly bent, read Megan DeFranza’s book, “Sex Difference in Christian Theology.” And for a more balanced dialogue between different perspectives, read “Understanding Transgender Identities: Four Views.”
A lot of good exploration. Too much missing.
I’ve given “Embodied” three stars. I appreciate Preston Sprinkle’s thorough examination of the pertinent topics, his genuine Christian concern for gender dysphoric and trans persons, and encouraging Christians to welcome trans persons into their churches. For all of that, I give him five stars. For vital areas I find not fully or fairly addressed, I assign one star. As you read my reactions, know these things about me. I am a lifelong Christian. I’m as conservative and traditional as they come. I was a minister in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. I continue to hold to its doctrine, which seeks to faithfully abide by God’s Word and the Lutheran Confessions. I suffered gender dysphoria. I transitioned medically and surgically as a trans woman. I never wavered in my confession of faith. Finally, I experienced a shift in my hormones which resulted in my experiencing wholeness of self as a male. Because I went public with my situation, gender dysphoric and trans Christians contacted me, many with a similar experience: gender conflict since youth, ever worsening, striving to get rid of it, repenting it as sin, nothing helping. Suicidal ideation bedeviling us, a genuine fear of losing our minds, undergoing pastoral care and talk therapy, nothing helping. Where Preston Sprinkle writes in depth on intersex and ROGD, he only briefly notes this type of gender dysphoria (chapter 8), acknowledging “there’s probably a strong biological influence.” I appreciate the use of “biological.” He wants our foundation to be our biological sex, yet he refers to biologically-influenced gender dysphoria as a “psychological condition.” When he exhaustively addresses intersex conditions, he does not include biologically-influenced gender dysphoria. In the process, he disregards much information regarding the effects on fetuses by endocrine disruptors. Citing only one of many, in Scott Kerlin’s study of about 500 DES (diethylstilbestrol) sons, nearly half of the participants report being somewhere on the trans spectrum. I agree with Preston Sprinkle that our sex is based in biology. Many trans Christians acknowledge their biological sex and rejoice that when they are resurrected to eternal life they will be whole and healed in their biological sex. While challenging, it is possible for trans Christians to make a clear confession of faith and not deny their biological sex. From the day I publicly transitioned, I continually made known that I still considered my biological sex as male and that my transition was done as any Christian makes use of medicine and surgery to be healthy. This is a good place to discuss the thorn in the flesh, which Preston Sprinkle suggests we might have to carry by not transitioning. There are many ways to live with a thorn. While transitioning relieved my physical suffering, introduced was suffering a different thorn: ridicule and scorn from some Christians. I bore that thorn uprightly, speaking boldly my reliance on the Lord Jesus. Many trans Christians fight the good fight of the faith in Christ to the glory of God the Father. He suggests gender dysphoric persons bear their thorn by making use of means to find comfort in their biological sex. What are those means? What of those who have exhausted talk therapy, prayer, spiritual care from fellow Christians, and downright determination, only to grow worse? Who cannot live with themselves? Who are constantly pestered with suicidal ideation? What form does this means take, that it might prove fruitful for the suffering one? Many trans Christians will tell you it’s not about having enough faith in the Lord Jesus. If it were, they would have shaken gender dysphoria long ago. And it’s not about being spiritually uplifted, which works as well on their biologically-based condition as it does for those stricken with cancer. Preston Sprinkle says if Jesus had a church today it would have more trans persons than fewer. But, he doesn’t say if Jesus would accept them as trans, or if He would work to revert them to living in their birth sex. Indeed, as Sprinkle talks about trans persons being welcomed in our churches, he leaves this unsaid. When he talks about Kayla, who became a Christian and strives to live as her biological-female self, he doesn’t say whether she ceased experiencing herself as a male and that’s why she’s detransitioning. So, what was it? Guilt? Repentance over being trans? Was she accepted as trans, or only welcomed because she’s living as a female? What if she doesn’t succeed, and finds she needs to resume living as a male to ease her pain? Would she still be accepted? It might sound as if I am presuming answers. I am not. My questions arise from examining the evidence Sprinkle has provided—what he’s said, and what he’s left unsaid. Many Christians who cite Genesis 1:27, “Male and female he created them,” simplistically insist we live with the thorn without sufficient means for doing so, convict us as sinners should we transition, and then walk away, believing they’ve settled the matter. While Preston Sprinkle explored many aspects and provided much information, in the end he did the same.
