Robert S. Smith. The Body God Gives: A Biblical Response to Transgender Theory. Lexham Academic, 2025. $34.99. 446 pp.
Over the past decade and a half, transgenderism has gone from a marginal phenomenon to a central political dispute. This did not happen spontaneously. As Robert S. Smith outlines in his new book, The Body God Gives: A Biblical Response to Transgender Theory, the initial philosophical moves for redefining gender identity and roles were made in the mid-twentieth century. In the 1970s and 1980s came a further shift, as some feminist and queer scholars argued that sex does not determine gender infallibly. Finally, with scholars like Judith Butler in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries came the idea that sex and gender are both social constructions and nothing more.
As these ideas have increasingly gained public acceptance, evangelical Christians such as Preston Sprinkle (Embodied), Vaughan Roberts (Transgender), and J. Alan Branch (Affirming God’s Image) have worked to craft a biblical response. Roman Catholic thinkers like Abigail Favale (The Genesis of Gender) and Ryan T. Anderson (When Harry Became Sally) have also weighed in. However, Smith argues that no book has yet provided an exhaustive exegetical account of what the Scriptures say about this issue. This is what he sets out to do in this book, because “While the Bible may only occasionally speak about transgender issues, it speaks to them in many and various ways and does so from its opening pages.”
Smith sees “a significant gap in evangelical scholarship regarding the relationship between identity and embodiment as it relates to the transgender phenomenon” and “an urgent need for a more rigorous biblical and theological engagement with the central claim of trans theory that the sexed body does not signify the gendered self.” In fact, Carl Trueman covered much of this ground in The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, but there are few books bringing together a thoroughgoing historical and philosophical analysis with an in-depth examination of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. This is what Smith aims to provide, focusing not on the experiences of those with gender dysphoria (which he notes he already discussed in his book How Should We Think About Gender and Identity?) but a biblical definition of sex and gender.
Developments in feminist and queer theory have led “to the proposal of an alternative conception of sex and gender—one in which both are viewed, at least to a large extent, as socially constructed entities.” The transgender moment is significant because it represents not merely an adjustment in sociology or public policy, but a change in how we know what we know. “Epistemologically, this means the replacement of an exogenic perspective (in which knowledge conforms to the objective contours of the world) with an endogenic perspective (in which knowledge is fashioned by subjective factors within us).” And yet, a purely subjective approach will not allow for final agreement in society or the Church. Biblical revelation grounded in the divine word provides an objective basis for ideological cohesion. “These questions cannot finally be answered without appealing to a transcendent authority capable of providing an objective and infallible standard of the true, the good, and the beautiful.”
Smith states that “all human knowledge is necessarily dependent on divine revelation.” In other words, “the way of creation is determined by and dependent on the word of its creator... Not only is our origin in God, but since he has formed and fashioned us according to his purpose, God alone ‘has the right to declare what it means to be human.’” This is in line with the theology of Martin Luther and other Protestant reformers, who stressed the Creator/creature relationship as the lens through which all theology must be viewed. Smith argues that “the ultimate guide for Christians is not culture (or its negation) but nature (Φύσις, physis)—and nature, not as interpreted by culture, but as revealed in Scripture.”
After initially examining the history of evangelical scholarship on this issue and interacting with many of the primary thinkers who have influenced transgender theory, Smith focuses on the opening chapters of Genesis to determine God’s original intent for sex and gender. “From an exegetical standpoint, then, the meaning of Genesis 1:27 would appear to be straightforward: the imago Dei is both male and female, and human beings are either male or female.” He supports this by noting that “both the grammar and structure of the Hebrew text indicate that to be human is to be either male or female.” Furthermore, “a strict binary is confirmed by the command of 1:28: ‘Be fruitful and multiply’ (peru urevu)—a command that not only requires both male and female, but only male and female.”
But the Genesis narrative does not merely establish a binary between male and female. It also reveals the reality of human embodiment, which will become central to the entire plan of divine salvation. God’s creation of Adam “involves him in the shaping of the man’s body. This not only highlights the goodness of bodies (in that embodiment is the result of deliberate divine creative construction) but indicates that embodiment is basic to human identity.” This has implications far beyond our response to transgender theory. Smith concludes that “although I am more than my body, I am my body and my body is me.” Put another way, we are not merely minds in a vat or ghosts in a shell; our authentic self does not reside beyond our body, but in it.
God’s intent for humans was not for them to exist as independent entities, but in relationship with the world around them. He gave Adam and Eve dominion over his creation and commanded them to tend it. Our sexed body determines how we interact with that world, always shaping our identity. “Sexed embodiment, then, not only enables us to represent God and exercise dominion in his world, but it determines our sexed identity (as male or female), establishes our gendered relationships (as son or daughter, brother or sister, etc.), and signals our potential marital and reproductive roles (as husband or wife, father or mother).” Thus we meet the needs of our neighbor through the sexed body we are given by God. It is hard to imagine a society embracing transgenderism that had not previously adopted a hyper-individualist mindset, for transgenderism involves a rejection of natural, traditional family relationships.
But what does this mean for those who experience gender dysphoria? After all, they too are divine image bearers for whom Christ laid down his life. Therefore, they deserve our compassion. Smith argues, “Such confusion [about gender] may be a feature of postlapsarian existence, but it is not an indicator of healthy created variety.” The opening chapters of Genesis “not only depict how things were originally but how they are essentially,” and the “distressing nature of gender incongruence should arouse our sympathies and inform our care. But it does not change the creational pattern or alter ethical norms.” These brief statements are not a sufficient response to those experiencing gender dysphoria, but Smith’s book is theoretical rather than pastoral. The reader will need to seek such content elsewhere, as he himself notes at the outset.
Novel and even tortured interpretations of the Genesis narratives are in Smith’s crosshairs, though his writing maintains a gracious tone. He opposes revisionist understandings of Genesis which posit that humans engage in acts of creation with God, determining their sex and gender for themselves. “Attempts to change sex are not acts of human-divine co-creation, but false forms of gender construction (or, more accurately, destruction) that work against, rather than with, the grain of created nature.”
While Scripture and logical reasoning clearly support most of Smith’s argument, his repeated comments that “we are called to work with (rather than against) the grain of created nature” could be expanded to include any number of human activities. Should we avoid dyeing our hair or undergoing plastic surgery? Should we perform tasks manually rather than relying on machines? Should we landscape with native plants rather than imported ones? Or is it only sex and gender to which this principle applies? Surely, we must draw a line somewhere, but Smith does not define that point in his book. Indeed, to properly address these questions would require an additional volume of equal length.
This is an important work in the history of evangelical scholarship on transgender theory. While it may not be the ideal quick read for someone struggling with how to view their sex or gender, it is a necessary and helpful deep dive for those looking to go further and understand the reasons we believe what we believe. Smith has produced a work of extensive research, interacting with major figures in the fields of biblical studies, systematic theology, feminist theory, and sociology. Few authors can move between these spheres with such ease.
Although Smith stands firm on his biblical convictions, he does so as a man willing to listen and actively engage with opposing views. This keeps his book from being a mere polemic. The Body God Gives is a helpful resource for pastors, scholars, and interested laypersons. I highly recommend it.
