What I’d Love to Say to Bruce Jenner
In Bruce Jenner’s recent TV interview with Diane Sawyer, the world-famous former athlete disclosed that “For all intents and purposes, I am a woman.” He’s being widely praised as a courageous hero for normalizing the T in LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender).
I have a few thoughts I would love to share with him over a cup of coffee:
Bruce, you said you’ve known since you were young that you felt a mismatch between your insides and your outsides: “My brain is much more female than it is male . . . that’s what my soul is.” I have no doubt this was confusing for you, as a boy so clearly athletically gifted.
May I share a different interpretation of your experience?
Most people think there is a single gender spectrum or continuum that runs from masculinity to femininity. Since God’s Word says that in the beginning, He created humankind male and female (Genesis 1:27), I think there is one spectrum for masculinity and a separate spectrum for femininity, and God chooses what kind of masculine or feminine each baby starts out as. On one end of the masculinity spectrum are the rough-and-tumble, athletic boys who tend to emotional insensitivity—the ones often called “All-American boys.” On the other end, equally masculine albeit a different kind of masculinity, are the creative, artistic, musical, emotionally sensitive boys. Boys and men can be anywhere along that spectrum. And with emotional and especially spiritual growth, they can start taking up more bandwidth. The athletic ones can learn to listen well and show empathy to others; the sensitive ones can learn to be more comfortable with their bodies and feel more like they actually belong to the world of males.
Some, like you, are given the rare gift of possessing almost the whole spectrum at once (like Jesus, I think—a “man’s man” who drew other men to Himself, and the ultimate in creative, artistic and sensitive, since He was the Creator of the universe, of sunsets, and of women!). You were crazy-gifted physically, becoming arguably the world’s best athlete in the 1976 Olympics. And at the same time, you said that you believed God gave you “the soul of a female.”
I don’t think your creative, sensitive soul is that of a female, but of a sensitive, gifted kind of male. This was understood better in earlier days. During the Civil War, General Joshua Chamberlain showed uncommon courage and leadership during the battle of Gettysburg, complemented by deep compassion and respect for others. He would walk the battlefield, seeking out and caring for the casualties. He sat down with the wounded General Sickles to try and cheer him up, who whispered, “General, you have the soul of the lion and the heart of the woman.” Chamberlain, clearly honored by this praise, returned the blessing to the one who gave it.
Bruce, I don’t think God gave you the soul of a female. I think He gave you a body and soul very much like His Son. I think it would be fair to say you have the soul of the lion and the heart of the woman, and that does not detract one whit from your masculinity.
One Christian to another, I want to encourage you to develop an eternal perspective rather than only thinking about the here-and-now earthly life. In your interview, you said, “I couldn’t take the walls constantly closing in on me. If I die. . . I’d be so mad at myself that I didn’t explore that side of me.” But the end of your earthly life is only the last step before entering the glory of eternity. We need to always put more weight on the unseen and eternal rather than the seen and temporal. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 says, “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Your unhappiness with your gender identity qualifies as “momentary, light affliction” according to the standard God uses. You will spend the rest of your (eternal) life in your new body, a resurrection body similar to the Lord Jesus’. God chose for you to be male, just as His Son was male, and is still male. So will you be, for all eternity. That should help put your earthly life into perspective.
Bruce, I say this really, really gently: your sense that you are male on the outside and female on the inside is an error of thinking and feeling, not an error based in reality. Dr. Paul McHugh is the psychiatrist who shut down the sex-change surgery program at Johns Hopkins University because they discovered that patients were actually no better off after surgery. According to Dr. McHugh, those who identify as transgender, like you, are like the 78-pound anorexic girl who looks in the mirror and sees a morbidly obese cow. It’s your thinking that needs to be adjusted, not your body. You look in the mirror with your male eyes in a male body, a body that has fathered six children, and you say, “I am really a female.” But Bruce, you’re not. God chose to create you as a male. He made you to be a man.
