THE DEFINITION OF ‘WOMAN’
During the recent Senate hearings of Ketanji Brown-Jackson earlier this spring when she was being interviewed as a nominee to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States of America, she was asked to provide a simple definition of ‘woman.’ You may remember that she stated that she could not adequately answer that question because she was not a biologist! Now please keep in mind, however, that she was a graduate of Harvard University and the Harvard Law School, and yet she could not define what a woman is!
Surely, though, a member of the General Synod of the Church of England could do better! And yet recently, Dr. Robert Innes, the Bishop of Europe said that although the meaning of the word woman was previously “thought to be self-evident…[that] additional care” was now needed when answering such a question.[1]
Now, may I state the obvious? These ridiculous responses are made in the context of the transgender debates. I find it stunning that some intelligent, informed, educated people would respond that there is no simple, generally understood official definition for a ‘woman’! Why? Because we have some long-established answers to this question which make sense, whether your starting point is biology or the Bible.
Biological science says that much of the nature of our sexual identities as male and female has [#1] a great deal to do with reproduction. Males and females also have [#2] different levels of hormones (testosterone and estrogen) that contribute to their given sex. This is what leads to the development of various secondary sexual characteristics. Our sex is also formed on [#3] the genetic level. Specifically, the presence of a Y chromosome in each cell is what distinguishes males from females. It is an established, objective, scientific fact that male and female are categories of biological sex. So, biologically, there is no “in between” and there is no third option. The way we view our bodies may be socially constructed, but biological sex is not socially constructed.
So, men, since you and I have a Y chromosome in each of our cells, we will not have a uterus, no matter how much you may long for one. And, therefore, men, we will never be able to give birth to a baby, no matter how much you may wish you could. It simply is impossible.
But now, what about the Bible? Human sexuality is hard-wired into our very creation. In Genesis 1:26-27 we see that we are made in the image of God as men and women. This means that sexuality is not just about what you do or how you feel; rather, it is about who are and how you were made to be.
So, being male and female is inextricably intertwined with being made in the image of God, but it also means that we have the ability to respond to and relate with the living God body, soul, and spirt. Furthermore, being created male and female describes biological sex, not gender roles or gender identities, because right after saying we were created male and female, we read a very biological statement: “God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply’…” (Genesis 1:28, NKJV).
So, at every turn, pursing a transgender lifestyle is condemned as a perversion because it reflects turning “against the natural way” (see Romans 1:26-27).
This is the foundation upon which we must engage current cultural conversations and debates because increasingly we are witnessing a dangerous and antiscientific trend toward the outright denial of biological sex. Recently, I read about a professor (at a major university in the NE) who stated in her graduate studies class that there are only two biological sexes, but only one person in that class voted to agree with her position, while most of the rest of the students in that class have signed a petition to remove that professor from her post. These contrarians believe that male and female are merely arbitrary groupings, and their transgender leader believes that everyone is free to identify as male or female, regardless of genetics or anatomy. But objective, scientific research tells us that sex is binary; no third type of sex cell exists in humans. Gender and sex are not something simply between our ears, but between our legs. Sexuality is not like a favorite color; it is hardwired into our being by our Creator.
Ok, I am not a graduate of Harvard University or of the Harvard Law School, and I have not majored in biology either, but I do know that we most certainly have an official definition of “woman” biologically and biblically!
Devotedly your pastor,
Bill Blanchard
[1] Gabriella Swerling, “Church of England: There is No Official Definition of a Woman,” The Telegraph, July 10, 2022.