
Mid-Week Challenge
Mid-Week Challenge
In you like to read the headlines you might have come across the New York Times article “Is God Transgender?” It was written by a Jewish Rabbi named Mark Sameth. In it he argues that the Bible presents God as transgender, even going so far as to suggest that the ancient Hebrews did not pronounce YHWH as Jehovah or Yahweh. He writes:
The Israelite priests would have read the letters in reverse as Hu/Hi — in other words, the hidden name of God was Hebrew for “He/She.” Counter to everything we grew up believing, the God of Israel — the God of the three monotheistic, Abrahamic religions to which fully half the people on the planet today belong — was understood by its earliest worshipers to be a dual-gendered deity.
Rabbi Sameth explains his position by pointing to the ancient world’s understanding about gender to be one of “fluidity.” In other words the ancients were more civilized if they were open minded about their culture. He goes on to cite several Biblical passages where he claims the text switches between he/she terms to describe the same person. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/13/opinion/is-god-transgender.html?_r=1
I’m sure Sameth is a very smart person, but he gives away his political leanings in the first paragraph of his article where he describes his transgendered uncle being fired after transitioning in the 1970s. It is clear that he has a political point to make as he twists Scripture passages and makes enormous leaps in his claims by giving weak examples.
It is no great discovery to learn that both men and women are made in the image of God and that God transcends gender because the Bible makes that very clear. The trouble is when we try to make God into our image by forcing a passage to mean something that it does not. Through arguments such as Sameth’s we attempt to bring God down to our level in an attempt to justify our sinful and fallen behavior. If we find a way to make God like us then we eventually don’t need Him. Maybe that has been the goal all along?
Instead of spending so much time trying to reshape God’s Word into our image maybe we should spend more time working on reshaping the flaws we find in ourselves.
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11
Serving the Savior
Bro. Jonathan
Comments (0)
No one has commented on this page yet.
Recent Posts
-
13 Feb
Mid-Week Challenge
What does Matthew 10:34 say? Which things are forbidden
according to... -
6 Feb
Mid-Week Challenge
If you have followed the news over the past few... -
30 Jan
Mid-Week Challenge
In a move that has Christians and unbelievers alike shaking
their... -
23 Jan
Mid-Week Challenge
By now you might have heard about The University of... -
16 Jan
Mid-Week Challenge
If you are like many Americans you might find it... -
9 Jan
Mid-Week Challenge
Some say we witnessed at miracle on Monday. In a... -
2 Jan
Mid-Week Challenge
I would guess by now most of you are in... -
26 Dec
Mid-Week Challenge
YouVersion is probably one of the most popular Bible Apps
available. ... -
19 Dec
Mid-Week Challenge
Six days until Christmas and I hope you have your... -
12 Dec
Mid-Week Challenge
The Lord’s Prayer recorded in Matthew 6 and Luke 11... -
5 Dec
Mid-Week Challenge
PETA is the latest group to join in on the... -
28 Nov
Mid Week Challenge
I learned a new term today, “deadnaming.” A dead name
is... -
14 Nov
Mid-Week Challenge
“Take two of these and call me in the morning.” ... -
7 Nov
Mid-Week Challenge
As you are well aware, yesterday was election day in... -
31 Oct
Mid-Week Challenge
Halloween, love it or hate it, for most of us,... -
24 Oct
Mid-Week Challenge
If you are reading this then I can assume you... -
17 Oct
Mid-Week Challenge
Some might argue that Jim Caviezel in the Mel Gibson The
Passion... -
3 Oct
MidWeek Challenge
At 2:18 p.m. ET (that’s 1:18 for West Haven folks)... -
26 Sep
Mid-Week Challenge
In Matthew and Luke 4 we are given the account... -
19 Sep
Mid Week Challenge
Believe it or not it is time to get your... -
12 Sep
Mid-Week Challenge
Did you ever think you would see the day when... -
5 Sep
Mid-Week Challenge
With two teenagers in the house the routine of our... -
29 Aug
Mid-Week Challenge
In Ecclesiastes 2, the wisest and richest man in the... -
22 Aug
Mid-Week Challenge
The attack on Christianity in America continues this week as
a... -
15 Aug
Mid-Week Challenge
Have you ever been cut off in traffic? For a... -
1 Aug
