One of the most popular and celebrated television sitcoms of the past few decades is a show called “Friends.” Still watched by many in reruns, it follows the life of six twenty-somethings as they set out as friends in search of love and happiness. The show highlights the way that friends help us to navigate life, for better or worse, and yet friendship on the show is a concept that is not defined. It is caught, not taught. Like the television show, many of us are guilty of taking friendship for granted. When we happen to think about it, we tend to analyze our relationships, lament our loneliness, or believe that our friendships happen by chance. We see examples in popular culture and wonder if those examples are the kinds of friendships that we should have too. Is friendship, as we experience it, the best it can be?
Friendship Matters: Honoring God in Our Relationships Chris L. Firestone and Alex H. Pierce One of the most popular and celebrated television sitcoms of the past few decades is a show called “Friends.” Still watched by many in reruns, it follows the life of six twenty-somethings as they set out as friends in search of love and happiness. Their friendships give us a good snapshot of popular culture today. They are in their mid-20s, belong to a single ethnicity, and are part of the upper-middle class. There is little cultural, generational, or religious diversity. Their sexuality is free and open. The life of friendship is portrayed by a good number of laughs peppered with libido. The show highlights the way that friends help us to navigate life, for better or worse, and yet friendship on the show is a concept that is not defined. It is caught, not taught. Like the television show, many of us are guilty of taking […]
The phenomenon of transgenderism not only provokes reactions, but inevitably raises questions – questions about what is real and questions about what is moral. The reality question boils down to this: Is it really the case that a person can be born with “the wrong body,” or is the person who feels this way simply confused at the level of their mind? The morality question follows on from this, but has numerous faces to it, as well as various legal implications. Perhaps understandably, differing answers to these questions tend to polarise people. This essay explores how we can we understand the transgender revolution from a Biblical perspective.
Responding to the Transgender Revolution by Robert S. Smith On January 30, 2017, a landmark decision was announced by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). The decision was that the BSA would now “accept and register youth in the Cub and Boy Scout programs based on the gender identity indicated on the application.”1 This is a revolutionary change. For the last century, the BSA, like single-sex schools, colleges and other gender-specific organizations, has determined eligibility for its programs based on an applicant’s birth certificate. Needless to say, it only admitted biological males. But no longer. ‘Trans-boys’ (that is, biological females who identify as boys) can now join the BSA. The change, however, is far from isolated. It is simply one of numerous similar developments taking place across the western world as part of, what many are rightly calling, “The Transgender Revolution.”2 The phenomenon of transgenderism not only provokes reactions, but inevitably raises questions – questions about what is real and […]