Cracks are appearing in progressive ideology

Few issues have provoked more controversy in contemporary culture than the transgender ideology which asserts that individuals can define their sex for themselves irrespective of their biology.

Progressive society has largely adopted and accommodated this transgender ideology, and treated those who reject it as reactionary or oppressive. Feminists, such as Germaine Greer, who have opposed transgenderism have been cancelled and vilified.

However, it is becoming increasingly evident that transgender ideology is unworkable, causing detriment to others. This is most starkly illustrated by the case of Isla Bryson, a transgender woman convicted of two rapes in Scotland that were committed while she was a man. Isla was originally sent to a women’s prison, but after a public outcry was moved to a male prison. This case highlights the tension between what transgender ideology asserts, and what most people know to be the reality.

Faking it?

The dilemma was particularly stark in Scotland because the Scottish Government has sought to introduce legislation allowing people to legally change their gender from age 16 by mere self-assertion, without the need for any medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria. The Scottish First Minister was thus caught between her ideological conviction that ‘a trans woman is a woman’ and the practical reality that this would mean that a convicted rapist who had not undergone gender reassignment surgery would be housed with women prisoners. She justified the decision to transfer Isla Bryson to a male prison on the grounds that he was ‘almost certainly’ faking trans status, although providing no evidence for this. If gender identity is a matter of self-assertion, why does the person’s motivation matter?

Douglas Ross, the Scottish Conservative leader, raised the issue at First Minister’s Questions, stating: ‘I believe a double rapist, anyone who rapes a woman, is a man. They cannot be considered anything else.’ Whilst he is right that Isla Bryson should not be considered a woman just because he says so, his argument is just as flawed. It is not the fact that he is a rapist that should determine his gender identity. His gender identity ought to be circumscribed by his biology, not his criminality.

At the same time as these events in Scotland, World Athletics issued a new policy document proposing that transgender women can continue to compete in female international track and field events, albeit with a limit on testosterone levels. Biological women athletes have criticised these proposals because they will give athletes born male an inherent advantage. British shot putter Amelia Strickler predicted that a lot of world records would fall to trans athletes.

These stories highlight the utter confusion that has engulfed our culture because of the overthrow of biology. They show that transgender ideology is unworkable in practice. It is inconsistent to assert the truthfulness of transgender ideology and then fail to carry it to its logical conclusions because the result is manifestly unpalatable.

Christians ought be encouraged that such cracks are appearing in progressive ideology. They are inevitable because human beings are not free to remake the world, or our identities, according to our own desires. The Genesis account of creation shows God prescribing order by acts of separation, establishing immutable boundaries that cannot be crossed. Light is separated from darkness, land from sky, animals from mankind, male from female and, supremely, the creation from the Creator. Seeking to erode or cross these boundaries will not only lead to confusion but cause harm, because they are a reflection of God’s goodness. To assert our autonomy over them is to overthrow God’s sovereign rule. It is the essence of sin.

Nothing new

Ever since the Fall, human beings have been developing self-serving and sinful ideologies which seek to undermine God’s good creation purposes. These ideologies vary from age to age. We can take confidence that, whilst initially attractive and compelling because they are novel and promise freedom, such ideologies ultimately fail under the weight of their own contradictions. They do not work in the world God has created.

We should not be taken in by such human philosophies, but rather keep our confidence in God’s word. We do not need to be impatient in seeking to overthrow them but can trust that the truth will out in the end. In the meantime, we need to hold out the hope of the gospel to our confused culture, both to those who are promoting them, and to those who have been hurt by them. John Stevens is National Director of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC).