Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians

Austen Hartke is the founder and Executive Director of Transmission Ministry Collective, an online community dedicated to the spiritual care, faith formation, and leadership potential of transgender and gender-expansive Christians.

He is a seminary graduate and created one hundred videos for the Transgender and Christian YouTube series. This book, which recently was released in an updated edition (I read the original), directly arose from the success of that effort.

The book provides basic information about trans people (one chapter helpfully defines various terms such as "gender identity" and "cisgender") and has many personal stories about the Christian faith journey of various trans people. It also provides various biblical verses and principles that the author interprets in a trans-friendly way. Again, he views things in a Christian way.

For instance, names are an important thing in the Bible, including renaming. People rarely seem to be just named in the Bible. Everyone has a name that means something. My name, for instance, is the same as the famous Joseph in Egypt (his special robe is covered here since it might have special gender implications). His mom named him for a specific reason, thanking God for finally giving her a son. And, his dad Jacob was renamed Israel, the founder of a nation. He "struggled" with God.

This renaming is important for trans people. The author, for instance, was assigned as a woman at birth. He later determined his true self was as a man. And, his name change was an important milestone in the recognition of his true identity.

I read some stuff with a negative view of religion. The book suggests why people feel that way. Multiple people discussed had to deal with growing up among non-supportive faith communities. But, they eventually found welcoming places, and they provided meaning and support in their lives.

I have read with interest various stories like this, including one substack I follow.

One person provided a blurb to the first book. Sadly, Rachel Held Evans died a few years ago from one of those apparently random medical tragedies, leaving two young children and a husband. She was beloved in the Christian community as an empathetic outspoken voice. I was saddened and I am not of that community, so you can imagine how tragic it was for them.

Rachel Held Evans wrote a few books, two specifically a collection of accounts of her faith journey, one a somewhat tongue-in-cheek (but as usual still quite learned) account of her trying to live a year biblically. I liked her book Inspired the most; it is a collection of various approaches to give her personal summary of the Bible.

A children's book was published posthumously. Another book was too, Wholehearted Faith an edited version of her notes. I found it interesting but unsure if she would have agreed with certain choices. The book is somewhat atypical for her with a firm view on certain issues that she might have chosen to express differently.

I do not agree with every interpretation provided in this book. To be clear, I do not think there has to be an "originalist" take on the Bible. It is helpful to try (as much as we can) to determine the original meaning and context. But, if we assume the Bible is inspired, it is still via an imperfect messenger. We might today be able to put forth an improved understanding of the words.

To put it on the table, I personally think "God" is a type of symbol, a construct of sorts to express important things such as goodness. People need not sneer at "invisible guys in the sky" or whatever. People express themselves in many ways. Show some humility and empathy.

This book is a good introduction to trans ideas and a good resource for religious and non-religious people. There are various books like this out there that talk about GLBTQ issues like there are those for non-whites, women, and others. It provides useful resource information and the updated version has even more material.

Check it out.