"Transgenderism: The Current State of Gender Identity and Godly Ways to Respond" - by Dr. Mark Rockenbach
Read the full article in the Concordia Journal , Winter 2026 If you've ever felt unsure how to respond when a friend, family member, or church member brings up gender identity — you're not alone. It's one of the most emotionally charged topics of our time, and many Christians want to respond with both faithfulness to God's word and genuine compassion for the people involved. Dr. Mark Rockenbach, Professor of Practical Theology at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, helps us in doing so with his new article, "Transgenderism: The Current State of Gender Identity and Godly Ways to Respond," published in the Concordia Journal (Winter 2026). It's a thorough, caring, and practically useful piece written from a Lutheran perspective. Here are some of the highlights. God's Gift of Sexual Identity Rockenbach begins where good theology begins: with God as Creator. Sexual identity — being male or female — is not an accident or a social construct. It is a gift gi...
