Misuse of Jesus' name is frustrating

It’s frustrating to see Jesus’ name misused. One Daily Bee letter applies Matthew 25:40 to claim that excluding biological males from women’s private spaces violates Jesus’ teaching. But this passage refers to caring for the hungry, thirsty, poor, sick, imprisoned, and vulnerable. That passage is about compassion, charity, and moral responsibility, not public policy debates. Stop pulling Jesus’ words out of context to support points He never made.

Jesus identified with people in their suffering, not their sin. Showing compassion isn't the same as approving every action, and caring for people doesn't require removing public safeguards that protect the vulnerable or prevent abuse.

All people bear God’s image and deserve dignity. Christians should defend trans people from mistreatment and seek to reflect Christ’s love. Loving our neighbor, including our trans neighbor, matters, but love does not override God’s moral commands. It fulfills them. Genuine love cannot ignore God’s standards; it aligns with them. For that reason, affirming or enabling sin is not loving. When Jesus met the woman caught in adultery, He did not celebrate her choices or tell her to “live her truth.” He extended mercy and then said, “Go and sin no more.”

Our lives, our souls, our bodies, our whole selves are a gift from God. We should pray for those suffering with identity problems to find peace in the body God has given them, rather than being at war with it.

TIM KNAPP

Clark Fork