Personal change can be so hard sometimes. We want to think differently and act differently. But we don’t. In this episode of Breaking Bread, three guests weigh in on the matter - a pastor, a psychologist, and a psychiatrist. Together, Jeff Waibel, Ted Witzig Jr. and Aaron Plattner explore the landscape of people change and provide hope that it is possible.

On divisive cultural topics like gender identity, sometimes we miss each other. Talking past each other. Unable to relate or understand with one another. To help with this understanding, Brian Sutter presents three lenses that capture three different “starting points” for the persuasions we hold.

Show Notes:

Mark Yarhouse in his book "Understanding Gender Dysphoria” presents three lenses through which we view the gender identity debate. By understanding these lenses, we will understand our persuasions and the persuasions of others better.

Integrity Lens: “There is right and wrong in the world.”

·       Intent – The view of gender being created by God as either male or female.

·       Strength – This lens focuses on identifying what scripture says and holding closely to it. It fights for truth, right belief, and holy living by proclaiming truth even when it is contrary to culture.

·       Weakness – This lens can be cold, unloving, and judgmental. It can forget that sincere individuals can struggle with these issues. It can reinforce incorrect stereotypes about the Christian church.

Disability Lens: “There are reasons for why we see brokenness in the world.”

·       Intent – This lens intends to be compassionate, understanding that all of life is touched by the fall and that human beings experience brokenness in all areas of life - including their gender.

·       Strength – This lens views individuals dealing with gender dysphoria with love and compassion. It seeks to provide information, support, counseling to help people work through gender dysphoria issues.

·       Weakness – This lens can overly identify the person dealing with gender dysphoria by their struggle. It can accidently view the individual’s life as ‘on hold’ until the individual is “cured.”

Diversity Lens: “God is love.”

·       Intent – This lens intends to understand and celebrate the uniqueness of each person while providing them with acceptance and community.

·       Strength – This lens recognizes the value of all people regardless of whether gender dysphoria is a lived experience. It doesn’t force people into molds. It desires each person to be included and loved in a caring community.

·       Weakness – This lens may elevate gender dysphoria to be the most important part of a person’s identity. It may overlook unbiblical lifestyles and may not see a need for conforming to the teachings of the Bible.

Each lens has strengths and weaknesses. We each need to understand the lens we view gender dysphoria through, mitigate its weakness and adopt the strengths in the other lenses.