Pastor: "I'm Giving Up Pretending To Be a Man"

'I'm giving up pretending to be a man,' the pastor told his congregation, as he threw on a wig. I am 'transitioning,' he told them, while encouraging them to walk this path of transition with him.  

A statement on the church's web page says, "Our vision is to 'live the Gospel of Jesus Christ' and to be God’s love with our neighbors in all places."

It never ceases to amaze how people can decide the path they are going to personally take, then bend Scripture to support their actions.

Be informed, not misled.

Joseph MacKinnon, writing for the Blaze, says, "The woke pastor of the North Chili United Methodist Church in Upstate New York recently surprised his congregation with the news that he plans to masquerade as a woman full-time and take cross-sex drugs."

No longer sporting the beard he wore in his headshot photo on the United Methodist of Upper New York website, Rev. Phillip Phaneuf, 51, donned rainbow stoles and told his congregation on Nov. 23, "I am inviting you to join me in a season of creative transformation for myself and, I think, for all of us."

"I'm transitioning. I'm affirming and saying to all of you that I am transgender," continued Phaneuf. "The best way to put this is that I'm not becoming a woman; I'm giving up pretending to be a man."

The Methodist pastor, who is hardly the UMC's first transvestite pastor, called for the Holy Spirit's involvement in the process and cautioned his parishioners about the "fear of the unknown" in such circumstances.

He "cautioned his parishioners about the fear of the unknown?"

Stop!

There is nothing about what he's doing that's "unknown."

And the Holy Spirit is not involved in his rebellious venture.

MacKinnon says, "In an apparent attempt to assuage such fear, Phaneuf told churchgoers that while he's changing his name to 'Phillippa,' they could still call him 'Phil'; that his personality wouldn't change; and that he would continue to prioritize 'belonging.' He noted, however, that he was now identifying as an 'asexual' and that his face, name, body hair, voice, and clothes would change — adding that there is no such thing as 'girls' clothes or boys' clothes.'"

He says, "Phaneuf — who claims his pronouns are now 'she, her' — said that he wouldn't become the "pronoun police," as he expects that no one will 'misgender or mispronoun out of malice'."

And he says, "The legacy media appears keen to respect Phaneuf's wishes, with even the New York Post playing along and Fox News Digital refraining from using his correct pronouns."

Phaneuf told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the details of the transition process are accurate and that the community has been extremely welcoming.

"Since coming out to my congregation, they have been overwhelmingly affirming!" Phaneuf said.

The pastor said the bishop, church, and theology support the transition, noting that the bishop was consulted before the announcement and that any pastoral duties at the church will not be affected. "What will stay the same is my deepening love for all of you," Phaneuf said.

The 51-year-old’s parents, however, do not support the decision. "They asked me to tell you all that they do not support me," Phaneuf announced during the sermon. "They asked me to tell you this."

"Theology", if he means biblical teaching, joins his parents.

Via Got Questions:

Although sex-change operations are not specifically mentioned in Scripture, human sexuality is spelled out clearly, starting in Genesis: "So God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them. God blessed them and told them, multiply and fill the earth and subdue it" (Genesis 1:27-28a). Genesis 1:31 tells us that His creation was excellent in every way. To say that gender does not matter is to disagree with God’s design for creation and His proclamation that it was very good.

God is also very clear about appropriate sexual behavior. Sex is to be had and enjoyed in a monogamous marriage relationship between a man and a woman (1 Corinthians 7:2; Hebrews 13:4). Homosexual behavior is wrong (Genesis 19:1-13; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9). Cross-dressing is unacceptable (Deuteronomy 22:5). God talks about gender roles as well, such as male headship of the home and church (Ephesians 5:21-33). However, the Bible does not discuss culturally stereotypical gender roles. In fact, it gives a full view of personhood. While keeping the male-female distinction clear, the Bible provides multiple examples of men and women who are both nurturers and courageous leaders (such as David and the Proverbs 31 wife). Nowhere does the Bible imply that a person’s sex is negotiable or optional. The Bible affirms both males and females in their worth and their personhood. People’s gender matters, but we are not merely sexual beings (Galatians 3:23-29). It would seem, then, that sex-change procedures are not biblically acceptable.

Takeaway

The Scripture teaches that God created each person in His Image, male and female (Genesis 1:26-27). God did not set His Image on the birds, the animals, the sunset, the ocean, or the forest—He set it on people. There is a distinction between men and women in the first chapter of the Bible, and this distinction is not one we gave ourselves or created ourselves. It is a distinction God gave. There is no biochemical evidence or a hormonal cause in the body for one being transgender, so transgender advocates argue that gender is independent of the body.

In the transgender movement, feelings of gender are divided from objective, physical sex. Yet, the Scripture’s view of personhood is a high view of the body, with body and soul gloriously connected. We are created in His Image, our bodies are gifts from God, the bodies of believers are temples of the Spirit, and one day every believer will be with Jesus in a renewed and glorified body. The Christian faith has such a high view of the body because Jesus, God the Son, entered our world in a human body and right now He is in a glorified body.

God is the Designer who has authority. Happiness comes when we follow Him and His design—not when we rebel against Him.

The world is saying, “If you face gender dysphoria, then listen to your mind and change your body.” The Scripture says, “offer your body to God and allow Him to transform your mind” (Romans 12:1-2). The transgender movement says to resolve the tension by changing your body. The Scripture says you may live with tension while allowing God to transform your mind.

We are not what we think we are. We are what God says we are, "Male" or "Female."

Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Prayerful.