The Living Church Podcast Trans Questions, Pastoral Care with Abigail Favale and Pieter Valk
9 snips
May 22, 2025 
Abigail Favale, a writer and professor at the University of Notre Dame, and Pieter Valk, an expert on vocational singleness and LGBT+ matters, dive into the intricate intersections of transgender experiences and Christian pastoral care. They discuss the importance of language and relationships while navigating the complexities of gender identity. The conversation emphasizes compassionate engagement, community support, and the significance of understanding individual stories, all while promoting charity and human flourishing within faith communities.
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Power and Pitfalls of Language
- Language shapes how we perceive reality and builds relational bridges.
- Different meanings of "gender" often cause misunderstandings in conversations about transgender topics.
Start with Humility in Dialogue
- Begin conversations by acknowledging the high suicide rates among trans people and confessing the church's past poor care.
- This humility opens doors for better dialogue and compassionate care.
Prioritize Personal Faith and Relationship
- Get to know each person with gender incongruence personally and focus on their relationship with Christ.
- Avoid centering gender issues first; nurture faith and spiritual life to enable fruitful identity struggles.
