Van Meter, a pastor at Foothills Christian Church in El Cajon, shared with The San Diego Union-Tribune that he believes that God is the one who assigns each person’s gender and sexuality.
Cultural Shift
Meter cited a recent dispute at the Cameron Family YMCA in Santee, which he saw as an occasion to reiterate the positivity of heteronormativity.
The case involved a 17-year-old girl named Rebecca Phillips and a 66-year-old transgender woman named Christynne Wood, who were both using the women’s locker room.
Upon discovering Wood in a women-only area, Phillips felt surprised and anxious.
She then reported the incident to the YMCA personnel, who explained that, per state law, trans individuals are permitted to utilize locker rooms aligned with their gender identity.
In turn, this sparked a controversy.
With this, Meter asked whose rights should take precedence.
He stated that he believes that there is currently a significant cultural shift concerning sexuality and gender.
Having been a pastor for 22 years and having interacted with thousands of young people, he stated that he had observed a noticeable shift.
Meter noted that over the last ten years, he has likely provided guidance on homosexuality to three times more individuals than he did during the first 12 years of his ministry.
Additionally, in the past five years, he has discussed transgender issues with around five times more people than in the previous 17 years.
Following this, Meter acknowledged that topics related to sexuality and identity are not dissipating; in fact, this shift is becoming more pronounced.
Consequently, as societal beliefs around gender and sexuality evolve, he believes that public institutions, businesses, and families are grappling with intricate concerns.
This encompasses matters such as public facilities, locker room utilization, and participation in sports teams, as well as more profound issues regarding the essence of the world, one’s role in it, and what is considered good, right, and aesthetically pleasing.
Meter believes that the Christian perspective holds significant worth in this context.
He observed that in the previous century, numerous individuals regarded religious assertions as archaic or antiquated.
The pastor added that society often perceives novel concepts as inherently superior to older ones.
However, in the context of contemporary concerns about sexuality and gender identity, he believes that the Christian faith provides the most comprehensive and fulfilling responses.
Designed by God’s Standards
Meter explained that Christianity posits that people are not haphazardly adrift in the cosmos due to countless random events.
Rather, each one is the intentional handiwork of God, who fashioned humans and the world for a specific aim.
He noted that people’s role as creations of God is to abide by His principles.
Meter also stated that he, along with numerous others, interprets the Bible as stipulating that God has structured marriage to be between a single man and woman.
He believes that this is not merely a conventional practice, but rather a divine mandate.
Meanwhile, regarding gender, he asserted that God had assigned it to each one, and it is not within their power to select it for themselves.
From this, Meter concluded that one’s genuine joy and contentment do not arise from attempting to carve their path or fabricate their reality.
Instead, he stated that it comes from adapting themselves to the plan and blueprint that God has established.
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