In a recent episode of his podcast "Ask Pastor John," pastor and theologian John Piper criticized "gender pronoun hospitality" because it was both unbiblical and detrimental to trans-identified individuals. The practice of "gender pronoun hospitality" involves using preferred pronouns and the name of a trans-identified person, even for someone who disagrees with LGBT ideology, The Christian Post reports.

On Monday's episode of "Ask Pastor John," an elder of a church asked Piper what his thoughts were regarding how the church's ministry at a nearby college that recently considered practicing "gender pronoun hospitality."

"The argument is that there are times when, for the sake of evangelism, one may decide to call a person by their chosen gender if such an act removes a possible barrier in sharing the Gospel," Piper, an author and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, said in response.

"The ask for our church is for a person to have the freedom, in the moment, to do this, limited to evangelism contexts, limited to conversations with those who are not believers. If someone claims to be a follower of Christ, such 'pronoun hospitality' would not apply."

Piper, who served as pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church for over three decades, challenged the notion of "connecting the beautiful biblical word 'hospitality' with the unbiblical concept of 'gender pronoun,'" calling it "unhelpful and misleading."

"We ought to be hospitable, but we ought not to be affirming of pronouns that designate a destructive choice and a false view of reality. It is possible to be hospitable and honest," Piper said.

When it comes to direct conversation, Piper noted that the most frequent "pronoun that you use is you."

"So, it may be possible to engage a person directly without touching the issue of pronouns," he said. "Now, of course, that doesn't work when dealing with proper names. Is Andy now Angie? You may not even know that Angie was once Andy. So, stepping into the conversation, you may not have any choice unless you simply avoid the name, which is possible."

Piper went on to suggest using "sex" over "gender," contending that the latter was "a compromise with sinful views of reality" and the byproduct of "radical feminists" in the 1970s.

"I think using the word 'gender' where the right word is 'sex' is like using the word 'marriage' for a relationship between two men or two women. It's not marriage. It is so-called 'marriage,'" he continued.

"The Nashville Statement is right to say, 'Self-conception as male or female should be defined by God's holy purposes in creation and redemption as revealed in Scripture.' But calling a man a woman or a woman a man defies that holy purpose of God. It defies God," he said.

The Desiring God founder also cited Nashville Statement, a theologically conservative declaration in 2017 by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Piper was among a broad coalition of Christian leaders, including J.I. Packer and Francis Chan, who signed the statement.

"The Nashville Statement is right to say, 'Self-conception as male or female should be defined by God's holy purposes in creation and redemption as revealed in Scripture.' But calling a man a woman or a woman a man defies that holy purpose of God. It defies God," he said.

According to Piper, affirming trans-identity "involves living a lie" that "regularly leads to destructive and irreversible surgeries and treatments."

"Therefore, the greatest possible care should be taken before one gives any impression of approving or even being mildly disagreeable toward so-called transgenderism," he concluded.

Piper's remarks differ from former Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear, who previously said he would use a trans-identified person's preferred name and pronouns but would also affirm biblical truth.

"If a transgender person came into our church, came into my life, I think my disposition would be to refer to them by their preferred pronoun when we want to talk about gender," Greear said on a podcast titled "Ask Me Anything" in 2019. "I will be clear with him on the truth. The question is: Is that the battlefront that you want to choose?"

"That is the way that I would lean in this," he added. "I would say this is one of perhaps Roman 14 situations where you need to do what your conscience is allowing you to do."

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