THE BODY GOD GIVES

A BIBLICAL RESPONSE TO TRANSGENDER THEORY

ROBERT S. SMITH

The Body God Gives: A Biblical Response to Transgender Theory

Copyright 2025 Robert S. Smith

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To my late father, Rev. Bruce Smith—

for teaching me the truth and showing me the way.

Your hands have made and fashioned me;

give me understanding that I may

learn your commandments.

Psalm 119:73

Almighty God, you see that we have no power of our own

to help ourselves: keep us both outwardly in our bodies

and inwardly in our souls so that we may be defended

from all ills that may befall the body and from all

evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent

CONTENTS

List of Tables

Abbreviations

Acknowledgments

A Note to Readers

PART 1. SEX, GENDER, AND TRANSGENDER: SETTING THE SCENE

1. The Contemporary Sex and Gender Crisis

2. Evangelicals and Transgender Questions

3. Evangelical Theological Method

PART 2. SEX, GENDER, AND TRANSGENDER IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

4. The Creation and Construction of Sex

5. The Invention and Subversion of Gender

6. Reclaiming Sex and Rescuing Gender

PART 3. SEX, GENDER, AND TRANSGENDER IN BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE

7. Male and Female ...

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About The Body God Gives: A Biblical Response to Transgender Theory

What is the relationship between sex and gender?

In The Body God Gives: A Biblical Response to Transgender Theory, Robert S. Smith argues that God intends a person’s gender to be grounded in the reality of his or her biological sex—the body God has given. In making his case, Smith critiques the central claim of transgender theory—that the sexed body does not determine the gendered self. He also evaluates the shifts in how society thinks and talks about sex and gender, responding with biblical clarity, theological conviction, and Christian compassion. God speaks clearly, both in his word and in his world.

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Table of Contents