Gender Diversity Training & Muslim Prayer Time in School
“A teacher’s union demanded that teachers be provided ‘gender diversity training’ to protect the teachers from illegally using the ‘wrong pronouns’. What should Christians think about this?
A Maryland high school was in the news for allowing Muslim students to skip class time in order to pray for eight minutes, but only if their grades are good. What should Christians think about this?”
This was the promotional blurb used to promote an episode of The Faith Debate radio program that aired in 2017.
Pushback
I am used to receiving feedback (both positive and negative) on the shows that I host and produce. In this case, I received feedback on the promotional blurb before anyone had even listened to the show. One former friend wrote:
“It’s an interesting way of phrasing it in your comments… ‘What *should* Christians think about this’. That seems to imply that there is one single proper way of thinking about this for all Christians.”
The man who made this comment identifies as a Christian, but in the spirit of full-disclosure, he “unfriended” me on social media in 2021 because he became increasingly intolerant of my consistent habit of posting the truth (even when the truth is unpopular). Even way back in 2017 I had a sense of why he was pushing back on what I wrote in my post, but I thought it wise to seek clarification. So, I asked, “Out of curiosity, are you specifically referencing the ‘gender’ question or the ‘prayer’ question? Or both?”
He responded with the expected motte-and-bailey maneuver, answering, “Neither really. Just thought it was an interesting use of the word ‘should’. But I get it – it’s a debate.”
A Peacemaker Attempts to Help
This is when another friend jumped into to comment thread to write:
“I think Troy is asking Christians because they can have diverse differences of opinion about this issue, and he is opening a conversation. Christians come in many different flavors. From Liberal to Ultra-conservative. They all share the basic belief of love God, love each other, and salvation is found through Christ. I personally have no problem allowing Muslims prayer time as long as Christians are afforded the same. I do have a problem with it being grade dependent. I completely disagree with the gender-neutral phrasing. Men and women are very different.”
My former friend engaged my current friend by responding:
“Yeah I get that, but I was just pointing out the use of the word *should*. Instead of just asking ‘what do Christians think about this?’, he asked, ‘What *should* Christians think about this?’. Those are completely different. The use of the word *should* implies that there is one single correct way of thinking about this for all Christians.”
I buttoned up my thoughts in the thread with this:
“Asking what Christians ‘do’ think about something would be a research project. Asking what Christians ‘should’ think about something makes it a point for debate. Hence, I asked the ‘should’ question. It is ‘The Frederick Faith Debate’ after all.”
Incidentally, “thinking biblically” is the one single correct way of thinking about things for all real Christians.
The Follow-Up Got a Different Response
The next post promoted another episode of The Faith Debate” titled, “BANNED! Pregnant Teen from Graduation Ceremony, Bible Verses from Christian School, Jehovah’s Witnesses from Russia”. It read:
“A Hagerstown Christian school kept a pregnant student from participating in commencement because she had premarital sex. Critics say the school would’ve never found out about the sex if the student opted for an abortion, meaning that she was punished for being pro-life. How could this have been handled differently?
The government told a Canadian Christian school to remove ‘offensive’ Bible verses from its student handbook? So, the school did. Where could this lead in the future? Could this happen in the United States?
Russia’s Supreme Court ordered the disbanding of Jehovah’s Witnesses, forcing the closure of nearly 400 chapters, with the Russian government taking ownership of all the properties (known as Kingdom Halls). What are the legal protections against this happening in America?”
Interestingly, this post received zero comments, but netted more shares and reactions than the previous post. It’s difficult to know what to make of these odd social media metrics.
Not All That Much Has Changed, Really
For what it’s worth, my experience was similar with the very next show, as well. I posted a promotional blurb headlined: “Jesus Named King in Poland! Clergy Arrested in Washington DC!” This was followed by:
“Leaders in the Polish government declare that their country is under the protection of the ‘immaculate heart of Mother Mary’. Bishops in Poland, with support of the Polish president, pronounce that their country’s king is Jesus Christ. The governing party (known as the Law & Justice Party) move to knit the church and state closer together. What is a biblical response to this?
Fifty interfaith protesters gathered in the nation’s Capitol to voice opposition to Medicaid cuts in the GOP healthcare bill. Eleven of the protesters, including clergy members were arrested outside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office. Should pastors focus on such things?”
