An Anglican activist group has published a paper claiming that the Bible supports transgender ideology. It suggests that “not everyone in the Bible is cisgender” and “affirms trans, intersex and queer people.” LGBT Faith UK produces several resources in its “The Bible Affirms” all of which claim to provide proof that the Bible encourages various pieces of leftist ideology.
The paper hosted on the website, reports that the Bible includes “some clear queer characters” and highlights eunuchs and women engaging in traditionally masculine roles as examples. The title reads; “The Bible affirms trans, intersex, and queer people.” It starts by saying “Not everyone in the Bible is cisgender. Nor is everyone in the Bible biologically or anatomically male or female.”
LGBT Faith UK makes the tenuous claim that eunuchs are “biblical ancestors” of trans-identified individuals, emphasizing their role in Scripture. They cite Acts 8, a passage where an angel directs the evangelist Philip to meet a eunuch reading Scripture. Philip baptizes the eunuch. This document asserts that the eunuch was accepted as “a full member [of the Church] without having to be totally male or female. God called him just as he was.”
Eunuchs were male servants who were castrated “for the purpose of trusted servitude.” This passage asserts that there are no characters in the Bible who could be definitely identified as intersex,” “there are some characters who might be.” The document claims that in Christ’s interaction with the Samaritan woman in the Gospel of John, He is actually affirming an “intersex” person.
Ann Reddecliffe wrote the section in a book titled LGBTQ Welcome. It adds that while determining “queer characters in the Bible” can be challenging, examples such as the female judge Deborah, did “a very male thing for a woman to do.” These are not official positions held by the Church of England. LGBT Faith UK campaigns for “radical inclusion” within the Church of England and is associated with the advocacy group Changing Attitude.
The organization was founded by retired Anglican priest Colin Coward. It is opposed to the Church’s “patriarchal, heteronormative, white, western privileged culture” into one that “unconditionally embraces lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer people.” The group has tried to influence COE bishops as part of an initiative called Living in Love and Faith.
Officially the COE states that “sexual intercourse, as an expression of faithful intimacy, properly belongs within marriage exclusively,” defining marriage as a lifelong union between “one man with one woman.” More recent documents hold that it is within marriage that sexual intimacy finds its proper place.” However, the denomination has softened on a number of LGBTQ+ issues in practice.
Prominent Catholic Calvin Robinson said that “The Church of England has become very liberal in terms of divorce, sex outside marriage, same-sex relationships, transgenderism,” he told reporters. “And every time the Church tries to be more inclusive, it actually becomes more exclusive to Christianity and to Christian values, and more inclusive to worldly values and just further plummets that downward trajectory.”