One of the most annoying and upsetting threats today is what is known as identity theft.  Someone “steals” your identity and uses it to make fraudulent purchases in your name. As frustrating as that is, it occurs to me that another form of identity theft is taking place.

There is a verse in Exodus 3:14 when Moses asks God to identify himself. Moses wants to know what to say when the sons of Israel ask who sent him.  God says to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.”

God identifies Himself as “I AM.”

In recent years, the trans movement has gained traction and has become a cultural phenomenon.  Once, gender and sex were synonymous.  Not anymore.  In today’s progressive lexicon, one may be male or female biologically but can be one of a number of different genders (the number of options seems to be growing by the day.)

The Christian worldview has a different vision from that of gender ideology. The human person is created male or female; their body and soul are united.

Gender ideology sees the body and soul separately; biological sex and gender identity do not need to align.  It describes how people perceive themselves. Once gender identity is disconnected from biological sex, people are free to define their own identities.  Gender identity is part of an ideology — gender ideology — which claims each individual has the right to:

(1) self-determine an identity regardless of sex, 

(2) modify their body to express their identity, and 

(3) demand that others affirm their new identity.  

Worshipping at the altar of personal autonomy, this new ideology insists that every person can self-identify.  God doesn’t define us; we define ourselves.  Hence, we are now beginning to hear the phrase, “I identify as….”

But when culture attempts to define reality based on personal feelings rather than empirical facts, it ignores the reality of human nature…that feelings can change.  Unfortunately, modifying one’s body to deal with soul-level heartaches is a one-way ticket to despair.

It occurs to me that this new self-identifying ideology is one that very subtly declares that man is his own god and he alone has the right to identify his/her/they/them gender. It’s as if they are saying, “I am who I say I am.”

There has been a rapid increase in our out-of-control pop culture in the number of people who identify as transgender. The reasons for this are varied.  Keep in mind, gender dysphoria is a genuine and complex condition that often leaves people feeling isolated and alienated. And while the Christian worldview believes that a more healthy and fulfilled life can only be found in finding one’s identity in God’s design, we must be sensitive and compassionate with those who struggle with gender identity.  

Our current culture is quick to condemn anyone who disagrees or fails to fully support the gender narrative. Nevertheless, Christians must reflect Christ in their response. Outrage is not a strategy. Our hallmarks must be kindness, tender hearts, compassion, patience, and empathy. And the truths we communicate must be done in a spirit of grace and gentleness.

Sadly, our current administration in the USA has sought to impede debate and  impose this new ideology through political means rather than allow for an unbiased examination by the science and medical communities.

This rush to endorse a controversial change in personal identity and a stubborn reluctance to wade slowly into irreversible surgical changes opens a Pandora’s Box with nightmare consequences.

And those who demand the right to declare, “I am who I say I am,” may someday realize that they, too, have become victims of an ideological form of identity theft.