The church needs to be a place where all such people are welcomed—with a key qualification. Being welcomed does not entail being affirmed in the beliefs or the identity one has when one walks into the sanctuary. The gospel is, according to Paul, foolishness to Greeks and an offense to Jews. In short, it contradicts human expectations and identity at the deepest level. The church can avoid offending people or appearing stupid only by abandoning the gospel. We need to understand that at the outset.

Last Sunday, a New Jersey Lutheran church celebrated the transition of its pastor from womanhood to manhood. The Rev. Rose Beeson became the Rev. Peter Beeson.

The rhetoric surrounding the move was predictable and typical of our age. The phrase “radically inclusive” was used by one congregant to describe the parish. I suspect that such “radical inclusion” is probably not as unqualified as the term suggests. Klansmen are unlikely to be included in the franchise. Nor are those who affirm the historic Christian view of marriage as between one man and one woman. It is likely that such persons will be dismissed as bigots. And I doubt very much that those who see the body as fundamental to gender—from the left or the right—will feel particularly “included,” either. T.E.R.F.s are hated by the transgender lobby as much as any right-wing crazy might be. The phrase “radically inclusive” actually means “radically exclusive in conformity with whatever the mores du jour happen to be.”

More disturbing and worthy of reflection is a comment the Rev. Beeson makes in her interview with a local news channel. She describes her transition as a way of demonstrating that Christians believe trans people are made in the image of God.

Absolutely they are. And the failure of the church to treat them accordingly is surely an indictment of the church’s testimony to her beliefs. But then, the church believes that all human beings are made in the image of God: transgender people, gays, T.E.R.F.s, Klansmen, Trump supporters, even proponents of traditional marriage.

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