The worst thing a parent can do when talking about sexuality issues to their children is to give them the impression that there is something to be afraid of, according to Dr. Russell Moore, president of the USA's Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
In a video shared on the Gospel Coalition website, Moore said that he was caught off guard several years ago when his five-year-old son asked him, "How does a boy become a girl?"
"I said, 'Where did you hear this?' He told me it was in the dentist's office. He was sitting there waiting to see the dentist and the TV was on and it had a news report of a little boy who is becoming a girl," Moore said.
His first instinct was to protect his son from the harsh realities of today's society: "I didn't want him to have to think through those things right now."
But after much thought, Moore figured that to evade the question would be a very un-Christian thing to do, since parents have a responsibility to teach their kids what is wrong from what is right.
"We have a Word to give. So, if we give our children the idea that somehow we're not willing to talk to them about these issues, or that the idea of talking about these things freaks us out, then we're not going to disciple the next generation," he said.
Given the sensitivity of the topics, Moore encouraged parents to use age-appropriate language when talking about the changing tides of culture with children. He also said parents should present their case with "a Christian view of sexuality grounded in the picture of Christ and the church and the Gospel."
On the other hand, Moore warned parents not to let their children become like Pharisees, who look down their noses on others who are different from them and think, "Thank you, Lord, that I'm not like these immoral people around in our neighbourhood around us."
As for Christian parents who already have a transgender kid in their house, Moore suggested that they practice patience and understanding in bringing them back towards the right path.
"We do not turn around and repudiate our prodigals," Moore said. "We speak truthfully to our prodigals and we keep a place for them to come home to in the end. Do not throw your gay and lesbian child out of the house. Be the sort of place where the Gospel is present."
