Does the Bible -- written thousands of years ago -- sync with today's cutting-edge sexual sensibilities? An Ohio instructor at a private research school says yes.
University of Dayton Professor Esther Brownsmith isn't happy with her state legislature's as-of-late athletic moves. In case you're unaware, the Republican Senate overrode Governor Mike DeWine's veto Wednesday and banned those with XY chromosomes from women's sports. Esther considers it cruel and is speaking out.
The professor has penned her thoughts for readers of the Dayton Daily News. A scriptural scholar, she insists 1921-born sexologist John Money's revolutionary notion of "gender identity" is blatantly in the Bible.
You may have heard of the Broadway hit "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." As it turns out, Joseph was transgender:
Joseph, we are told, wore an “amazing technicolor dreamcoat.” But it wasn’t just any coat; it was, according to 2 Samuel 13:18, the kind of clothing that young princesses used to wear. This is just one of the ways that the Bible indicates that the “shapely and beautiful” Joseph (Genesis 39:6) crossed gender boundaries, and he was not the only one...
Is scripture filled with sorts of individuals who remained in the margins for multiple millennia and then appeared en masse in the modern West? Meet more ancient gender-ideology-affirming icons:
Deborah led an army, Mordecai breastfed his cousin Esther, and Daniel was probably a eunuch.
As for the story of Esther, the eponymous Old Testament book in its entirety can be found here. Chapter 2, Verse 7 says:
When her father and mother died, Mordecai had raised her as if she were his own daughter.
Evidently, the milk-making is implied.
Moving on, the University of Dayton educator knows her stuff:
For scholars like me who research the Bible, these are just a few of the ways that scripture portrays gender as a colorful spectrum, not a rigid binary. Even God is sometimes described with feminine language, as a midwife or nursing mother. Yes, the Bible was written in a patriarchal time, but it recognizes that people reimagined and reshaped their gender identities back then—just like they do today.
Esther's article biblically supports the taking of cross-sex hormones:
As a professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of Dayton, I believe that scripture and trans rights are not at odds. To the contrary: the Bible calls for us to support society’s most vulnerable members, and that call has rarely been more urgent.
Our legislature just overturned Gov. DeWine’s veto of House Bill 68, which targets trans youths, but the fight doesn’t stop there. DeWine and the Department of Health have proposed additional new rules new rules that would effectively prohibit gender-affirming care to trans and nonbinary people of any age, by requiring them to jump through hoops (such as approval by a medical ethicist) that are arduous, if not impossible. This constitutes clear discrimination against our trans and nonbinary neighbors. ... There is abundant medical evidence that gender-affirming care saves lives and improves quality of life, and we should be enabling access to it for everyone who needs it.
RELATED: Children's Hospital Boasts 'Gender-Affirming' Hysterectomies
It's the issue of our era. No longer is "sex" the most essential identifier; "gender" has jumped ahead, and identity is everything:
College Founded in 1892 Offers Dorm for Transgender Students
San Francisco Announces Free Income — but Only for People Who Pick One of 97 New Genders
New Transgender Owner of Miss Universe Celebrates an End to It Being Run by Men
Medical School Launches Transgender Nursing Program, Cites Women's Need for Prostate Exams
Harvard Trains Medical Students to Treat Transgender 'Infants'
Back to Esther, she points to a Pew Research Poll:
A recent survey showed that fully five percent of adults under 30 identify as trans or nonbinary. ... As an Ohioan and a Christian, I want to live in a state where all people have the right to flourish in their own gender identity.
The academic advises that wrong religious beliefs not dictate policy:
Most Americans agree that religion should not dictate public policy, but these proposed rules are rooted in ingrained religious biases about gender roles. Those biases are unethical and unbiblical.
According to Esther's faculty page, she holds a Ph.D. in Ancient Near East, an MAR (Master of Arts in Religion) in Hebrew Bible, and a B.A. in Religion and Philosophy. The author of the upcoming "Gendered Violence in Biblical Narrative: The Devouring Metaphor" (pre-order price, $170) will soon lead Wednesday Evenings in Lent sessions for Christ Episcopal Church, Dayton. The installments are titled as follows:
- February 21: Joseph and the Rainbow Princess Dress
- February 28: Redefining Masculinity with Daniel the Eunuch
- March 6: “Whither Thou Goest”: Ruth’s Sapphic Steadfastness
- March 13: The Nonbinary Wisdom of Mordecai and Qohelet
- March 21: Imagining a Genderfluid God
University of Dayton isn't only a private school; it's a Catholic one. The institution and its instructor certainly aren't in line with traditional Christian teaching; but they're sure to be at home in America's ecclesiastical future.
-ALEX
See more content from me:
Christian School Hosts Retreat for BIPOCs to Survive a 'PWI' — Predominantly White Institution
Public University Promotes 'Why Pronouns Matter' Course, Tells Students It's What Employers Look For
Find all my RedState work here.
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