Why Feelings and Emotions Aren’t Enough

Last week, I wrote a post titled “Navigating LGBTQ+ Inclusion in the Church” which sparked a lot of discussion. The reality is that Christians (and churches) strive to find the best path forward but struggle. This should serve as a follow-up post since similar questions kept coming up in the conversations following the post. If you missed the first post that started all of this, you can read it here.

The intersection of faith, mental health, and LGBTQ+ issues has become increasingly complex and sensitive. Addressing real-life situations requires us to have both theological grace and a compassionate understanding, while not turning a blind eye to the physiological and psychological realities involved.

This post aims to shed light on these nuances, providing cultural observations supported by current research.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Romans 12:2 (ESV)

The Connection Between Gender Dysphoria and Eating Disorders

Recent studies suggest a notable shift in the prevalence of eating disorders among teens, particularly with a rise in transgender and non-binary identities. Research indicates that transgender youth are significantly more likely to experience eating disorders compared to their heterosexual peers (Penn Medicine, Psychology Today).

If you grew up in the 90s like I did, eating disorders were a significant problem, specifically related to identity among teenage girls. Thirty years later, teen girls are still at high risk for identity issues, but gender dysphoria has connected with or in some cases, replaced eating disorders.

This trend highlights a broader issue related to mental health, where body image and gender identity are deeply intertwined. Young women in particular, have struggled with identity issues for decades, but today’s culture is pointing them down a different, yet equally destructive, road.

The Crisis Among Teen Girls and Why It Got Worse

Historically, eating disorders were not encouraged or celebrated by the wider populace. It would be negligent for healthcare professionals to encourage such behaviours. For instance, a doctor in the 90s or 2000s would never encourage a teen struggling with an eating disorder to staple their stomach. And yet, here we are, entrenched in cultural acceptance.

It is now commonplace to celebrate the transition of teens with irreversible medical interventions. From hormone treatments to surgeries, these interventions are offered, encouraged, and even funded (Society for Psychotherapy). These medical interventions will have long-term negative impacts as these teens move into adulthood, but no one seems to care.

The cultural narrative seems to be stronger than the cautionary arguments. It’s inevitable that in the next decade, we will see similar outcomes of physiological and psychological damage as eating disorders historically harmed individuals. The greater risk this time around, that culture and even healthcare workers refuse to sound the alarm (Psychology Today, BioMed Central).

What Type of Teens Are at the Greatest Risk

The concept of rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD) has emerged as a key hypothesis to explain the sudden increase in gender dysphoria among adolescents, particularly females. Research suggests that social and peer influences, as well as increased internet and social media usage, play significant roles in the development of ROGD.

This phenomenon often occurs in teens with no prior history of gender dysphoria, aligning with stressful events or existing mental health issues. In a study involving 1,655 cases, researchers found that ROGD typically affects Caucasian adolescents from well-educated families, with a notable prevalence among girls (Science-Based Medicine, SEGM).

Turns out this is a similar demographic of females who struggled with anorexia and bulimia in the 90s and 2000s.

Many of these adolescents had friends who also identified as transgender, indicating a potential social contagion effect. The study also highlighted that these adolescents often had pre-existing mental health issues, further complicating the understanding of ROGD (Parents of ROGD Kids).

How Christians and Churches Should Respond

Spiritually, I believe Christians should feel called by Jesus to extend grace to anyone struggling with mental illness. And yet, it’s very challenging when culture denies that there’s a deeper psychological issue related to their identity. The church faces a dichotomy: understanding that an individual is most likely unwell and in need of care and support, yet culture celebrates their identity journey as the pinnacle of self-realization.

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.”.

Ephesians 4:15 (ESV)

This conflict has created mass confusion and division within the faith community. Most Christians once stood on factual information based on theological principles and scientific laws. Now, they’ve been pressured by culture into affirming stances where feelings and emotions matter more.

Some parents of trans teens feel the church ‘judges’ their child or don’t accept them, but this doesn’t explain the full picture. There’s actually a lot more going on inside the hearts and minds of those Christians as they interact with that trans teen.

Let’s go back to the 90s again. Imagine the reaction of a teen, walking into a local church, clearly in a deep struggle with bulimia or anorexia. The young woman is skin and bone. The parent is sorrowful and mildly ashamed, yet hold tight to their daughter. To everyone in the congregation, she is visibly unwell, but we wouldn’t jump to judgment as the core reaction.

For those Christians interacting with that teen, there would be a mix of compassion and a lack of understanding on how to help. They would likely be extremely prayerful and willing to help in any way if they only knew how. I believe a similar scenario is playing out with trans teens walking into churches.

