FREE PUBLIC EVENT: CSCA’s Montreal chapter presents an online lecture with Tony Jelsma (Professor of Biology, Dordt University).
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Towards a Biological Understanding of Gender and Gender Dysphoria
The dramatic increase in both the number of cases and the prominence of transgender individuals in recent years raises many questions, particularly for Christians. Is there a biological basis for gender? Is gender fixed? What might be behind this recent increase? More broadly, how do we as Christians deal with the questions surrounding gender? Unfortunately, there aren’t clear or definitive answers to these questions. Moreover, there can be strong disagreement, even among Christians. We need to appreciate that every case is different, so generalizing on this topic may be unhelpful. I plan to describe what we know about the biology of gender and gender dysphoria and how we as Christians can view this issue. It is my hope that as we understand the issues better, we can provide distinctively Christian hope and support for people suffering from this condition.
Tony Jelsma, Ph.D. Professor of Biology, Dordt University, Sioux Center, IA. Tony was born in Burlington Ontario. He received his B.Sc. and Ph.D. from McMaster University in biochemistry and molecular biology. He did postdoctoral research in England (cancer research) and the Montreal General Hospital Research Institute (nerve regeneration). He then found his calling in teaching at Christian institutions, first at Crandall University in Moncton NB and has been teaching at Dordt University in Iowa since 2000. Courses he teaches at Dordt include anatomy, physiology, genetics, and developmental biology. He is an elder in his Presbyterian church and still finds time to play hockey (sorry, not a Habs fan!).