If all one read were these stories, it would appear that the Bible is unequivocal in its condemnation of gender expansiveness and that all of Christendom is unflinching in its interpretation of that scripture.
Nothing could be further from the truth. As scholars who have studied the Bible for decades, we believe transgender people—just like all people—are our sacred, precious, divinely cherished neighbors. There’s no reason that one narrow religious interpretation should be able to dictate policy and structure our community.
The author of Genesis writes that “male and female [God] created them” (1.27). While some point to this scripture as confirmation of a gender binary, others identify it as a rhetorical device known as a merism, used frequently throughout the Bible to describe an expansive concept.
Sure I’m aware, I just haven’t heard the specific terminology that this one paper chose.
That’s what I said. Individuals and groups can always diverge from the mainline. I’m saying that e.g. Quakers are among the groups that are the biggest thorns in the flesh of manipulating megachurch evangelicals, as the average Quaker actually gives a fuck about the teachings all Christians claim to follow.
And nothing is more dangerous for a corrupt leader than their flock noticing that there are people actually playing it straight.