𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗜 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 Not long ago, a friend asked me about my Bible-reading and prayer habits. He was surprised to learn that I don’t read through the entire Bible every year—and that I’ve only completed that journey a few times in my life. Years ago, I did a “Bible in 90 Days” plan, and for a couple of winters, I set aside the first two months of the year to read the entire Bible before picking up any other book. Those cold, quiet mornings with a cup of tea and God’s Word were wonderful. But I haven’t done it since. Yes, over the years, I’ve recommended all sorts of Bible reading plans—chronological journeys or daily readings that go through the Psalms and New Testament twice. My church is walking together through the whole Bible this year, and this is a practice I appreciate and commend. We’re blessed with an abundance of riches when it comes to ways to engage with Scripture. But I have to admit, reading the entire Bible in a year isn’t my usual rhythm. For a few reasons. Pressure to Keep Up First, while I love taking in large portions of Scripture—something I do regularly and reflectively in my 30 Days prayer series—I’ve found that layering a “Bible in a Year” plan on top of my normal reading keeps me in helicopter mode, hovering over the landscape of Scripture, getting a good view of the grand narrative but at the expense of meditation. I don’t land often enough to walk the terrain, taking in the textures and details, lingering in slow and significant contemplation. To be clear, the plans aren’t at fault here. And it’s not that I lack desire. It’s simply a time constraint. Reading those lengthy daily allotments slowly and meditatively would require more hours in the morning than is feasible. Second, some plans press me into unhealthy places. My personality is the overachiever who loves to cross things off my to-do list. When I try an annual plan and inevitably fall behind at some point, I feel like the Marvel fan who missed the last couple movies or TV series—𝘐’𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘱 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. On and on it goes. Or, worse, to avoid that frustration, I’m tempted to rush through the readings, to skim the surface, just to move the bookmark when it’s my heart that needs moving. Again, that’s not a flaw in the plan. That’s just me. 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 Third, the way some plans are arranged can make these struggles worse. I appreciate the structure of chronological reading plans that give a broad overview of the Bible’s storyline (I’m especially a fan of the one put together by George Guthrie), but I find it hard to go 40 weeks before stepping into the Gospels. I can’t go every year until October without the story of Jesus. Some plans rectify this by including daily readings from both the Old and New Testaments, or repeating the Psalms and the New Testament. But this compounds the challenge for me, because it requires more reading every day, not less, thereby increasing the number of words I’m taking in and decreasing my attention span for careful focus. Lastly, it needs to be said: Reading through the Bible in a year isn’t a badge of honor or a sign of spiritual maturity. For most of church history, private Bible reading wasn’t even possible. Christians heard the Scriptures in church, recited them from memory, or sang them in worship. Access to a Bible, much less the ability to read it, was a rare privilege. Even in the post-Reformation era, as Matthew Bingham’s 𝘈 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘈𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥 points out, pastors were most likely to recommend attentive, active reading of smaller portions of Scripture, even just a chapter a day, with a spirit of thoughtful meditation oriented toward personal application. So yes, I’m deeply thankful we have the Bible in multiple translations, with excellent study tools and plans available. The Bible’s accessibility pushes me toward more engagement, not less. But spiritual nourishment doesn’t come from the quantity of words read. It’s also the quality of time spent chewing on a passage or verse. 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 So, no—I don’t read through the entire Bible every year. But I do have a plan. I want the Scriptures in front of me every day. I want a rhythm. A cadence. A habit for life. And I want to make sure I’m not only camping out in my favorite passages, returning again and again to the same few familiar hills. A reading plan, even one that doesn’t take you through the whole Bible in 12 months, isn’t 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯. It’s a good way to keep you listening for God’s voice as you read his inspired Word. I’ll continue to cheer on anyone who reads the Bible in a year. But if you’re someone who starts strong and feels discouraged by February—or if your heart longs to go deeper, not just faster—then let me remind you: God’s Word isn’t a race to be won but a feast to be savored. Don’t just aim to finish a plan. Aim to be formed by the Word. Not just to get through the Bible, but for the Bible to get through to you. ----- 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗜 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 by Trevin Wax. Couldn’t make it to The Gospel Coalition’s 2025 National Conference? Don’t worry—you can now watch all the keynote talks plus dozens of breakout sessions, including powerful messages from John Piper, David Platt, Alistair Begg, Mark Vroegop, and many more. Enjoy the sessions from the comfort of your home—or gather friends and family for a watch party—today! https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/ondemand/ (fb)

