Says Who?

The fascinating case of Bradley Manning, the US Soldier charged with intelligence leaks (for which he faces 35 years in prison), took a rather surprising turn yesterday, when Manning declared that actually he is a woman, named Chelsea, and it would be his/her desire to be referred to as such, and start to undergo a process of physical transformation.

This post came to mind this morning, and will infuriate some of my readers, whilst puzzling others. For some, there will be disappointment about the stance I take on this issue, for others there may be confusion as to why I am even entertaining the validity of certain theories.

The fundamental issue in all questions of identity - and one's gender identity is a key element of identity, particularly in our culture - relates to what who gets about  you. Are you, as Manning seems to be saying, whatever and whoever you say you are, or is there more nuance? Is it pre-determined, set in stone, or flexible? This is the point on which a response to Mannings desire - and the hundreds and thousands of other cases that are not quite so high-profile - must hinge.

The Christian needs to understand two things: the biblical view of what it means to be human, and thus male, female, and also what it means when there may be ambiguity and confusion. Such a view must also take in the theories and arguments of those who subscribe to what can be broadly identified as 'queer theory'. One of the best Christian engagements with this issue that I have come across is Peter Sanlon's excellent 'Plastic people', which I would highly recommend.

The Christian faith has long had a Doctrine of Imago Dei, and we must absolutely affirm that every human being has value and dignity and worth because of their existence as human beings. The same Bible that opens discussion of what it means to be human with Genesis 1:27;

"God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them"

is the same Bible that later goes on to declare powerfully in Galatians 3:28;

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus"

You see, what it means to be human, to have a body, to have identifying characteristics - indeed, and identity - is part of the threads that run through the whole Christian story. One of the oldest summaries of the Christian faith, The Apostles Creed, talks about 'the resurrection of the Body'. The 'stuff' of being human matters deeply to God. In his popular (in both level and readership!) '1 Corinthians for Everyone' respected theologian Tom Wright writes of the way this links to the Christian hope, dispelling misconceptions about the vagueness of identity, or the body as a canvas for our depraved creativity;

"As with Jesus' resurrection, so with ours: this will not be a strange distortion of our original humanity, but will be the very thing we were made for in the first place"

A coherent, Orthodox Christian perspective does not shy away from the hard questions. It recognises the damaging affects of the Fall, whilst also re-affirming and celebrating the 'Imago Dei' in everyone. I would point to a long post I wrote recently about LGBT Protestors, Ex-Gay camps, abortion, and the Royal Baby.

The aforementioned Peter Sanlon echoes something of the New Testament vision of the future in his excellent book;

"When we reach our homeland we will enjoy renewed bodies and the vision of God. Such theological realities resource true freedom - the freedom to rejoice in the dignity of our gendered, created bodies, and to help each other deal with the damage done to us by virtue of living in a sinful world"

With these central and powerful truths of the Christian hope in mind, we can briefly return to the question, as we come to a close.

Who Says?

As a broken, fallen, damaged human being, I am grateful that God loves me, and that Jesus is in the business of restoring me in Adoption by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. To simplify that sentance and apply it, basically we are all broken, all imperfect, and in need of God to tell us who we are and transform us into who we are meant to be.

I believe that God says, ultimately, who we are. My prayer is that everyone can come to an understanding of who they are in Christ, which is first of all loved, and as a result begin to unpick the labels and theories that distort and twist humanity, contributing to societal and cultural brokenness in this fallen world.

________________

I would appreciate your pushback on this blog. I realise I have touched, lightly, on a huge subject area. It is one I have been looking into, reading about, listening to, and thinking about for a long time. I've not blogged about it because it is not something I would enter into lightly. But I felt prompted, in the light of the Bradley Manning Case, to write this. Thanks for reading.