“Memorial’s pastor has consistently named homosexual behavior as sin – for which he deserves credit – but he has equally insisted that a homosexual orientation neither must be nor can be repented. Therefore the Q Collective’s message of affirming the transgender experience would seem to be generally in line with Memorial PCA’s views.”
(Richard D. Phillips – Reformation 21) The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a denomination founded to be faithful to Scripture, the Reformed faith, and the Great Commission, has been rocked yet again, this time by news of transgender-promoting theater performances hosted by Memorial Presbyterian Church of St. Louis….
The events were held in The Chapel, a building next to the church set aside as “a sanctuary for the arts where the creative community thrives.” The dramas in question were performed by the Q Collective as a “celebration of transgender, agender, non-binary, . . . [etc] artists,” with the aim of promoting the transgender experience. Details have been provided here and here.
What I find particularly noteworthy is that one of the primary defenses of this outreach is a positive comparison to Jesus’ ministry to the tax collectors and prostitutes. The suggestion is made that critics of the transgender dramas lack the compassionate concern showed by Jesus, while those supporting the Q Collective performances are following in the steps of their redeeming Master. To my mind, this comparison not only warps the biblical presentation of Jesus’ ministry but also reveals the secularized mindset of at least some of the progressive movement in the Reformed and evangelical world today.
Research