Why Churches Struggle to Navigate This Dilemma

Most Christians feel conflicted about how to respond, knowing or believing that the teen is unwell, yet they’re stuck on how to support the parents. The reality is that most medical treatments proposed today were unthinkable for other disorders in the past (Penn Medicine, Society for Psychotherapy).

Christian parents will feel more and more isolated, knowing that something is tragically wrong with their teen’s thinking processes, yet the culture and healthcare system denies it. They will be stuck to affirm or break relationships with the teen, family, church, or others.

Over the next decade, it will get harder for Christian parents, in particular, to support those teens in a corrective direction. Culture will bombard them with messages that their identity issues are perfectly acceptable. Culture will push their teen toward associated behaviours and decisions.

Unfortunately, these are all short-term ideologies, ignoring biology, but also ignoring the human desire for long-term relationships.

How LGBTQ+ Dynamics Hinder Long-Term Relationships

Another critical aspect is the long-term relational outcomes within the LGBTQ+ community. Research indicates that stable, long-term relationships are less common in this community compared to heterosexual couples. This observation holds across various identities, with stability decreasing further with each additional letter in the LGBTQ+ acronym (Psychology Today).

This trend contradicts the common aspiration of all human beings: lifelong companionship, growing old together, sitting together at 85, holding one another’s hand on the porch swing. We all love that image, but those who struggle with trans and non-binary identity crises have a better chance of winning the lottery than finding a ‘soulmate.’

Just take a Pride parade as an example, where the vast majority of people who attend the event return home to their heterosexual relationships. A group who is struggling with mental illness has been celebrated for a moment, then left to deal with their heightened levels of loneliness, depression, and risks of suicide, all on their own.

No one wants to admit the truth that their identity issues may be a foundational component of their relational struggles. They may have lots of friends, but long-term romantic relationships that are fostered into marriage as lifelong lovers and companions are extremely rare. Yet, it’s still happening in the heterosexual realm, even more so within faith communities.

Thankfully, we’ve gone long enough down this road that we’ve started to witness the power of God’s creation in biology. There is a growing number of trans youth who de-transition in young adulthood, often reasserting heterosexuality after adolescence has run its course.

“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”

Psalm 139:14 (ESV)

There’s evidence suggesting that many young people who experience gender dysphoria may later revert to identifying with their birth-assigned gender. This is a core reason why Christians should prevent premature medical interventions like hormone treatments and surgeries that have lasting negative effects on their bodies (Penn Medicine, BioMed Central).

How to Move Forward in Truth and Grace

Every church will be pulled to align with cultural ideologies. Local churches that choose to journey toward LGBTQ+ inclusion will face long-term challenges. Instead, we should remain primarily centred on Scripture and theological truth while considering concrete scientific data.

The Church will struggle. The requirement of grace will likely include addressing complex psychological and physiological issues. The easy road will be to choose the ‘affirming’ road, but it will end with much sorrow as those children and teens grow into adulthood.

The Church is running a marathon, not a 100-meter sprint. We must navigate the LGBTQ+ journey with compassion for the deeper issues while accepting that some will refuse to accept or even listen to the evidence. We’re in a feeling-based world where people believe what they want to believe.

Nevertheless, by fostering an environment of understanding and support when the sorrow comes (because it will), the Church will rise as the Gospel-centered minister to all individuals, regardless of their identity struggles.

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Galatians 6:2 (ESV)

Post Sources

Note that while I might not align with some of the arguments presented in these articles, the research has been valuable in helping me formulate a Christian and pastoral perspective.

1. Penn Medicine: Eating Disorders Do Not Discriminate: Trans Teens Face Greater Risk
2. Psychology Today: Why Is Transgender Identity on the Rise Among Teens?
3. BioMed Central: Transgender and other gender-diverse adolescents with eating disorders requiring medical stabilization
4. Society for Psychotherapy: Transgender Youths and Eating Disorders
5. Science-Based Medicine: Rapid-onset Gender Dysphoria and Squelching Controversial Evidence
6. SEGM: Study of 1,655 Cases Supports the “Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria” Hypothesis
7. Parents of ROGD Kids: We are the parents of ROGD kids

Join the Conversation; Share Your Thoughts

1. How can churches better support teens struggling with gender identity issues without compromising their faith?
2. What are some practical ways Christians can extend grace to LGBTQ+ individuals while holding onto biblical convictions?
3. How can we foster a long-term outlook on identity issues by presenting scientific evidence to the LGBTQ+ community?