Humanizing/Educational/Unifying
This book provided answers which broadened my understanding and empathy for any person who experiences incongruence between their sex and gender and have been rejected or ridiculed because of it. In this book, Lesli, Stephanie, Carol, Alan, Matt, Kat, Kyla, Benjamin, Hannah, Helena and others share part of their story and that they have not always been treated with dignity or respect by people, including people in the church. I want to believe that Chapter 1, PEOPLE, was positioned in the beginning and the title was intentionally chosen to reflect the humanity of each person mentioned throughout this book. Dr Sprinkle writes on page 21 of Chapter 1, “This book is about people. A diverse group of beautiful people created in God’s image. People who are often marginalized and misunderstood, shamed and shunned by those who don’t share their experiences. People who are infinitely valuable in God’s eyes.” In Chapter 2, Ten Thousand Genders, Dr Sprinkle explains that the term “transgender” has an umbrella nature about it. This “umbrella” concept helped sort out different terms that I’ve heard but needed clarification on: binary, non-binary, genderqueer, gender-fluid, pan-gender, cisgender, intersex, trans experience, trans ontology, Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria, autogynephilia, cross-sex hormone therapy, hormone replacement therapy and much more! Also helpful to understand, on page 32 of Chapter 2, Dr Sprinkle explains that..”not everyone who identifies as transgender experiences gender dysphoria. And not everyone who experiences gender dysphoria identifies as transgender. Gender dysphoria and transgender are not synonyms.” Dr Sprinkle includes a foundational statement for understanding and participating in this conversation, “Sex and gender are the two most important concepts in this conversation. Everything else flows from these two terms. Until we understand what sex and gender mean, we’ll be hopelessly wandering through a jungle without a compass or map.” Yes, he explains in detail the difference between these two important concepts. Here is another important foundational statement to keep in mind while reading Embodied, “If you’ve met one transgender person, you’ve met…one transgender person.” The paragraph after this statement in Chapter 3 begins with the heading, LISTENING LOVE, followed by a high-lighted phrase that makes a lot of sense, “The best way to smash exaggerated stereotypes is to get to know actual trans people and become a good listener and friend.” There is an ouch factor laced throughout this book for the church, especially, to be willing to sit down, shut up, learn, listen, and resist the urge to judge, talk or convert! Well, that’s my way of saying it. Dr. Sprinkle might rather suggest that if given the privilege of sitting down with someone from the trans community, we might enjoy a good beverage together, have a conversation, do more listening than talking and make a new friend. Amen! This book, Embodied, is full of Scriptural, medical, scientific, and philosophical concepts to highlight and underline. I learned a lot from this book! The practical application will be to remember that listening with love (listening with a heart to better know and understand the person in front of me) has the potential to create unity between the most diverse individuals. That is absolutely what Jesus did. He is our example. I need to go and do likewise.
