ETS, Biola, and Transgender Identity

A Biblical Response to Andy Draycott's Proposed Theology

The Purpose for this Post

In 2018, there was an explosion of conversation around trans-identity and its compatibility with the Bible. The following is a lengthy analysis of Andy Draycott’s 2017 and 2018 attempt at the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) to reconcile transgenderism with Scripture. My analysis includes audio from both of Draycott’s ETS talks along with commentary from Nancy Pearcey, Lydia McGrew, Sean McDowell, Preston Sprinkle, Colin Smothers, Scott Rae, and Denny Burk.

There are several reasons why this post remains relevant six years later.

First, Draycott is currently a full professor of theology at Biola University. Parents need to be aware that his views on gender are shaping the minds of incoming Freshmen. Draycott’s official bio reinforces his continued interest in gender studies. His full bio reads as follows:

Andy Draycott regularly teaches an undergraduate theology course focusing on how the Holy Spirit constitutes the salvation of Christians as a Church awaiting Jesus's return. He is deeply invested in the interdisciplinary integration of faith and learning, always seeking a diversity of voices, texts, and material expressions of evangelical theology to encourage students in their learning. He has worked or taught on issues as varied as evangelical social action in Brazil, theology of immigration, church and disability, and the theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. His present research focuses on the theological, spiritual, literary and cultural legacy of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. He is at various stages of research looking at contemporary American reception of The Pilgrim's Progress on the internet, in bible studies, in graphic novels, in missionary outreach, in relation to gender, and race, in popular music, in online sermons, and in homeschooling curricula.

Second, my 2018 analysis of Draycott’s work has value because progressive Christians continue to argue that transgenderism is compatible with Scripture. The language has evolved so awareness of this history is critical.

Transgender 101: A Simple Guide to a Complex Issue

Finally, many of the posts from 2018 including the official Biola response to Draycott’s advocacy have been scrubbed from the internet as some Christians try to hide their views from the public. At the time, I made multiple attempts to speak with Draycott and get my questions answered, but he refused to speak publicly. Consequently, this post serves as a faithful archive of what Draycott taught publicly in 2017, repeated in 2018, and still may be taught in some fashion today.

Given the contentious nature of this topic, I decided to restrict this post to my subscribers who are interested in a thoughtful debate without interference from the internet trolls.

Original Post On Nov. 30, 2018

I didn’t make the 2018 national ETS in Denver, but it did not take long for news of Andy Draycott’s talk to make the headlines from those who did make the trip. Draycott was (and still is) Associate Professor of Theology and Christian Ethics at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University (where I graduated with my Doctor of Ministry degree in 2011). As a professor at a university with a strong record of faithfulness to Scripture and apologetics, Draycott’s talk,“Walking across Gender in the Spirit? The Vocation of the Church and the Transgender Christian,” takes on great significance.