Should we be compelled to use gender neutral pronouns?

Government organisations in New Zealand were the first in the world to officially recognise “gender diverse” as a valid gender in 2015. The “gender diverse” category is now included whenever Stats NZ collects and shares information.

Now our government (and many employers) are instructing us to use gender neutral pronouns by default. According to digital.govt.nz…

“Labelling people as male or female can reinforce outdated stereotypes and influence how men and women are perceived.”

And we’re told to “use gender-neutral pronouns (they, them) by default”

But in this age of ever-expanding lists of sexual orientations and gender identities (now into the hundreds), should we be compelled to use gender-neutral pronouns? We think not.

On the use of use gender-neutral pronouns, we have to make a choice:

1. Be subservient to the cult of gender ideology, using gender-neutral pronouns by default

2. Continue to use traditional (and biologically correct) male-female pronouns (he/him, she/her)

And when asked ‘What are your own preferred pronouns,’ possibly the best answer is to not answer at all, thereby refusing to participate in the gender-ideology game.

So, what should Christians do when presented with this dilemma? The following article will give you some sound advice…

Rosaria Butterfield, is a former professor of English and women’s studies at Syracuse University in New York State. In the 90s Rosaria was a self-confessed lesbian-radical. Then in 1999 she converted to Christianity and became “a despised defector of the LGBTQ+ movement.” In a recent article for reformation21, Rosaria writes: “Why I no longer use Transgender Pronouns—and Why You shouldn’t, either.”

In this article, Rosaria presents Christians with only 2 alternatives regarding the use of gender-neutral pronouns:

“Is it part of God’s creational design or rebellion against the creation ordinance?  It’s one or the other because the Christian faith is inherently binary, not non-binary.”

Rosaria argues that recognising numerous alternative genders is effectively establishing a falsehood. She goes on to say that using transgendered pronouns “fails to offer genuine Christian hospitality and instead yields the definition of hospitality to liberal communitarianism, identity politics, and human flourishing.”

“They nod in the direction of traditional values but then swap biblical clarity for postmodern pluralism, thus burning to the ground any legitimate theological bridge to gospel grace.”

So where do you stand – on whether or not to use gender-diverse pronouns?

You can read the full article here:

www.reformation21.org/blog/why-i-no-longer-use-transgender-pronouns-and-why-you-shouldnt-either

**Note – This post was written by Family First staff writers.