How Is the ‘T’ Different in ‘LGBT’?

When considering the LGBT alphabet, I’m sure a lot comes to mind. On this, there are many factors to consider. First, as believers, we need to know what God’s Word says to accurately convey it in the public square. Second, as believers, we need to know what God’s Word says to appropriately behave in a way that serves as a witness to Christ, even amid the chaos of the public square.

The L, G, and B part of the rainbow party are easy enough to understand. And through further analysis, it would seem unlikely those battles will ever cease. We live in a world where each human being is made in the image of God. Now, whether they bow down to His supreme authority is a different discussion. But, nonetheless, in His image we were created. As such, we inherently seek some kind of moral order. Where that morality comes from, however, is the big philosophical question the world has been trying to answer for decades.

Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said this on his podcast, “The Briefing:” “In these days, we have rival moral structures between conservatives and progressives in one society. The progressives, by the way, of course, are winning, but you do have a moral structure everywhere you look. Even the people who say that they want no moral structure, they’re actually lying perhaps even to themselves. They just want a moral structure of their liking, a moral structure that’s consistent with their own worldview.”

So, in the case of the L, G, and B, the progressive moral standard is that you can love whoever you want to love, and nothing should interfere. But what’s rather interesting is if you take the time to analyze the T, it’s not faring as well as the other letters. As Mohler pointed out, the unchurched person is running out of “moral” arguments against homosexuality. However, with transgenderism, it’s not really a matter of morality, is it? No, at its core, it’s biological. What’s even more interesting is that there are individuals from most worldviews who are willing to admit that and defend it.

It would shock no one to say Christians and conservatives are on that list. But it may shock some that there are those on the Left who find the transgender movement ludicrous in many ways. Andrew Sullivan, a well-known activist who identifies as gay, once said, “It’s no fun being gay if you don’t know who a man is.” I’m sure a lot could be said about that statement, but it does prove the point that even those who identify as homosexual are not all on board with the gender-fluid concept.

Sullivan has been known to lean against (if not outright reject) the T. That’s because Sullivan is trying to push laws that guard the practice of homosexuality, and even he can see that the transgender movement is a hinderance — that is, until you have bought “into the idea of identity politics,” Mohler added. “[T]hen you just have to keep adding letters.”

Mohler continued, “In the last half decade, America has not grown more conservative, but you know what? Creation order is becoming more insistent.” Even though some would argue that we live in a post-Christian world, there are still many who care about what science has to say, if nothing else. But the point Mohler is making is that, even for the average unbeliever, it doesn’t take much to look at men in women’s swimsuits, competing alongside biological women, and think, “Something is just not right with this picture.”

Parents don’t want their daughters to compete against men, and even a vast number of people who have proceeded with “gender-affirming care” came to realize that their body was never made for this. The transgender movement is so irrational, I’m sure the enemy is getting a good laugh out of it. Because the nature of a movement rooted in everything that goes against basic biology is ridiculous. And yet, it’s destroying lives. So many lives.

So, what makes the T different from the L, G, and B? Mohler put it this way: “As you’re looking at L and G and B, … you are looking at arguments about sexual orientation and sexual behavior. But one of the things that makes L and G and B understandable, even coherent, is the fact that you’re talking about male and female, men and women, and we know the difference.” But the T doesn’t really belong because, rather than being based on emotion, its goal is to alter biological fact of male and female. The L, G, and B are based in the distinction of what a man and a woman is. But insert the T, and that simple distinction is gone.

The difference is subtle, but it’s helpful to acknowledge, especially as we continue to boldly proclaim biblical truths.

One thing I’ve always loved about the Apostle Paul is the way he could meet people where they’re at. In Acts 9, the Lord says Paul is his “chosen instrument” to carry the gospel message to the Gentiles. So, throughout Scripture, you read how Paul interacts with people from all over the world, and he used his education to connect with each uniquely. And as Christians today, we are called to do the same.

We are called to be educated in the truth and affectionate for God. Our love comes from Him, and we have the duty of sharing it with others. Like Paul, we need to know how to meet individual people where they are at to share the truth with them. Those walking in a homosexual or transgender lifestyle are living in lies. We need to approach the public square with boldness in proclaiming the truth of God — but we also need to address the individuals with the compassion of Christ.