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗼𝗿 Cultural perceptions of transgender theory have shifted recently. Evidence continues to mount that cross-sex hormones have generally negative outcomes for minors. Approval of measures to ensure sex segregation in sports has increased. J. K. Rowling, previously maligned due to her call for single-sex locker rooms, has smoked a victory cigar because the United Kingdom’s highest court affirmed a biological definition of sex. Yet for some activists, transgender theory is as certain as the attractional nature of gravity, despite the theory’s roots in recent and highly debatable philosophical reasoning. What transgender theorists lack in philosophical consistency, they often make up for with belligerence. The vehemence of their assertions about the nature of sex and gender has moved transgender theory from edgy philosophy to a basic cultural assumption preposterously quickly. This cultural transition happened so rapidly and thoroughly that it’s often difficult to understand where these ideas came from. Though we’re seeing a vibe shift, Christians still need to understand transgender theory because it’s unlikely to disappear soon. In 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴: 𝘈 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘺, Robert S. Smith offers an in-depth evangelical engagement with transgender theory to help Christians find their footing in a sexually confused culture. Smith—a lecturer in theology, ethics, and music ministry at Sydney Missionary and Bible College—sets out “to evaluate the central ontological claim of transgender theory,” which is that “the sexed body does not determine the gendered self” (3). Working from an orthodox Christian framework, Smith makes a vital contribution to a biblical understanding of this hot-button cultural issue. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐲 Gender studies scholarship is often confusing. Their essays and books are known for excessive jargon and tortured prose. Additionally, many gender theorists write from epistemological foundations that radically diverge from a Christian worldview or common-sense understanding of reality. Engaging the literature of the field can be daunting, yet Smith has done the heavy lifting to understand before critiquing. As Smith’s analysis unfolds, the internal tensions within the field of gender studies are quickly apparent. For example, some theorists view gender as performative. Others view it as a product of cultural assumptions. And still others follow Michel Foucault’s theory that gender is based on power dynamics enforced through social regulations. The common theme among these perspectives is that “all aspects of humanity, but especially sex and gender . . . do not have meaning in themselves; meaning is supplied by speech” (88). Thus, reality is an ever-changing liquid shaped by humanity. Critical theorist Judith Butler’s pioneering work in gender theory exemplifies this liquidity. Her views have changed over time as she’s moved from seeing sex as real and gender as culturally performative to a more fluid view that both sex and gender are socially constructed. Butler’s evolution anticipates the waves that continue to toss our society. Smith engages with her work at length, showing how it has shaped our culture. Yet Butler’s ideas weren’t entirely novel developments. They were the result of a long process influenced by figures such as Freud and the rise of first-wave feminism. The sexual revolution and second-wave feminism further accelerated the movement, pushing for a reimagining of traditional roles and gender binaries. Smith’s recounting of the intellectual history of gender theory is one of the key contributions of The Body God Gives as he pours a foundation for a response. 𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 Smith is unabashed in his affirmation of the central authority of Scripture, which entails reading with a holistic biblical theology in view. As he sets out to provide what he calls “theo-anthropological and theo-ethical answers” to questions concerning the sexed body and gender, he states his assumptions early that human identity is fundamentally rooted in God’s divine authority and his revelation in Scripture (43). Part of Smith’s project is to develop a solidly biblical anthropology to counter transgenderism. No single verse explicitly prohibits transgenderism as it’s understood by many proponents. However, the sum of Scripture forbids separating the sexed body from biological sex and gender. Thus, Smith’s anthropology is rooted in the biblical storyline of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. Humanity was created male and female. Subsequently, the fall distorted human sexuality. But Jesus’s teachings on the body’s purpose and destiny point toward the hope of redemption. The resurrection ultimately affirms a sexed embodiment. This theological framework explains the existence of conditions like gender dysphoria and intersex, while asserting a creation-based sexual ethic that shapes traditional Christian definitions of sex and marriage. Smith contends that while gender and sex are distinct, gender remains anchored in biological sex. This has three key implications: 1. “The purpose of gender expression is to reveal sex” (156). 2. “Inverting the sex/gender relationship disastrously undermines the significance of personal embodiment and historical embeddedness” (156). 3. “If sex is the foundation of gender, then the central transgender claim—that the sexed body neither signifies nor determines the gendered self—cannot be sustained” (157). None of these implications is new, yet Smith’s study is refreshing and deeply theological. It’s a delight to see how he grounds his conclusions in the hope of redemption and the restoration of God’s design for humanity. 𝐀𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 provides a persuasive argument for holding biological sex and gender identity together. Smith’s critique is rigorous yet compassionate. He shows how many, like those with an intersex condition, are harmed when the culture adopts transgender theory. He also recognizes that real people experience gender dysphoria and that the gospel can help. The arguments about transgenderism have real-world implications. This is the most thorough evangelical analysis of transgender theory to date. The result is a definitive explanation of gender studies’ intellectual roots, which have shaped transgender theory over the past 75 years. Smith’s thorough engagement with the convoluted theories of gender activists makes this a challenging read for those unfamiliar with the field. Beyond his critical engagement with transgender theory, Smith surveys existing evangelical works on the subject. So the book is useful for those looking for an evaluation of more accessible resources. Hopefully Smith will leverage his expertise to write future works for a broader audience. Smith’s book belongs on the shelf with seminal works like Carl Trueman’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘚𝘦𝘭𝘧 and Robert Gagnon’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 is an essential resource for academics, pastors, and church leaders dealing with transgender theory from a biblical perspective. ----- 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗼𝗿 by Jonathan Six and Andrew Spencer. A review of 'The Body God Gives' by Robert S. Smith, available now wherever books are sold: https://www.amazon.com/Body-God-Gives-Biblical-Transgender/dp/1683598121/?tag=thegospcoal-20 (fb)