Like the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes, brother, you are fooling yourself. You can’t change your gender, you can only amputate perfectly healthy, functioning organs and tissue. If you move forward with surgery and continued hormone treatments, everyone will always know that you are Bruce Jenner The Once-Uber Male Athlete, trying to look like a woman.
I recently learned from a computer animator that due to the different bone structures of males and females, men can never walk like women because your hips don’t move like ours do—male hips and pelvis were not created for pregnancy and childbirth. It’s yet another evidence that true sex change is not biologically possible.
Please, Bruce, before going any further down this path, talk to those who have gone down the path you are on, and who deeply regret it. People like Walt Heyer of sexchangeregret.com. People like the very tall female-looking man who told me through tears, in a very long conversation, that he would give anything to go back to the day before his surgery because he now feels like a fraud.
Bruce, our Bible says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Since God chose to give you the gift of maleness, and He calls you to be a good steward of every gift He places in your hand (1 Corinthians 4:2), please reconsider how you can reject His gift of masculinity to the glory of God.
You can have “the soul of the lion and the heart of the woman”—and be the man God made you to be.
Sue Bohlin
Sue Bohlin is a speaker/writer and webmistress for Probe Ministries, a Christian organization that helps people to think biblically. She loves teaching women and laughing, and if those two can be combined, all the better. She also loves speaking for MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) and Stonecroft Ministries (Christian Women's Clubs) on the topic How to Handle the Things You Hate But Can't Change, based on her lifelong experience as a polio survivor. She has a freelance calligraphy business in her home studio; hand lettering was her "Proverbs 31 job" while her children were young. Sue also serves on the board of Living Hope Ministries, a Christ-centered organization that helps people struggling with unwanted homosexuality and the family members of those with same-sex attractions. Sue never met a cruise ship she didn't like, especially now that God has provided a travel scooter for getting around any ship! She is happily married to Dr. Ray Bohlin, writer and speaker on faith and science with Probe Ministries, and they have two grown sons. You can follow Sue on Twitter @suebohlin.
9 Comments
Stacie Rodriguez
Beautifully and Graciously said
Thank you Sue for lovingly and graciously putting words to this issue!
Sue Bohlin
Thank you, Stacie!
I appreciate your affirmation. I'm praying for Bruce. 🙂
Anonymous
Sue, you are a wonderful
Sue, you are a wonderful person and have wonderful insight. Thanks for posting this. God Bless
Sue Bohlin
You are kind!
Thank you so much! I am grateful for the chance to share what God showed me about the separate gender spectra for masculinity and femininity, and its impact on thinking about Bruce.
Anonymous
Very well said and with
Very well said and with compassion!
Sue Bohlin
I appreciate your comment!
Thank you so very much!
Sue
sodbuster :)
Awesome words from an Awesome woman serving an Awesome God!!!
You did an amazing job of putting to words what I was trying to think through. Thanks, Suebee
Sue Bohlin
STEEEEEEEEEEVE!!
Thanks, beloved brotherfriend! I so appreciate your warm affirmation!
Miss you!
Richard Frates
Discriminate.
Discrimination based on the Word of God is innocent, pure, and victory over deception and lies. If you do not discriminate, based on truth, you are an intellectual slave. Someone is controlling your mind. The – mind-control police – have put your brain in a cage and you no longer know the difference between – good and evil.
Christians Leaders, and Legislators, God is testing our hearts.Laws that protect and accommodate openly gay, homosexuals, are chains of injustice and knives in the backs of the righteous; those who believe God. These laws legitimize homosexual perversion and criminalize the Word of God. They inspire an army of, in your face homosexuals and those who applaud them, to demand respect and approval of their perversion, or they will accuse and attack you. A man who speaks out and calls on homosexuals and those who approve of homosexuality to repent; is condemned for discriminating. When in truth, he is attempting to save their lives. He is preaching the gospel, the message of salvation – that begins with repentance, Luke 13:1-5 “repent or perish.”
