Thinking Out Loud with Alan Shlemon - God Changes People’s Names. A Transgender Argument?

Episode Date: September 25, 2026

Some argue that because God changes people’s names in the Bible, this provides justification for people who identify as transgender to change their names. Alan examines this argument and explains why the biblical examples don’t support that conclusion.

Does the fact that God changes people's names in the Bible support the practice of changing one's name as a part of a transgender transition process? Well, I want to answer this question in this episode of my podcast, Thinking Out Loud with Alan Schleman. There's a subset of Christians who are intent on enlisting scripture to justify transgender ideology. And their latest strategy is to point to the many instances where God changes people's names. So, for example, God changes Abram to Abraham, or he changes Sarai to Sarah, or he changes Jacob to Israel. And the new names reflect a new identity, purpose, and or relationship. In Abraham's case, Abram means exalted father, but Abraham means father of many nations, which represented Abraham's

new status and covenant with God. Now, God's renaming of Jacob to Israel is particularly relevant for the transgender movement. And that's because since the word Israel means struggle with God, transgender advocate and author Austin Harky says this about the imagery. He says, quote, it is incredibly familiar to transgender Christians who have spent a portion of their life grappling with their faith and their gender, end quote. And so many people who identifies transgender will pick a new name for themselves as sort of part of their social transitioning. And from their perspective, it reflects their new identity. Now, typically, they'll choose a name that aligns with their gender identity or their self-perception. And Hartke writes

this, quote, when a transgender person changes their name, they often work within these same categories, either taking on a name that highlights something true and establishes about their personality and their connection to others, or embracing a name that shows the world how they've changed and who they aspire to be. Now, the human rights campaign agrees with this sentiment, actually, and they have an article called What Does the Bible Say about transgender people? And in it, the authors explain how God basically set up a pattern for others, especially for those who identifies transgender to follow. And here's what they say in their article. They say, quote, the Bible establishes a precedent that name changes can be either an uncovering

of who God has always seen a person to be, or as a recognition of a new identity and a new beginning. These two are important principles at play for many transgender and non-binary people in being able to affirm their gender identities with themselves, with their communities, and ultimately with God, end quote. And so, since God gives new names, it's inferred that we can give ourselves a new name as well. And they're asking basically, what's the problem with that? right? So let me give you three concerns I have with this. First, it's true that scripture doesn't prohibit name changes. And personally, I'm not troubled by that practice either. And the reason is, is because names are a matter of convention. They're neither inherent nor an essential part of a

person. Rather, they are arbitrary labels that function like a tag or a pointer. Now, while some parents might choose a child's name because it has meaning for them, it's still just a name, right? That could have been something else. And so therefore, changing your name is permissible, even if it entails going from a very feminine sounding name like Sophia to a more unisex name like Taylor. Okay. Now, having said that, I am opposed to changing one's name to an obviously opposite sex name for the purpose of signaling a gender transition. or transgender transition. And that's because that kind of a name change

is part of an entire transition process that's outlined by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. And according to W Path's most recent standards of care, which are SOC version 8, people who identifies transgender can be, and actually are often, encourage the transition according to a three-stage process.

And this entails social, hormonal, and surgical transitioning. And changing your name is a part of the first step of social transitioning. And so I can't endorse a decision that partakes in this first transition step because it makes me complicit in the three-step process that can lead someone to self-harm through the surgical alteration and or amputation of perfectly healthy body tissue. So that's my first. concern. Now here's the second problem. While it's true that God changes people's names, he never once gives a new name that is incongruent with a person's biological sex. In other words, he never renames Abram to something like Rebecca, right? Or he never renamed Sarai to

something like Isaac. So there is zero precedent for a cross-sex name. Every new biblical name marks a new role, a new characteristic, or a new covenant, while preserving the name's connection to the person's sex. Therefore, while name changes might be permissible, there's always still boundaries that are rooted in God's created order. And finally, the third problem that I have with this argument is that it kind of, well, not kind of, it, it does ignore the broader biblical teaching about sex and identity. You see, scripture teaches that our identity is not detached from our bodies, right? Our souls are embodied in a physical form that God declares very good, right? And crossing sex-specific boundaries is always described as sin in the Bible. And so it's hard to imagine that God

would condone changing to an opposite sex name, since that would contradict what he's already taught in scripture. So attempting to enlist the Bible as an ally of transgender ideology is not going to work, right? The precedent that God sets with name changes has nothing to do with the modern notion of gender transition. And basically, it's anachronistic to try to impose the latest sort of component of gender theory onto an ancient biblical text. It's true that names are important and name changes are certainly permissible, but there's no precedent set by God for the kind of change that transgender advocates desire. Well, that's all I have for you today. If you've enjoyed this episode, I encourage you to share it with a friend. And also don't forget to subscribe to my podcast

so that you don't miss any future episodes. And I thank you for listening. I look forward to thinking out loud with you next time.