The change. Shortly after celebrating its 10-year anniversary on February 4, Facebook celebrated another milestone: it expanded its gender options beyond just male and female. Now users are presented with an array of over 50 options. Besides the well-known “trans-” and “bi-” genders, Facebook includes “gender conforming,” “non-binary,” “gender fluid,” and “cisgender,” to name a few.
As stated on their Facebook Diversity Page, this change is part of their goal to make users “comfortable being [their] true, authentic self,” of which an important aspect is “the expression of gender, especially when it extends beyond the definitions of just ‘male’ or ‘female.’”
Why is this significant? As an online venue for human expression and interaction, Facebook is merely reflecting a cultural phenomenon that has been on the march with increasing fervor for the past several years: the normalization of alternatives to “traditional” sexuality. If we are surprised at all, we should be surprised at how long it took for Facebook to make this change (Facebook’s old competitor, MySpace, had other options a long time ago). In a sense, then, Facebook is a weathervane, pointing the direction that the cultural winds blow.
But in expanding these gender options, Facebook reveals itself to be more than a culture indicator. It is a culture shaper. Imagine that excited young Facebook initiate. It’s his 13th birthday, and he’s setting up his profile. When he gets to the part where he indicates his gender, he must decide among—not two, but three—options: “boy,” “girl,” and “custom.” It’s a choice that conflicts with what little but certain knowledge he has about human biology. Yet the message is clear: gender or sexual orientation can be “custom,” based on internal, psychological factors rather than clear biological indicators.
Can sexuality be “custom?” Let’s step away from Facebook and evaluate the cultural message it echoes. Should one’s sexuality be conceived of in terms of internal, psychological factors rather than biological and physiological factors?
One response might be to celebrate this way of thinking about sexuality. After all, someone might say, it’s unfair to lump people into one category or another based on just their sex organs. Only the individual can truly know or decide whether that individual feels more comfortable as a girl or a boy, or whether he/she has attractions for one sex or the other, or both. These ideas are reflected in the words of a former GLAAD vice president who commended Facebook’s change by saying, “Facebook’s new gender options will make a difference to many transgender and gender nonconforming users, who are now empowered to accurately describe their own identities on the platform.” From this perspective, abandoning the biologically determined, restrictive view of sexuality appears to be a move toward more authenticity, freedom, and human autonomy.
But if we take Scripture at face value and let it inform how we think about sexuality, we must reject this psychological, subjective view. The Bible teaches us that when God created humans, he made one fundamental distinction: male and female. This distinction is good and necessary, not only because God created it, but also because it is an aspect of his image in us (“in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them,” Genesis 1:27). A person’s sexuality is rooted in God’s creative act, and thus it is determined and manifest in a biological way. In addition, the desires that come with maleness or femaleness are good when properly directed (Proverbs 5:18-20).
What about desires? This is not to turn a blind eye to the reality that many people experience same-sex attractions. Rather, it affirms that any desire—whether for food, wealth or sex—must be evaluated by God’s stated purposes and mandates. A married man might find another woman sexually attractive. But he must evaluate that desire in the light of God’s Word (Matthew 5:28). Similarly, a person who experiences same-sex attraction must evaluate that desire biblically. God’s word clearly indicates that following same-sex desire conflicts with his intention for human sexuality (Romans 1:26-27).
Desires are real. But they can’t tell us what is right. Our inner cravings and personal constitution might point to legitimate needs, but the final word on whether we should run after our desires must be the Word of God. The failure of the psychological, subjective view of sexuality is that it reduces humans to their desires. In this view, we are most fulfilled when pursuing and achieving our desires, and most harmed when blocked from pursuing them. Romans 1:26-27 presents a different picture about the pursuit of our desires. Unmoored from God’s standards, the unhindered pursuit of desires is judgment, not fulfillment. Thankfully, God’s grace has the power to transform a person’s desires and destiny.
How should we respond? Facebook’s expanding its gender options is just one of many indicators that our culture is rapidly embracing alternate conceptions of sexuality. The Biblical conceptions of gender, sexuality and marriage are becoming increasingly unpopular and caricatured. Christians who hold to the “traditional” perspective are seen to be motivated by fear and hatred. Meanwhile many Christians have opted for new approaches in reading the Bible that scrape it clean of any censure of homosexual relationships. In light of these things, what should be the response of Christians who believe what the Scripture truly teaches about human sexuality? I’ll suggest three things.
1. We must keep central our mission to proclaim the good news about Jesus.
When our convictions are unpopular, it’s tempting to either retreat into a subculture or surrender those unpopular convictions. Either response will distract us from our central mission to be witnesses of Christ (Acts 1:8).
2. We must teach our children what the Bible says about sexuality.
As our culture increasingly embraces alternate conceptions of sexuality, it will be increasingly important to explain to our children—at earlier and earlier ages—the true nature of love, marriage and what it means to be a man or woman. Parents should demonstrate to their children that they hold these beliefs because the Bible teaches it, not because they don’t like those who believe differently.
3. We must showcase Biblical sexuality by building strong, loving marriages.
No Christian marriage should give anyone a reason to look elsewhere for satisfying love. May our marriages reflect the mutual love of Christ and his church (Ephesians 5:22-33)!
