Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Education and Religion
What’s Your Personal Pronouns?

What’s Your Personal Pronouns?

Last updated on: August 23, 2022 at 3:30 pm by Pastor Kelly M. Williams

What’s Your Personal Pronouns? 2022-08-23T15:30:30-06:00 Pastor Kelly M. Williams

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

WHAT’S YOUR PERSONAL PRONOUNS?

What’s your personal pronouns?

This is a question that our children are being asked now as early as 2nd grade. The outrage in the public and private school systems is growing with time. The growing and alarming reality is that school has now primarily become about the infiltration of an agenda. And this agenda will not rest until it has destroyed the fabric of our original design by God as creatures who reflect His image.

We are being told today that there are more genders than you can count and you can be anything you declare yourself to be. Furthermore, those around you are obligated to adhere to whatever you determine yourself to be.

I recently saw an article out of Europe of a person that decided they wanted to become a dog and so they went through the necessary transitions in order to look and be shaped into what a dog looks like today. Maybe you are like me and you look at what is happening in our society today and it seems unbelievable, unimaginable, unexplainable, and overwhelming to the point that you don’t even know where to begin to help.

How do we engage a society that has determined and is bent to destroy the design that was originally given to them by the Creator who made them in His image?

We first have to ask ourselves what is the most important debate we should be having with people as followers of Jesus Christ? Are personal pronouns the most important debate we should be having with people today in our society given the overwhelming demand to conform to the new ways of thinking and acting?

My answer may surprise you.

This is important but it is not the most important question and discussion we should be having with people, students, and children today. The most important question is not, “What are your personal pronouns?” The most important question is what is your possessive pronouns!

Who you are matters little if you don’t know whose you are.

Our society has lost track of the fact that we were created in the image of God. We bear His likeness. We belong to Him. We are His creation. We are His likeness. We are His children. And Jesus has come to redeem the broken genders of our lives so that we can be restored to the full likeness of our Creator.

Our society is broken and debating personal pronouns will not make us unbroken. Changing our pronouns will not make us unbroken. It might make us broken in a new way, but we remain broken.

Our personal pronouns only multiply and compound the same problems with new ways of destruction. Our possessive pronouns, however, change the conversation. When someone tells you, “These are my pronouns, please use these to refer to me as such…” Can I encourage you not to argue with them but to ask them if you can have a discussion with them about their possessive pronouns?

If they give you permission, then ask them, “Whose are you?” Would you mind if I share with you my possessive pronouns? Would you mind if I share with you whose I am and just maybe it might help you find out whose you are as well?

The debate over personal pronouns is not the most important fight. The most important fight is in the trenches regarding your possessive pronouns. It does me little good to know who I am if I don’t know whose I am.

We are raising a generation that doesn’t know whose they are. And yes at some point our gender does matter but not more than our relationship to the one who made us.

Can I encourage you to consider setting aside the hostile debates over personal pronouns and seeking to talk to others about the possessive pronouns of their lives. The most important calling God has placed upon his church and his people is to help others understand, we belong to Him.

We are His royal priesthood.

We are his chosen people.

Our goal is to help someone say, “I am His. I belong to Jesus.”

We have a crisis of identity in our society and we continue to try and solve that problem by redefining our sexuality and by now trying to redefine our gender. These deconstructive behaviors will not get us to a better place, but trying to turn someone away from deconstruction without offering them a direction to consider is sadly and sorely a waste of time.

In John 10:14 Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

Jesus uses this analogy to make the point that we are His.

Jesus tells us, “You are mine.” He died for us. He gave His life for us.

Nowhere in Scripture does Jesus debate with someone about their personal pronouns but He does over and over again discuss their possessive pronouns.

I agree pronouns are important but maybe, just maybe we have been discussing the wrong pronouns. Can I encourage you as a pastor of 25 plus years serving the same community, Colorado Springs, and same Southern Baptist Church, Vanguard Church, that just maybe the debate over personal pronouns could very well be the greatest opportunity we have had in centuries to share the Gospel with a lost and dying world.

Can I encourage you to consider their possessive pronouns over their personal pronouns?

If we can help people experience ‘whose’ they are, we may not be able to turn the tide on the personal pronoun debate in our society, but we just may help them discover the One who came, died, and rose for them.

His name is Jesus.

And He wants to them to know they can be His.

May the Lord give us the courage to talk about the possessive pronouns of people’s lives for their eternity depends on it!

Blessings,

Pastor Kelly

Education and Religion

Family, Parenting and Religion

Home and Religion

Politics and Religion

Relationships and Religion

Previous Post

May 25, 2022

No Longer Ashamed Of Who I Am

Next Post

August 24, 2022 Biblical Conservatism and Women Pastors: A Southern Baptist Pastor's Biblical Understanding

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 1 Peter Abortion Asbury Revival Bearing Burdens Blessings of God BOOK OF MICAH charlie kirk Charlie Kirk and Steven Furtick Christmas Church Church Scandal Covid disicpleship Dr. James Dobson Ezekiel Fear Finances Francis Chan Gender Gender and Sexuality Gospel Grace Hearing the Voice of God Heart For God Homosexuality Israel Jesus Kayne West Kayne West and Joel Osteen Lauren Daigle Lauren Daigle and Steven Furtick Lauren Daigle and Steven Furtick Leaving Your Places Of Shittim Live Courageous Love Making A Name For Yourself For God Pastors and Churches Peace and Encouragement Personal Philip Yancey Politics Presidential Election Real Relationships Same Sex Ceremonies Sexual Abuse in the church Song Review Southern Baptist Churches and Women Teachers Suffering Thanksgiving Day The Bible The Good Pastor The Mystery of 23: God Speaks The Mystery of 23: God Speaks Again Uncategorized Visions and Dreams William Tyndale Woke Women Pastors

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 June 2024 April 2024 February 2024 January 2024 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 June 2023 May 2023 February 2023 January 2023 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What book of the Bible comes after Genesis?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Leviticus Exodus Deuteronomy Numbers