I share this here in this blog mostly to make note that Christian Nationalism instincts within Western Civilization were already in evidence long before 2020.
By the way, receiving negative feedback is not a problem for me. Never has been, likely never will be. But the positive feedback is always appreciated. One person sharing my post added these thoughts to explain why they reposted:
“Great topic, and thoughtful questions up for discussion, might potentially touch on the religious clauses of the First Amendment. Remember that listening to ideas, asking questions, and self-educating ourselves is a critical part of being involved as responsible citizens. Thoughtful discussions like this on how we as a society weigh and balance competing freedoms, protections, and values in America are what we all need more of in our lives.”
Ahead of Our Time?
Reviewing these older show descriptions seems to demonstrate that The Faith Debate has long been ahead of the curve regarding social discourse. The reality is that this is to be expected when the conversations tend to center around eternal truths, even when addressing “hot topics” such as:
“Evangelical Leaders Pray With Donald Trump – North Carolina Commissioners Told Not to Pray”
The blurb for this episode read:
“In July of 2017 a number of Protestant Pastors and other prominent Christians made an unscheduled visit to the Oval Office to ‘lay on hands’ and pray for the president. Some have raised concern based upon the separation of church and state. Are these concerns valid?
Also in July the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that elected officials in North Carolina violated the Constitution by opening meetings with Christian prayers. Some have raised concern based upon the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. Are these concerns valid?”
And there’s this one:
“Senior Citizen Churchgoer Shunned By LGBT Supporters & Canada On Its Way to a Genderless Society”
The show description said:
“A Unitarian Church in Massachusetts flew a rainbow flag in support of the LGBT community. An 85-year old who had been a member of that church for 25 years said she did not think that was right, because she has seen friends die with HIV and AIDS. The response from her townsfolk and from the editors of the local newspapers has reportedly been an effort to silence her. The panel weighs in.
Also, a baby in British Columbia is given an ID listing the sex as ‘U’ (instead of either ‘M’ of ‘F’). Gender-neutral birth certificates could be the norm in Ontario as soon at 2018. In parts of Canada health cards are already ‘gender-free’ and driver’s licenses have ‘X’ as an option for biological sex designation. Again, the panel weighs in.”
If you happen to be interested in hearing the episodes of The Faith Debate mentioned within this blog article, they all exist as podcasts on the Household of Faith in Christ channel found on SermonAudio and the Household of Faith in Christ channel found on Odysee.
Saving What’s Left for Last
Back then The Faith Debate show also addressed “The Theology of ‘The Shack’”. This was a good evergreen series of programs. If you have not heard them, you are encouraged to give them a listen. William Paul Young’s book has now sold more than 22 million copies. The movie was in theaters worldwide in early 2017, and is now available on DVD and streaming platforms. So, the story has had wide distribution, and exceptional influence on the theological beliefs of many people. Is the theology of “The Shack” biblical? I take the “black hat” position and my guests take the “white hat” position.
If you do go looking for the old editions of The Faith Debate, you might notice that there is no audio for certain weeks. In some cases this is because the audio has been lost or corrupted. However, there have been very rare occasions when the show was preempted for things such as Baltimore Ravens football games in London, and other such oddities.
This stroll down memory lane has reminded me of the recording sessions last decade that I had the pleasure of recording with wonderful gentlemen on subjects focusing on the meaning of (and the response to) the Gospel, as well as the trustworthiness (and relevance) of the Bible, not to mention the subject of “The Last Days” – so, who knows, maybe this will be the final blog post ever!
P.S. The “drug pushers were around back then, too. A local Leftist loo-loo politician participated agitprop, posting: “Flu shot. Check!” Another person made me proud by retorting: I’ve never had the flu – and I don’t get the shot.”
A Vikings-Bills matchup in the Super Bowl would be cool. One of them would be guaranteed to win their first title in five tries.
A former seminary classmate wrote to tell me, “I just subscribed to The Faith Debate on my podcast app! I’m ashamed it took me this long!” I consoled him with these words: “That’s okay. I’ll pray long and hard, and maybe then I’ll be able to find a way to forgive you. Or not. It really depends on how ashamed you are.”
Many blessings to you,
Pastor Troy Skinner
