(IFA recognizes the timeliness and urgency of the transgender issue. And we agree with the writer of this article that what we’re dealing with there is sheer mental illness. And yes, the world is in desperate need of a “reality check.” But we duly note, too, that this particular mental illness is rooted in a profound spiritual darkness. It’s a spiritual problem, and it demands a spiritual solution. Hosts of wickedness in the unseen realms must be resisted, defied, and defeated, and we must engage in ceaseless intercession and spiritual warfare until our Lord brings victory. — eds.)

The Bible tells us that God created human beings as males and females (see Genesis 5:2). For Christians, God’s Word alone is proof enough that transgenderism is wrong. But for unbelievers, the quoting of Scripture is nothing but an ad hominem attack. So, along with fervent prayer, what is needed to convince anyone of the immorality of transgenderism is the presentation of a severe reality check.

Have you taken your place on the wall?

What we’re seeing in our day goes beyond mere denial of reality — it is a deranged and demonic break with reality.

Many are the examples of those who refuse to accept reality. Rachel Dolezal, former head of the NAACP’s Spokane, Washington, chapter, is a white woman who identifies herself as black. David Openshaw, of Sydney, Australia, couldn’t identify his left foot as being his, so he had it amputated below the knee. Karen Carpenter, one of the biggest pop stars of the 1970s, died from a starvation-induced heart attack at age 32 because she identified herself as overweight — even at a bodyweight of 90 pounds. Bruce Jenner, former Olympic gold medalist, underwent surgery to remove his male body parts and then changed his first name to Caitlyn because he identified himself as a woman.

Whether body integrity disorder, anorexia nervosa, gender identity disorder, or identifying your race as a matter of personal choice, all of these are mental disorders in desperate need of a reality check — i.e., just because you believe it to be so doesn’t make it so.

The argument against transgenderism transcends even common sense, being based on scientific knowledge of the human anatomy. Just because you use puberty blockers, undergo hormone therapy, or surgically change your sexual body parts doesn’t mean you have changed your sex. The 23rd chromosome pair (XX for female; XY for male) defines sex in each of the trillions of cells in a person’s body. They remain unchanged regardless of any “gender-affirming therapy” one may choose.

However, transgenderism is unique among mental disorders in terms of degree: Nothing else ever upended our culture and society to the extent that transgender ideology has. Transgenders  want us to:

• rid ourselves of such pronouns as “he” and “she” in our communication;
• allow men identifying as women to compete in women’s sports;
• accept “men” with beards becoming pregnant;
• condone the presence of biological males inside women’s bathrooms and shower rooms;
• legitimize and legalize irreversible gender surgery for underage children.

The so-called “woke” culture wants us to accept transgenderism as the “new normal,” and its increasing acceptance is alarming. Among the growing numbers of distressing incidents:

House rules adopted by the 117th Congress replaced the words “mother,” “father,” “daughter,” “son,” “sister,” and “brother” with terms like “parent,” “child,” and “sibling.”

The International Olympic Committee has ruled that no athlete should be excluded from competition on the assumption of any advantage related to gender.

On Mother’s Day 2022, a Calvin Klein ad featured the photo of a pregnant transgender “man” with a caption reading: “Today, in support of women and mothers all over the world, we’re spotlighting the realities of new families.”

A San Diego YMCA allows men to shower in the women’s locker room as long as the men are not registered sex offenders.

An Ohio couple lost legal custody of their daughter when they refused to let her transition to “male” by undergoing hormone replacement therapy.

Boston Children’s Hospital updated its age requirement for “gender-affirming” genital surgeries to 18 after receiving criticism for such surgeries on minors as young as 15.

In 2013 the American Psychiatric Association changed its diagnosis of transgenderism from a mental disorder to gender dysphoria.

And if you refuse to accept this orthodoxy of transgenderism, you’re labeled an abuser, a racist(!), or worse. It is time to put an end to this nonsense. People struggling with transgender issues and other gender confusion must be treated with Christian dignity and respect, and they must be afforded the blessing of healing prayer. But compassion and inclusion do not mean accepting transgenderism as normal — it is not.

It is time for a reality check. Transgenderism is a mental illness — and it must be treated as such.

But because it is also a spiritual illness, it is a subject for relentless prayer and spiritual warfare.

Below, share prayers of resistance to the dark forces bringing gender-identity confusion.