David French, National Review Article on Bruce Jenner’s surgery:
A surgically damaged man appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair, and the applause is mandatory. There are some who call this latest turn in the sexual revolution “radical” or “transformative.” Yet, in reality, the only thing radical about Bruce Jenner’s transformation into “Caitlyn” is the harm to his body, inflicted in a desperate quest to be something that he’s most assuredly not: a woman. . . .
To those who say that Bruce Jenner’s body is his own — that he can do what he wants with it — realize that during this process his many children lost a father, and his wife lost a husband. These losses occur during every “transition,” as the sexual revolution demands — upon pain of shame and banishment — that family members treat fathers as mothers, sons as daughters, and husbands as wives. The Jenner/Kardashian clan has expressed support (though Kris and Kylie Jenner are still obviously struggling), but really, what other option did they have? For people who inhabit the pop-culture tribe, you disapprove of sexual radicalism at your own– very high — professional risk. . . .
There is no single person who can shift an entire culture, much less materially restrain cultural drift, but we can each do something. Increasingly, that “something” means resisting the temptation to stay silent, to acquiesce in absurdities for the sake of temporary social (or social-media) peace. Intimidated silence advances the cause of sexual radicalism every bit as much as enthusiastic acceptance. By refusing to speak, we contribute to the notion that even conservatives understand that something is wrong — something is shameful — about our own deepest beliefs.
Why does the intolerant Left so vigilantly police speech — introducing even a Twitter “bot” to automate the scolding about the “correct” gender pronoun to use in reference to Jenner? Because they know speech — including simple pronouns — matters. Don’t consent. Laverne Cox is not a woman, and neither is “Caitlyn Jenner.” He is a man with breast implants. He’s always been a man, and he will always be a man. Yes, he’s deeply troubled. Our hearts go out to him in his pain, but the answer is not found in radical self-regard, and it’s certainly not found in surgical mutilation. He is a man created in God’s image, yet a man experiencing deep anguish about his very creation. He needs our prayers, not our applause.
You can read French’s entire article here:
Here are some interesting quotes from The World and Everything in it podcast June 5:
A Whitehouse President Obama spokesman:
“The president does believe that Caitlyn Jenner has a tremendous courage as, uh, she has undergone this transition in a very public way, and that’s worthy of our respect.”
John Stonestreet (Colson Center):
“Anyone who’s struggling with an identity crisis at that depth, that’s willing to do the sort of surgical procedure he’s willing to do to find relief, is certainly not someone who’s doing well. And data shows that going to the other side doesn’t bring the kind of comfort or relief he’s looking for. . . . My prayer is that he’ll find his identity as created and redeemed in Christ. . . I wonder what people would do if he came to his senses. . . . Ryan Anderson has been mentioning on national media about folks who’ve transitioned, and then transitioned back. Those are stories too. One would wonder what would happen if that happens with Bruce Jenner. . . . This is a very sad story. Clearly he’s not okay, and we know he won’t be okay now that he’s made this transition, because you can only deny reality so much before you reap those consequences, and that’s where he’s headed.”
“A lower named celebrity said something less than supportive (about Jenner) and he was immediately shamed. Chuck Colson’s last appearance three years ago spoke of the ‘spiral of silence’ coined by a German thinker to describe the fact that most people actually did not support Hitler, but most people were silent, allowing the few to rule the many. This is the case again. . . .”
You can hear the entire podcast at http://www.worldmag.com/podcast/
May the Lord kindly and graciously bring soul healing to Mr. Jenner.
markchanski 