|
|
|
|
Biblical Gender IdentitySection: Intro ⋅ Single ⋅ Marriage ⋅ Adultery ⋅ Living Together Not Married ⋅ Prostitution ⋅ Cross Dressing ⋅ Homosexuality ⋅ Animals ⋅ Incest ⋅ Self ⋅ Cycle ⋅ Polygamy ⋅ Divorce ⋅ Abortion ⋅ Adoption ⋅
Disclaimers:
1. This is a mature topic only intended for people who've at least begun puberty. If you are less than 13 years old then I pray you don't have any reason to concern yourself with this yet, and you should ask a trustworthy adult before reading this. (My Family in the Bible page (here) is meant for all ages.)
2. This summary is not intended for general counseling, it is for those who want to know what the Bible says on this topic, and for those who claim the Bible is silent or says the opposite, plus a little commentary to get us started on what it means and how all this fits in a Biblical worldview. |
|
|
|
|
|
Bible Times Cultural Style |
|
|
|
|
|
Every human culture has its own style. Style is not the same as doctrine. Sometimes style shows through in scripture, even relating to gender identity. Let's contrast how some local styles are described so that fancy talking people don't confuse us that the preceding definitions of explicit immorality were just styles. Some Muslim men like to wear turbans. It may be more than fashion, I'm not certain, but the closest thing to a command on the subject in the Bible is in Exodus 28:4. Here God instructs the priests to wear turbans, but since there's a lack of explanation for what a turban is (contrast to the explain of how to build the tabernacle) it was probably already a custom of the time/area. Especially because God only instructs them that it should be linen, not wool (therefore, more valuable material, Exodus 28:39) and clean. There are 16 occurrences of the word "turban" in the NIV (here is a text search, in case you're interested). So here we have a potential dimension of gender expression, but from a Biblical worldview it's not a command to all men, so it's got nothing to do with gender identity nor expression, it's just cultural style (fashion). Muslim women are expected to wear head coverings. Sometimes entire head or body coverings.1 I had lunch with a Muslim female friend once, who was wearing one such covering to prevent me from seeing her hair, and when I asked her about it, she said it's even in the Bible that women should wear these. She was referring to 1 Corinthians 11:4-15. So Paul made some comments regarding honor, or more specifically dishonor. Dishonor is certainly bad, but not the same as immorality. When something is described as a capital crime and dishonorable, that's different than when it's just dishonorable. And when something is described for the first time as dishonorable only after Jesus died and resurrected, yet has nothing to do with Jesus, it's more likely to be just a matter of style. Jesus lived somewhere around four millennia after Adam and Eve, and one and a half millennia after Moses. God had plenty of time to tell us He cared about our hairstyle or head covering before Paul came around. So the questions are, does He care, and did He say so? Both Paul and Peter commented on women's hair styles (1 Timothy 2:9 and 1 Peter 3:3-4) which would be pointless if either of them honestly expected women to cover their heads at all times, and is contextual reinforcement that Paul's comments to the Corinthians were more context specific (ethical) than moral. (Remember, morals are universal and absolute, ethics are culture specific and relative.) Practice judging (discerning) for yourself. Here is every verse in the Bible that mentions hair, and is not just a reference to some specific person's hair or head. Hair & Head Coverings
Last Modified: Friday, December 08, 2023 |
|
|
|
|