I guess we’re learning not to mess with beer drinkers! With gleeful delight, the masses are watching sales of Bud Light plummet. And now Sports Illustrated, featuring four different covers for their “Swimsuit Edition,” has a man pretending to be a woman in a bikini.1 Will irate jocks cancel subscriptions? (Somehow I doubt it.)
How is the Church to respond? Just a few thoughts:
Avoid the bandwagon. Refuse to search the internet for the misfortunes of Anheuser-Busch, and don’t chime in on the culture war tit for tat. That creates far more heat than light.
In fact, stay out of the culture war period. Are there moments where we will need to stand up and be counted? Absolutely! But choose your battles wisely.
Our context is important. As pastors and counselors, always keep in mind the victims of the Sexual Tsunami. They need to see the Church as a healing refuge—not as an ideological militia.
Prepare for the inevitable stream of wounded ones. There are already people who are detransitioning. Pastoral care for those currently mutilating their bodies should be offered with a view toward the likely regrets detransitioning teens will bring back to the fold.
Detransitioning may have been rare before 2010, but with the social contagion of Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria which has snatched up so many troubled teen girls, the trend will increase dramatically. Much heartbreak and regret will need skilled shepherd and counselors.
Remember that each person, regardless of what they do to their bodies, has been made in the image of God. That is a helpful reminder for all of life and ministry. It informs how we should view all of human life, whether in the womb or on the edge of the tomb.
Consider this insight from St. John of Kronstadt:
Do not lose yourself in gazing at the beauty of a human face, but look at the soul; do not look at a man’s clothing (the body being his temporary garment), but look at the person wearing the clothes. Do not admire the magnificence of the mansion, but look at the person who lives in it and what he is. Otherwise, you will offend the image of God in the man; you will dishonor the King by worshipping His servant and not giving Him the least amount of honor due to Him.2
This quote from a Russian Orthodox archpriest helps us to remember that every person, whether beautiful or grotesque, should be treated with the same regard and respect regardless of their looks. They each bear God’s image! Whether the swimsuit model is this disfigured man, Martha Stewart, or Heidi Klum, it is the image of God which demands our respect.
Be aware of the demonic element. The Evil One will jump on anything he can do to mar the image of God. He has wreaked havoc on the marriage bed which is an image of Christ’s love for the Church and a foreshadowing of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. And the stripping away of gender markers is an attack on the Imago Dei within us—this is definitely a part of Satan’s gameplay.
Evil spirits do not cause our problems, but they definitely pour fuel on distortions and dysfunction.
Paid subscribers have received some training on one aspect of dealing with demonic influence when praying with counselees. They’ve been equipped through special articles and once through a Zoom session. The next post will be a continuation of this article, but available to Tsunami Supporters only and will address a special prayer key for dealing with the demonic influence in this arena.
May God continue to empower us with his gifts and graces as we minister to the flood of casualties coming through our doors!
Yes, I know the term is “trans woman,” but I refuse to play that game anymore in Tsunami Surfing. I also provided a link to a conservative writer who posted the swimsuit pic. You can see for yourself how very much he looks like a woman. But I chose not to have his pic on my site.
My Life in Christ: The Spiritual Journals of St. John of Kronstadt, (Jordansville, NY: Holy Trinity Publishing, 2015) p. 18. St. John of Kronstadt (1829-1909) was a Russian Orthodox archpriest.
I try as much as possible to not be baited into culture war stuff. Do I need the green M&M to be sexy? Not really a top priority for me. Some of this stuff is just absurd. We have to acknowledge the spark of the Divine in everyone around us. Externals don't have as much meaning as we have ascribed to them.