My Pronouns
Dan Kunz
Hi! My name is Dan and my pronouns are…
If you watch the news, follow social media, or are generally aware of today’s society, you know that the latest “big deal” is what pronouns you use to identify yourself. According to LinkedIn, a professional networking site, “Your pronoun is not an arbitrary decision based on your sex; rather it’s a choice you make, based on your gender identity.” In other words, the pronouns you use to identify as male or female (he, his, him, she, hers, her), are no longer what counts. What really matters is how you “identity” yourself. The fact that you’re a 25-year-old Caucasian man who identifies as a 40-year-old Filipino woman is perfectly understandable, acceptable, and your right as a human being. Confused? How about this list of “new pronouns” which you may choose to use – ze, zem, zir, e, em, eir, xe, xem. xyr, fae, thon, sie, ver, or tey? A relative of mine, who teaches at a large public university, put it this way, “At interdepartmental meetings, the first order of business is stating your name, your department, and what pronouns you use. I don’t even know what most of those mean!” If you’re lucky, you may not have to deal with the issue, but, as with many issues today, this may be “forced” on you. More and more forms, applications, and paperwork, expect you to list your pronouns.
I have a suggestion for you, based on something that Jesus once said, “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16 Sometimes, as Christians, we have to be cunning, crafty, and wise. If you are forced to choose your pronoun(s), simply use “his, his, and his”. Think about it. What is the most important aspect of your life, your being, your existence? It is not if you’re a man or woman. It is not if you’re black, white, or any other skin color. It is not if you’re a doctor, teacher, pastor, UPS driver, farmer, or stay-at-home mom. It is whether or not you have a personal relationship with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Are you his creation, his brother, and his child? That is the only identification which really matters. It matters now and it matters for eternity.
What a relief! We know who we are. We know why we are. We know where we belong and where we’re headed. Psalm 100:3 Know that the Lord is God. He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Romans 14:8 Indeed, if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I am now living in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
I Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.
My name is Dan and my pronouns are his, his, and his. Now that’s a description with which we can all can identify!