Judges compelling, states and individuals, to honor the sexual union of two men or two woman is tyrannical and queer. Religious and national leaders should call on these 5 Supreme Court Justices to resign. Because, they are writing their own radical, perverted and queer sexual opinions into national law. And thereby perverting and molding the hearts of Americans and their children into their own queer image.
America’s ruling class, legislators, judges, governors and Christian leader’s hearts – are being tested and weighed on the scales of – time and truth. The test standards are simple, on the side of time is: the screaming media carrying the banner of homosexuals demanding honor and respect for their perversion, and those who praise them. The side of truth is the Word of God.
Homosexuals, judges, our ruling elites, media, and those who praise homosexuals have failed the test. The lot of – time has fallen into their hands; our evil – times – have defeated them. Because, they have rejected – truth – God’s Word – and refuse to repent. Homosexuals demanding respect and the right to marry are hatefully mocking God’s creation of male and female, husbands and wives, Genesis 1:27. This is a real “hate crime”; they hate God and those who believe God.
A Christian responsibility when homosexuals confront them with their sin – demanding approval and respect is: to identify with God’s Word and call on them to repent. Share the love of God with them; the love of God is: the sacrificed his Son Christ Jesus that provides, forgiveness of sin through his blood. Leviticus 19:17 “Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.” Psalm 12:8 “The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.
Jesus Christ said “By your word you will be acquitted and by your words you will be condemned” Matthew 12:37. “I hate discrimination” are words that will condemn America’s ruling elites, governors, judges, media and those who approve of homosexuality. God knows the motives of your heart; and the motive for saying “I hate discrimination” is: to demand Christians honor and respect what God call evil, and then, disrespect and accuse those who believe God.
The governors of Indiana and Arkansas have already failed the test and condemned themselves. With the words “I hate discrimination” they are saying that, they hate those who believe God and would prefer that they show honor and respect for homosexuals instead of calling on them to repent. May God have mercy on them and bring them to repentance. They are rejecting Jesus Christ, the Word of God, our discriminating Creator.
Legislators and Judges mark my words: by your votes and judgments you will be acquitted or condemned. Death will be no escape from God’s Judgment; for God’s Word says, John 5:28-29 “A time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out – those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.” God treats everyone the same; calling on all to repent, Luke 13:3.
Some Christians claim “homosexuality is not a sin”. In light of God Word that is a ridiculous and false statement. The motives for making the statement is evil. Those who speak like that are seeking acceptance from homosexual and those who praise them; and they fear men, more than they fear God. Yes, they will gain the approval of the wicked; but they will also be numbered among homosexuals on the Day of Judgment.
Leviticus 20:13 “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a women, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.” No nuance here, no interpretation needed. Many other scriptures make the same type of statement; but here God not only calls it detestable by provides the specific penalty – that is death.
Homophobia: America’s leader should realize that, calling those who do not approve of homosexuality “homophobic”, is blasphemy; you are calling God insane. Homophobia in reality and in the eyes of God is: fear of offending homosexuals and those who praise and support them.
Many so called Christians and conservatives who proudly declare “I am not homophobic” are also condemning themselves. They are really stating that they do not believe or approve of God’s judgments in his Word; and are saying that they believe the Devil instead. They are seeking society’s approval not God’s approval; may God have mercy on them.
Diversity: State officials hate tolerance and diversity – only homosexuals and those who praise them are welcome in state and federal government workplaces. Government freedom of speech policy today is: America, you must approve of homosexuality and if you do not, you must keep your mouths shut.
Matthew 13:41-43 gives one description of the Day of Judgment “they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be – weeping and gnashing – of teeth. Then the righteous – those who believe God – will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” On the Day of Judgment – which group will you be numbered among? The wicked and non-discriminating, swallow whole what is vile, perverse and false; then try to force-feed their neighbors.
Richard Frates – [email protected]April 2015