Same hurtful message, different packaging
Embodied is a kinder, gentler version of the same basic church message that leads to society's marginalization of sexual minorities. Dr. Sprinkle does a nice job in calling out toxic, hypocritical judgement from communities of faith throughout the book (star #1), but then essentially does the same exact thing using a fancy bow of kindness as a disguise. The content is well-researched with loads of references for further study (second star), yet most readers will not do so to gain a more complete picture. Dr. Sprinkle is thus free to put a spin on his biased conclusions leaving out essential scientific information needed for exploring the full truth about gender dysphoria and conventional care. There is no balanced reporting done on the topic, at all. The sheer volume of citations is impressive, as an appeal to authority, giving the false impression of Dr. Sprinkle as an unbiased expert. It was obvious, however, to anyone well versed on this issue that Preston is certainly not unbiased. His objective was entirely known going into his literature research (i.e. protect gender binary ideal) and is argued as such. Rather than landing on conclusions that are actually based on ALL the literature, not just those that support the author's claims, the purpose was to elicit a desired outcome - DON'T transition. Any science counter to that message was either twisted in its presentation or completely omitted. In science, we call this quote mining which is essentially deception. The basic premise of the book is that intersex and gender dysphoria does happen (thank you, at least, for that), but then judgement sets in with claims that this is a result of 'The Fall' so we must adhere to prejudiced religious teaching whereby transitioning for mental health and well-being should never be affirmed. Biological sex (genitals) should ALWAYS be maintained above identity (our essence), according to Preston. He does advocate to 'be nice' (hospitable) if someone in pastoral care wishes to or has transitioned (again, thank you). But then, 'be nice' is co-opted as a means to envelop the sinner into the church so as to 'fix' them in conformity to a binary thinking on gender/genitals within a stance of repentance. Instead of moving the conversation to affirming gender/genital variation as just a normal human condition within God's glorious creation (which we know to be true, scientifically), every bit of what Dr. Sprinkle argues is done so from within the framework that biblical 'male' and biblical 'female' (genitals) are binary with a thick black line separating them - and no jumping boxes! This binary body design is basically idolized with no accommodation made in Preston's argument for 'others' to seek wholeness if born outside the two sanctioned (religious) boxes for biological sex. Those born as 'different' within this binary worldview cannot and should not seek medical relief through transitioning. Relief should come from Jesus so just be happy as you are, says this author, since (supposedly) God commands it. We would never tell those with other diverse traits such as blindness, ADHD, cleft palate, a missing limb, etc. etc. to just by happy in Christ and reject medical interventions towards a greater quality of life. Sadly, that is exactly what Dr. Preston Sprinkle asks of those afflicted with gender dysphoria, with a skewed version presented of regret statistics and appeals to parent fears to maintain this status quo. His whole argument boils down to the idea that transgender care today (hormones, surgery) is mostly harmful, which is not supported by scientific evidence. Overall, the science presented in the book is mischaracterized by leaning heavily on the stories of dissatisfied or troubled patients with absolutely no mention of the much, much higher percentage of those who experience significant relief and improved quality of life. The language in the book is super sensationalized where there is the need to convince readers that transitioning is morally wrong. Medical care that has helped so many people is falsely called nothing more than a social movement based on harmful and exploding ideology. Researchers, doctors, and patient families as the true experts working for decades with transgender medicine would wholeheartedly disagree with Dr. Preston Sprinkle's assessment. Preston instead points to the much fewer voices of dissention (i.e. Zucker, McHugh) with no or a misleading mention of current practitioners offering affirming care to patients today. Even the statistics on successful medical care as hormones and surgery is not presented accurately. The chapter on Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria is especially troubling with falsehoods throughout but, again, it appeals to parent fears so it will be well received in the target audience. At no point does Preston also provide an overview on the overwhelming scientific evidence of increased quality of life for those who do transition. Yet, he included an appendix chapter to denounce suicide statistics, thus promoting the common canard that trans* people are mentally ill and that is why they experience suicidal thoughts rather than as a result of how society treats them as being perverse and disgusting (so much so that our churches advise against being 'trans'). It sure would have been nice to also hear testimony from the large contingency of older transgender patients who have finally came to peace with who they are (now that it is safer doing so), transitioning at a later age when pretending for so long became unbearable. Or, what about any of the many story upon stories of successful transitions that began at a young age and as dysphoria was managed through medical means they are now flourishing. Only the horror stories and the repentance testimonies with a nod to bad theology are shared by this author, with the goal in doing so obvious. This book will likely be shared over and over again, praised as a significant godly work. It will do more harm than good, frankly. It literally made me cry as I thought through the message that will be received by those seeking answers as they read it. The message is essentially to reject medical intervention and lean into Christ to alleviate dysphoria. Once again, this is just another version of 'pray the gay away' that has and does cause so much heartache and shame among this marginalized group of a God's people.