Mid-Week Challenge
Do you find it increasingly difficult to discuss current
events with... -
25 Jul
Mid-Week Challenge
It has happened again. A report out of Leesburg, Florida
states... -
18 Jul
Mid-Week Challenge
You might have heard by now about this year's Miss... -
11 Jul
Mid-Week Challenge
Das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten is the German proverb
that we get... -
4 Jul
Mid-Week Challenge
On this 4th of July holiday symbols of American pride are
not... -
27 Jun
Mid-Week Challenge
One of the beauties of great literature is that once... -
20 Jun
Mid-Week Challenge
I love that old saying, “You are never too old…” ... -
13 Jun
Mid-Week Challenge
How much sense would it make for McDonald’s to hire... -
6 Jun
Mid-Week Challenge
Have you heard about Henny Penny or maybe you grew... -
30 May
Mid-Week Challenge
How do you know if a church building is actually... -
23 May
Mid-Week Challenge
Were there dinosaurs on the Ark? How did the sun... -
16 May
Mid-Week Challenge
Celebrities, they are just like us, right? It is no... -
9 May
Mid-Week Challenge
When does a system of laws, created by people, trump... -
2 May
Mid-Week Challenge
The Battle of the Sexes seems to be very much... -
25 Apr
Mid-Week Challenge
Most people hope to get a good liberal arts education... -
18 Apr
Mid-Week Challenge
As if we needed another example of how intolerant the
“progressive... -
11 Apr
Mid-Week Challenge
April the 16th will mark the famed running of the... -
4 Apr
Mid-Week Challenge
Have you ever felt guilty for being a Christian? As... -
28 Mar
Mid-Week Challenge
We are in the middle of Holy Week. According to... -
21 Mar
Mid-Week Challenge
This Sunday marks the first of two Sundays on the... -
14 Mar
Mid-Week Challenge
This morning we awoke to the news that Professor Stephen
Hawking,... -
7 Mar
Mid-Week Challenge
When Oprah Winfrey still had her daytime talk show her
giveaway... -
28 Feb
Mid-Week Challenge
My son and I are big fans of the Marvel... -
21 Feb
Mid-Week Challenge
Today we mark the death of a Christian hero of... -
7 Feb
Mid-Week Challenge
Football fan or not, this past Sunday’s Super Bowl was... -
31 Jan
Mid-Week Challenge
If history is any guide, most Americans will be watching... -
24 Jan
Mid-Week Challenge
I have never understood why going into politics means you
have... -
17 Jan
Mid-Week Challenge
Just when I thought the “progressives” could not
progress further, I... -
10 Jan
Mid-Week Challenge
As kids we dream of making that last second shot... -
3 Jan
Mid-Week Challenge
If you have viewed the night sky over the past... -
27 Dec
Mid-Week Challenge
Now that the presents are unwrapped and the guests have... -
20 Dec
Mid-Week Challenge
How you access the Bible has changed a lot in... -
13 Dec
Mid-Week Challenge
As all major media outlets have reported, Democrat Doug
Jones defeated... -
29 Nov
Mid-Week Challenge
Reading through the headlines today there is a lot in... -
22 Nov
Mid-Week Challenge
The Thanksgiving countdown clock is officially ticking.
The airports are already... -
15 Nov
Mid-Week Challenge
It is certainly not a new thing for celebrity singers... -
8 Nov
Mid-Week Challenge
Watching the covering of the First Baptist Church,
Sutherland Springs, Texas... -
1 Nov
Mid-Week Challenge
If ever there was a time to put the “Golden... -
25 Oct
Mid-Week Challenge
Young people exploring religion and spiritual issues is
nothing new. A... -
18 Oct
Mid-Week Challenge
This Friday, October 20, 2017 is Openly Secular Day.
“What is... -
4 Oct
Mid-Week Challenge
We have all watched in disbelief as photos and videos... -
27 Sep
Mid-Week Challenge
With all the symbolic gestures being thrown around by
athletes representing... -
20 Sep
Mid-Week Challenge
"It's déjà vu all over again," Yogi Berra exclaimed when
he... -
13 Sep
Mid-Week Challenge
If there is one thing that the events of the... -
6 Sep
Mid-Week Challenge
Like him or hate him Donald Trump has made a... -
30 Aug
Mid-Week Challenge
We have been blessed with a baby boom at our... -
16 Aug
Mid-Week Challenge
As you are well aware the first total solar eclipse... -
9 Aug
Mid-Week Challenge
What’s in the Headlines today: “North Korea Gets at
Nuke, Hillary... -
2 Aug
Mid-Week Challenge
With all the chaos in Washington it seems like individuals
there... -
26 Jul
Mid-Week Challenge
Does it seem to you that many of the people... -
19 Jul
Mid-Week Challenge
The Christian florist known as the “Christian grandma
