Ebook: Embodied: Transgender Identities, the Church, and What the Bible Has to Say

Compassionate, biblical, and thought-provoking, Embodied is an accessible guide for Christians who want help navigating issues related to the transgender conversation.



Preston Sprinkle draws on Scripture, as well as real-life stories of individuals struggling with gender dysphoria, to help you understand the complexities and emotions of this highly relevant topic. This book fills the great need for Christians to speak into the confusing and emotionally charged questions surrounding the transgender conversation.





With careful research and an engaging style, Embodied explores:
• What it means to be transgender, nonbinary, and gender-queer, and how these identities relate to being male or female
• Why most stereotypes about what it means to be a man and woman come from the culture and not the Bible
• What the Bible says about humans created in God's image as male and female, and how this relates to transgender experiences
• Moral questions surrounding medical interventions such as sex reassignment surgery
• Which pronouns to use and how to navigate the bathroom debate
• Why more and more teens are questioning their gender

From New York Times–bestselling author Preston Sprinkle (PhD), Embodied is a thoughtful Christian approach to the transgender conversation that radiates both love and compassion while navigating the theological, scientific, and relational complexity of the topic.

Dr. Preston M. Sprinkle is the president of the Center for Faith, Sexuality, and Gender and a New York Times–bestselling author who's written a dozen books, including People to Be Loved, an award-winning book on faith and homosexuality. Preston and his wife, Chris, live in Boise, Idaho, with their four kids.



Preface 13

Chapter 1: People 17

Chapter 2: Ten Thousand Genders 29

Chapter 3: What Does It Mean to Be Trans*? 49

Chapter 4: Male and Female in the Image of God 63

Chapter 5: Gender Stereotypes 79

Chapter 6: But What about the Eunuch? And Other Questions … 95

Chapter 7: What about Intersex? 113

Chapter 8: Male Brain in a Female Body 127

Chapter 9: Female Soul in a Male Body 143

Interlude 153

Chapter 10: Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria 159

Chapter 11: Transitioning and Christian Discipleship 179

Chapter 12: Pronouns, Bathrooms, and Sleeping Spaces 199

Conclusion: Outrageous Love 221

Appendix: Suicidality and Trans* People 227

Notes 243 "The history has not always been good between people of faith and those who identify as transgender. This history, combined with a desire for much better, is what makes voices like Preston's so essential for the times in which we live. Preston has this wonderful, Jesus-like way of flexing the muscles of conviction and compassion, of truth and grace, of law and love, of empathy and human design, all at the same time. As he does this, he not only finds the way but shows the way to befriend, empathize with, and come alongside those whom Jesus has called us to love. I need this book, and I suspect that you do too." "There are many good books written on transgender identities, but if you are looking for one book that is scientifically sound, theologically grounded, and gracious in its demeanor, Embodied is the book to get. Whether you are a scholar looking to understand the issue more deeply, a parent trying to help his or her transgender child, a friend wanting to better love transgender people, or someone wrestling with your own gender identity, this book will be an indispensable resource. My thanks to Sprinkle for writing and researching such an important and timely book." "In Embodied, my friend Dr. Preston Sprinkle tenderly tackles topics most run from. He hosts the very conversations the church avoids or mishandles. This work is researched the way Preston loves … deeply. I fought back tears as I read and found myself convicted, challenged, and equipped to love, listen, and learn. Everyone de