Covenant Weekly

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It is an ongoing conflict that seems to be gaining steam, with each side saying some devastating things about the other. One teacher in a Toronto School Board was recently called, “the devil incarnate” due to his stance on this issue. What is this issue? Gender identity. One side argues for a hard divide between being male and female. The other side argues that gender is primarily a social construct and that the idea that we don’t identify with a gender should be celebrated. This week, I may be rushing into an issue where angels fear to tread, but here we go with the Covenant Weekly for this week.

The Be In Christ Church of Canada, in our effort to follow Jesus well, encourages us to look for something called a third way in conflicts, debates, or challenges. This doesn’t mean we always try to compromise. It doesn’t mean we don’t take a stand. What it does mean is that we approach things with a posture of examination and openness which may expose a different way of even approaching the issue.

The issue at hand in the conflict around gender seems to be primarily between two ways of thinking about gender. One way seems to emphasize something called gender essentialism. Gender essentialism suggests that God creates some individuals female and some individuals male (they usually define these things based on the appearance of physical body parts). This emphasis suggests that there are other traits that are inherent in being biologically female or biologically male and that appropriate manifestation of those traits through behaviours, activities, and attire is important.

The opposing perspective might be characterized by an emphasis on gender fluidity. The strongest proponents of this say that gender is really a social construct and that our biology has no inherent impact on our true gender identity. It encourages individuals to explore or discover their gender identity…if they have one at all! Moving between genders or remaining gender-neutral is seen as normal and natural to those who emphasize this perspective.

Before I go on, I want to clarify that I know I’m painting with broad brushes for the sake of brevity. There is a spectrum of perspectives on both sides of this debate, but as I’ve read and engaged with arguments on both sides, I’m convinced that the competing emphases of gender essentialism vs gender fluidity are at the heart of much of the debate. And both sides think the other side is dangerous in how it approaches the idea of gender.

I can’t and won’t try to solve this debate in a podcast that’s only a few minutes long, but I hope to bring a perspective that might invite us into more understanding of each other rather than division. To help with that, I’d like to read a few short verses that give the first indications of different genders in scripture. This is Genesis 1:26-28:

26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

27 So God created human beings in his own image.
    In the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

Genesis 1 is a beautiful, poetic account of the formed and filled place of creation and all that is in it. As the poem, and as creation, approaches its climax we are introduced to the creation of humanity. As a part of that, there is the introduction of the concept of gender – male and female. However we think about gender, the reality of male and female, but be acknowledged. But we also must acknowledge that both are identified with the same purpose and the same inherent identity.

Both male and female are created in the image of God. Each one truly images the God of the universe within creation. And each one needs the other to do so fully. What is the most essentially true thing about being male? You are created in the image of God. What is the most essentially true thing about being female? You are created in the image of God. What is the most essentially true thing about being human? You are created in the image of God.

Perhaps this might be a third way to approach to each other in this difficult conversation. Each one is made in the image of God.

But their alikeness goes beyond this. Both male and female are given the same mandate – the same purpose. The shared human responsibility is to care for the created order and help it to thrive. There’s nothing here about who should be the gardener or who should change the diapers or who should build the bridges or who should drive the heavy equipment or who should be the hospice nurse. Yes…God would speak words about male and female – Adam and Eve – having different roles and living in tension. But it seems important to note that when God talks about those different roles and tensions, God is describing the result of the fall of humanity…the result of us messing things up. And lots of confusion and heartache and mess came with us messing things up. I don’t think we should be surprised that our understanding of who we are at the very core of our being is impacted by the sin in the world.

A little bit of travel or even reading about other parts of the world can help us see that many of our assumptions about gender – whether we tend to emphasize gender essentialism or gender fluidity – are thoroughly shaped by our culture. Even most of our cultural assumptions have dramatically changed over the past 100-125 years.

I wonder how much conflict and struggle and confusion would be saved if we sought to celebrate and honour the shared image of God in each other instead of highlighting our perceived differences. And I wonder how much better our world would be if we sought to cooperate in living out our shared mandate instead of fighting against our shared Divine image bearers. These postures wouldn’t erase our differences, but could they reshape our engagement with them?

Reminders for this week:

• This coming Sunday is Mother’s Day. We will be seeking to honour all the women who are a part of our Covenant Family. We’ll have a small gift for you and we look forward to celebrating with you!
• As we move towards the summer, we are looking forward to offering some different kinds of experiences again this summer. We won’t be outside quite as much as we were last year, but we hope to be able to gather in different ways and places again. We want to give opportunity for us to hear from each other and worship together in different contexts. If you have some ideas for what we could do…and if you might be interested in executing those ideas…feel free to message me at jon@covenantchurch.ca!

As you go through this week, may you recognize the image of God in yourself and in others who seem very different than you. May you honour it even in those who may seem at odds with you. May you, in the words of Romans 12:18, “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.” And in so doing may you live out our collective mandate to help our world be a place of flourishing.

Peace to you as you move through this week.