florist” Barronelle Stutzman... -
12 Jul
Mid-Week Challenge
When the Church looks and behaves just like the popular
culture,... -
28 Jun
Mid-Week Challenge
Have you ever dreamed of winning the lottery? Most of... -
21 Jun
Mid-Week Challenge
Vacation! That is a term everyone likes to hear. We... -
14 Jun
Mid-Week Challange
As you may know the Southern Baptist Convention Annual
meeting is... -
7 Jun
Mid-Week Challenge
On our tenth wedding anniversary I wanted to do something
special... -
31 May
Mid-Week Challenge
I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day! As the... -
24 May
Mid-Week Challenge
Do you remember your high school or college commencement
speaker? Our... -
17 May
Mid-Week Challenge
Have you ever seen someone doing something and thought to
yourself,... -
10 May
Mid-Week Challenge
Fidget spinners are the latest toy craze. If you are... -
3 May
Mid-Week Challenge
Does it seem like the Political Correctness in this country
goes... -
26 Apr
Mid-Week Challenge
The story of the Widow’s Mite in Luke 20:1-4 has... -
19 Apr
Mid-Week Challenge
The Church’s “super bowl” Sunday was this past week as
we... -
12 Apr
Mid-Week Challenge
There is no doubt that we live in the most... -
5 Apr
Mid-Week Challenge
Has Easter gone the way of Christmas? Well, if you... -
29 Mar
Mid-Week Challenge
Our baby girl turned 13 today. Wow, a teenager! Does... -
22 Mar
Mid-Week Challenge
Do you remember your sixth birthday party? Pin the tail... -
15 Mar
Mid-Week Challenge
It’s March Madness time! So have you filled in your
bracket? ... -
8 Mar
Mid-Week Challenge
We have heard some pretty good conspiracy theories
recently. Everything from... -
1 Mar
Mid-Week Challenge
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. Lent is
intended to... -
22 Feb
Mid-Week Challenge
The desire to be liked and approved of is a... -
15 Feb
Mid-Week Challenge
Valentine’s Day was yesterday. So how did you do?
According to... -
8 Feb
Mid-Week Challenge
How much is your life worth? Well that depends. If... -
1 Feb
Mid-Week Challenge
How do you know if you are having an impact... -
25 Jan
Mid-Week Challenge
I’m not sure how to respond to the news about... -
18 Jan
Mid-Week Challenge
The attack on gender continues in our country. Last night
we... -
11 Jan
Mid-Week Challenge
In the name of tolerance, some churches continue to pick... -
4 Jan
Mid-Week Challenge
Toward the end of the year, news media outlets and... -
28 Dec
Mid-Week Challenge
2016 has produced some memorable headlines.
Christianheadlines.com[http://christianheadlines.com/] has
produced a list of... -
21 Dec
Mid-Week Challenge
The Christmas season is full of symbolism that is intended
to... -
14 Dec
Mid-Week Challenge
This past Sunday we had our annual report from the... -
7 Dec
Mid-Week Challenge
Every day the Lord finds a way to remind me... -
30 Nov
Mid-Week Challenge
Now that Thanksgiving is behind us it is time to... -
23 Nov
Mid-Week Challenge
It is hard to believe but Thanksgiving is tomorrow!
Families will... -
16 Nov
Mid-Week Challenge
Political pundits continue to debate the outcome of last
week’s presidential... -
9 Nov
Mid-Week Challenge
Some of you had a late night last night. In... -
2 Nov
Mid-Week Challenge
It is hard to believe that we are now entering... -
26 Oct
Mid-Week Challenge
Do you think you could pass a basic Christian Theology
test? ... -
19 Oct
Mid-Week Challenge
You know things have gotten pretty bad when one in... -
13 Oct
-
5 Oct
-
28 Sep
-
21 Sep
-
14 Sep
-
7 Sep
-
31 Aug
-
24 Aug
-
17 Aug
-
10 Aug
-
3 Aug
-
27 Jul
Mid-Week Challenge
Mid-Week Challenge
The headline “Scientist Think They’ve Found the Origin
of All... -
20 Jul
-
6 Jul
Mid-Week Challenge
Mid-Week Challenge
A brochure published by the Iowa Civil Rights Commission
argues... -
29 Jun
-
22 Jun
Mid-Week Challenge
Mid-Week Challenge
Attorney General Loretta Lynch recently addressed
reporters concerning the ongoing... -
15 Jun
-
8 Jun
-
1 Jun
-
25 May
-
18 May
-
11 May
-
4 May
-
27 Apr
-
20 Apr
Mid-Week Challenge
Mid-Week Challenge
Thanks to the media coverage of the “Bathroom Bills”
discussed... -
13 Apr
-
6 Apr
-
30 Mar
-
23 Mar
-
16 Mar
Mid-Week Challenge
*Mid-Week Challenge*
In their latest attempt to force the homosexual and
transgendered... -
9 Mar
-
2 Mar
Mid-Week Challenge
This election season has been one of many surprises. At
minimum,... -
24 Feb
-
17 Feb
-
10 Feb
-
3 Feb
-
27 Jan
Leave a Comment
You cannot post comments until you have logged in. Login Here.