Cambridge sermon: Jesus may have been trans

@PrinceYakimov Yeah. But I do think that subtext is there in the medieval and Renaissance art. (Sceptical initially but was won over when I read papers on the topic.)

As for the sermon... of course, Trinity Cambridge is a big famous college and attracts some tourists/families for evensong etc (although not as many as King's next door). But Oxbridge college evensong sermons can often be mini-lectures by one of the chapel community.

Just avoid any church connected with academia?

But if Jesus was a trans woman, then that was surely the right kind of woman, who can woman better than one of those boring old cunty types?

Conceptualising penetration as the thing that makes you "feminine" is yuck too.

Above all, it's pastorally crap to deliver an art history lecture in place of a sermon. This doesn't appear to have told any of the congregation anything about the Gospel. It seems to be an exercise in showing off the preacher's post-modern cleverness.

Since there's a fair amount of party tricks that involve turning water into wine, it's considerably less believable.

We're talking about an historical figure, not some imaginary 'space pixie'. However you may feel about Jesus' claims to being the Messiah (or his ability to solve catering problems), using his death to push a trans agenda is pretty rubbish.

That one from eyes is good too tho!

Oh, yes, @PrinceYakimov, well put.

A brief history of Christianity, by PhotoDad.

"We cannot do/say/believe X because of theology!"
[... time passes ...]
"We must do/say/believe X because of theology!"

Repeat.

He isn't telling his congregation anything about Christ or about trans issues... he is revealing how very little he knows about art and about the bodies of women. (The latter is not so unusual: I do remember a sermon including a bit about women hiding wrinkles with mascara.)

The vagina as a stab wound... that is a thoroughly external view of a woman's body!

Yes @IcakethereforeIam . Rev Bernard Randall at Trent College. Here's a just released interview with him on Gender a Wider Lens. It's just gone to court and expecting outcome in January:

Excellent point Prince. I also believe this "sermon" demonstrates a key aspect of the well established tradition called "having your cake and eating it".

Caveat that I haven't read the sermon and don't know how well it's been reported. But one reason this may be so offensive to feminist Christians is because one of the historic reasons for opposition to ordaining women was that a female body couldn't represent Christ at the Eucharist.

Women's vocations to the priesthood were denied for centuries because of this. It's so incredibly dismissive of our struggle, to say 'oh yeah! Christ was actually also simultaneously female all along because art! Cool!'

Jesus declared himself the Son of God by direct testimony. Not trans daughter or any other such rubbish. the SON.
In His arraignment before Caiaphas, He was asked, "Art thou the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the Blessed?" He answered, "I am." (Mark 14:61, 62.)

I was thinking of going to a C of E church for some carols this Christmas. I think I'll pass.

Quite. Within this ideology he is the bungler busy stuffing souls in the wrong bodies.

Which makes you wonder what the ideology's view of the afterlife is.

says something else about that artistic tradition

Oh it says a whole lot of things.

'Batshit' is one of the politer ones.

@EmmaGrundyForPM “I’m fairly certain that no man in gheir right mind would identify as female in Palestine in AD33“.
SO true and darkly funny Emma.

Julian of Norwich was writing about Jesus (and God the Father) as our Mother in the 14th century, but managed to keep it theological and spiritual rather than rabbiting on about gashes. It's the kind of nonsense that makes one wonder should men be priests.

Amen. Theologians and whole denominations are incredibly good at being inconsistent and holding the whole system together with "mystery of faith!"

The body of Christ only ever represents all humanity when it is convenient theology. If not it definitely represents only men.

If not we wouldn't have had to fight so hard to have female priests in any of the Christian denominations.

Lord have mercy 🙄

If Jesus was trans then God himself is guilty of some pretty hefty misgendering.

Wrong quote! Sigh. Meant to quote the 'fashionably edgy' one. Wrong glasses.

Snorted at this. Thank you for putting it so succinctly.

Is there something in the water at Cambridge?

Although I don't think he went as far as saying TWATW wasn't a coe bod at a school reported, by the school, to Prevent for saying that it was okay to question gi orthodoxy, or along those lines. I think he's got an ET coming up.

OT but the best nativity I ever saw was in Tunisia (where we'd gone to escape Christmas 😆) They had a real camel and a real donkey. No idea about the baby.