jmbaehman @jmbaehman@dingdash.com

@rastites thank you.

@rastites thank you for that! You make a great point, and like you said there in the end, I hope to adequately communicate that it is out of love that I do what I do.

2. It is not respectful to a person to call them by a different pronoun. To assume it is honoring/respectful is to assume we always desire things that are honoring for ourselves, yet we ask for dishonored things all of the time. Just look at the sex culture today. For an individual to seek sex before marriage is dishonoring to his/herself. In the same way, asking someone to regard you differently that your natural sex is dishonorable to yourself.

1. To call someone by a sex other than the one that God has made them is dishonoring to God. If a potter made a vase, to call the vase a mug would be to say that the Potter was not making what he intended to make.

Alright, for everyone that discussed the transgender issues with me before, I have a couple of updates...

I have come to the belief that it is wrong to address someone by a pronoun thats inconsistent w/ their sex and this is why:

(There's not enough room so I'll post my reasons in a comment)

I met a doctor here in Richmond who ran into some BTJ missionaries while conducting his own missions. Its always nice to hear from 3rd parties about the work you guys do.

@rastites that is very helpful, thank you. It seems like a good plan. Definitely something I will keep in mind. It's there something in the bible that convinces you that to use the person's preferred pronoun would be wrong? If just like to hear other opinions on that.

@MichaelG if I could find one that directly discusses this issue, I probably wouldn't have posed the question haha😂 I guess your words "misleading" and "foolish" capture the reason for my hesitancy. But you bring up good points. This will likely be something I will have to continue to think and pray about. Just recently, I asked God why he seemed so silent in showing me a clear answer, and I quickly stumbled upon luke 11. I think he plans to make things clear eventually, just not right now.

I just want to say thank you to everyone who has responded to this so far. Each response has been helpful in stimulating my thoughts on this issue. I have found each argument compelling, and I pray that God's truth might shine in the responses. I dont expect the answer to be fully elucidated in this thread, but even still, I find it all helpful. Keep on posting if youre interested, I just wanted to put this out there. Also, please feel free to give me references. I know the text limit fills fast

@mott yeah, it feels petty to me to worry so much about simple words. But i get hung up on thinking about how Jesus would act in that situation. Like you said, its a different situation when a Christian requests this. Thats bc im not responsible for nonChristian actions (over simplified statement) However, the action im worried about is my own response which I will have to answer for. I dont think Jesus didn't mind burning bridges if it meant staying true to his character. So, should we?

@MichaelG I can see this point too. I Think in the end the question is how do i love the person best. I am not sure if rules from an employer should change how I morally act. Im inclined to say it shouldnt, but i havent thought that through. However, what it means to love someone isn't always clear cut. Jesus was painfully truthful and quick to correct at times. Granted, i dont have the wisdom to know if i should correct nor the purest intentions always at heart. Thank you for your response.

@KarMarJo57 thank you for that.

@sinbach I listened to Jordan Peterson! He's really smart. I have seen videos where he says if someone asks him to call them a specific gender he would (should it be an actual word, ie not ze and xe), but he wouldn't allow himself to be forced to do this by a government since it violates his freedom of speech. My concern is whether Jesus would call someone by anything other than their God given sex if he was asked. In the moment, it seems polite, but i have difficulty imagining Jesus do that.

@Olamide haha how fitting for the conversation. Maybe I need to switch my picture. Im the one on the right! Thank you again for the response.

@Olamide haha I think that is very fitting! That has definitely been something I've asked him a lot for recently. I appreciate the response!

I think this is my first post so I thought id begin by asking for some advice. I'm wondering what God would have me do.

Just started Medical School. I'm not sure about most schools, but my education quickly introduced me to situations that pose questions on how a Christian should act.

They teach us to ask peoples pronouns to be inclusive of those who don't identify with their birth sex. Is this showing love and consideration to others or is it fostering a lie that people want to believe?