Unbalanced, manipulative and harmful study
I was very excited to order this book by a NYT best-selling author, which I errantly thought would be a balanced and graceful exploration of understanding transgender from a Christian perspective. I was VERY DISAPPOINTED in it. He writes as if he is unbiased and well-researched, but he is not. The book emphasizes scary detransitioning stories rather than (the 96+%) successes, writes about rapid-onset gender dysphoria like it hasn’t been discarded as pseudo-science, and exaggerates and horrifies in his descriptions of what is going on medically age and risk-wise. Meanwhile, after scaring and shaming, he’ll give his “balance” by saying in one dismissive sentence that “some/many people disagree.” I could go on. 😡 But, in summary, I’ll leave you with this: when he says Christians might/ought to “respect” a person’s pronoun/name, he is only talking about being nice so they can get them in the church doors. He writes, “Now, as a long-term goal of discipleship, my preference is that all Christ-followers would come to see their biological sex as a divine gift and part of their identity. And maybe a trans* -identified Christian will come to this conclusion and end up using pronouns that resonate with their biological sex. This might be a long-term goal, but I don’t think it should be a short-term prerequisite.” As a Christian, and a close relative of an amazing trans young person, I am so sorry that this book will be making full acceptance even longer in coming among evangelicals.
What a Resource for the Church
Even as someone attracted to the same sex within this LGBT+/faith "world" for the better part of a decade, I realize I still have so much to learn. Especially in the realm of gender identity. What a good and necessary thing to be humbled, again and again, as we ever strive to love God and love people more passionately and effectively each day. I'm grateful for Preston's efforts to understand and empathize with the marginalized, navigating the delicate line of grace and truth. He does it better than anyone else I've read. "Embodied" (a fantastic title, by the way) follows suit with "People to be Loved" in blazing this delicate line for all of us, whether we're already "insiders" to these types of conversations or otherwise. What a resource for pastors, youth pastors, camp staff, and any Jesus-follower. What a resource for the Church.
Great primer for inviting and engaging conversation
There are many things I appreciate about how Preston approaches this book and the trans* people he has come to know, love and respect. Preston does not ask you to AGREE with him. He asks you to THINK with him. He asks you to LOVE with him. I have seen this pattern in other books Preston has written as well as his podcasts and YouTube videos. Preston does not claim to have the final word about any topic, especially one as robust and multi-faceted as the trans* conversation. He is keenly and tenderly aware that people are at the center of this conversation and this is not just some “issue” to discuss. He has been intentional and humble in his research, trying to balance people and concepts as well as possible and present compelling evidence for any of his stated viewpoints. It is unrealistic to think a single book on gender identity and trans* topics will find universal agreement on all points. However, what is not unreasonable to expect is a book that is preserves the dignity of human beings amidst debated discussion and differing viewpoints. I believe that is a strength Preston brings to the table, thus making this a book for inviting, encouraging and promoting open-hearted dialog, not closed-fisted diatribe. I referenced this already, but Preston calls out early in the book his desire to keep both people and concepts in view as he writes. Any section of a given chapter, when stripped from the context of this broader aim, can be used to misinterpret his goal. Reading the entirety of the book however will make it crystal clear that Preston has a deep and genuine heart for the trans* community as he wrestles with the questions that are often at the center of the conversations around gender identity. Preston does not try to give simplistic answers or oversimplify the concerns of others. I appreciate his blend of candor, humility and scholarship - all of which combine to make this book a great read for people who truly want to have a starting point (NOT an ending point) for understanding and conversation. I find one of the most important things in any conversation (especially one as highly charged as gender identity) is defining language and terms. Our brains naturally bring our own meaning to words, because we have all had different experiences, heard different conversations and known different people. Early in the book, Preston defines terms so that the language he uses will be consistent throughout the book. This is crucial in order to understand what he means in later chapters when he uses certain words. Preston does this well. I would say the overarching reason I give this book a 5-star review is that it truly is a book which invites conversation rather than claiming to have the trans* conversation neatly buttoned-up. If there is anything we need in our culture, country and world today, it is the ability to have better conversations of curiosity (which does not mean lack of conviction or confidence) that allow voices to be heard, questions to be asked, people to be valued and differences to be respected. We must be able to do that well, moving through any tensions we might feel, and serve as a bridge not a barrier to deeper relationships with others.
Compassionate, Challenging, and Crucial to the Transgender Conversation
“With people in mind…” That is just the beginning of a sentence that stuck in my heart and mind. That is what reading Emodied did for me. It constantly reminded me of the humanity behind a very complex conversation. Preston is one of my favorite go to voices in the area of sexuality and gender and I am constantly learning from the many resources where his work is found. In this book, I was challenged to think and evaluate what is being fed through the culture, the culture of the church included. He explains what it means to be transgender and what a big category that is. He defines many key terms, making this a reference book that will stay in my library for many years to come. He does all this while also delivering on the subtitle promise covering “what the Bible has to say.” My eyes were open to gender identity and was shown as I worked through each chapter with stories, through data, and through scripture, how little I knew before starting this journey. You can see in the notes section, the size of a chapter itself, how much research went into presenting the material with such attention to detail and various viewpoints. You can hear his heart as he walks the tension of truth and grace and pleads with us to do the same. The conclusion alone is worth its weight in gold! I actually read it first, read it again in its proper place at the end, and have read it a few times since then. There is not a person trying to follow Jesus well that should not be called to action, beginning with an examination of our own heart. To quote from that chapter, “Posture is crucial in this conversation.” What we front as the church and individuals, should always be love. I highly recommend reading this book no matter where you stand, or what you think you know about transgender identities. Just do the world a favor, open the pages and prepare to read, with real people in mind.
Clarifying and Compassionate
In this book, Preston Sprinkle addresses “the universe” of fact and fiction, Science and Scripture, thoughtful responses and reflexive reactions that surround persons experiencing some form of gender dysphoria—a sense of incongruity between their biologically sexed body and their sense of gendered identity. As he does, he outlines the basics of the sciences—biological, neurological, psychological—and what conclusions can at present be confidently drawn, what questions remain outstanding, and where the data are mixed or ambiguous. Dr. Sprinkle also outlines the cultural, social and political dynamics that surround the experiences of trans persons and that condition the varied responses they encounter from others. These dynamics provide important context for understanding the marked increase of people experiencing gender dysphoria and self-identifying as trans. Dr. Sprinkle carefully considers relevant passages and themes of Scripture, within their contexts, and synthesizes them as a basis for asking the right questions in appropriate ways and then drawing out teachings and principles from the Bible that provide a basis for answering them. Throughout his survey of biblical materials, the personal character (or heart) of God and God’s intentions for humankind, especially as revealed in Jesus, orients the discussion. Notably, the actual lived experience of trans-persons is never far from the discussion. Whatever insights or perspectives arise from the sciences, the socio-cultural-political context, or the examination of scripture, they all inform the same primary goal: to understand and respond well to trans persons in ways that honor and respect their dignity and the kind of Lord and Savior Jesus is. Here are several matters of focus I find especially helpful. Dr. Sprinkle models an open and eager pursuit of understanding of all facets of trans-experience yet exercises appropriate caution regarding how to apply scientific findings. He explores multiple sides of the issue, citing numerous credible sources, asks questions and proposes possible answers. The notes are full of sources for further study. Along the way, he provides helpful definitions and explanations of terms commonly used but sometimes misunderstood whenever trans-discussions occur. In his treatment of the biblical materials, Sprinkle demonstrates his desire to speak faithfully from the Bible not as law code, but as the story that reveals who we are meant but have failed to be, and how God responds through Jesus and the Spirit, within the community of Jesus' Family, the church. In a world full of outrage, he calls followers of Jesus to the outrageous love of God embodied in Jesus and his people; a love that seeks truly to understand and enter into the lived experiences of others, not least that of trans-persons, and that offers such embodied love as critical to the healing needed both by trans and non-trans-persons.
Thought provoking, biblical content
In his book, Embodied, Preston delicately but honestly applies biblical truth to one of the most prevalent conversations today. Time and again he reminded us that we are not talking about some theological issue or debate, but we are talking about our friends, neighbors, family members, and most of all, brothers and sisters in Christ. Preston's writing is easy to read for someone who is just beginning to learn about this conversation, but still engaging and thought provoking for someone who is well versed and thinks they know it all (as I quickly learned, I don't). Preston is a thoughtful researcher, and desires nothing more than to be truthful and honest. From his several page endnotes (more than I have ever seen in a book of this kind), to his honesty about some potentially biased research study results, he makes sure that no page goes unturned in pursuit of finding answers. Does this book have all the answers? Of course not, but it is an amazing start.
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