The Sweetest Poisons

A Table of Contents for this Extended Review

My Extended Review of Preston Sprinkle’s book Embodied about transgender people and the church has taken longer and become even more extended than I first imagined. In order to make navigating the series easier here is a “Table of Contents” for the series which I will update as I write and release new sections of the review.

Cover Images for various installations in the series

Intro

In which I lay out the plan for the extended review and highlight my two primary and overarching concerns with the book: Sloppy Scholarship and Slippery Rhetoric

Part 1 - Chapter 1: People

In which I respond to Chapter 1, focusing on Sprinkles approach to the tension between knowing that this is about real people and discussing trans-ness as “an issue” then reflect on Sprinkle’s choices in gendering the people he discusses in the text.

Part 2 - Chapter 2A: Definitions

In which I respond to Sprinkle’s definitions of Transgender, Non-binary, Trans*, Gender Dysphoria, Transition, Transman and Transwoman, Cisgender, and Intersex.

Part 3 - Chapter 2B: Sex and Gender

In which I respond at more length to Sprinkle’s definitions of Sex and Gender including a few thoughts on his decision to bracket intersex people and extended thoughts on what we learn about his understanding of gender theory through his use of the terms gender identity and Gender Role.

Part 4 - Chapter 3: Varieties of Trans

In which I respond to Sprinkle’s “varieties of trans*” people and the impact of gender dysphoria, taking particular issue with his use of Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria and Autogynephilia both of which have been thoroughly discredited by major medical and psychological associations.

Part 5 - Chapter 4: Male and Female in the Image of God

In which I respond to, and largely disagree with, Sprinkle’s arguments regarding maleness and femaleness and the role and consequences of those terms/categories in scripture. I also take issue with his scholarship.

Part 6 - Chapter 5: Gender Stereotypes

In which I discuss Sprinkle’s misuse of the gender stereotyping as a problem and critique him for never quite saying why or how he things that sex based differences are spiritually or morally important.

Part 7 - Chapter 6A: “But What About the Eunuch?” and Other Questions

In which I respond to Dr. Sprinkle’s assessment of a series of variously trans-affirming approaches to, and interpretations of, the Bible and take him to task for misrepresenting the work of Linda Tatro Herzer.

Part 8 - Chapter 6B: “But What About the Eunuch?” and Other Questions Continued

In which I respond to Sprinkle’s closing discussion in Chapter 6 on whether the Church should accept trans people, and talk about the bait-and-switch of welcoming but not affirming churches.

Part 9 - Chapter 7A: “What About Intersex?”

In which I respond to Sprinkle’s attempt to explain why he doesn’t think that the fact of intersex people undermines is much repeated claim that “male” and “female” are sufficient and stable categories of sex which can comprehensively contain the totality of human persons. I also get cranky about his (mis)use of Emi Koyama’s work.

Part 10 - Chapter 7B: “What About Intersex (the Trans* question and the fall)

In which I highlight the circularity of Dr. Sprinkle’s arguments viz. Intersex people and then push back against his theological insinuations regarding them.

Part 11 Celeste 1 - Interlude

In which Celeste responds to several of the core implications and assumptions that underlie Dr. Sprinkle’s decision to present himself as person-focused and as wanting to honor the dignity and humanity of trans people.

Part 12 Celeste 2: Chapter 10A “Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria”

In which Celeste outlines the actual history of “Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria” as a junk science meme and then explores Dr. Sprinkle’s use of the hypothesis and his rather misleadingly edited story of the detransitioner Helena.

Part 13 Celeste 3: Chapter 10B Sex ratios, detransition, and increasing numbers of trans teenagers

In which Celeste demonstrates the ways in which Dr. Sprinkle’s functional acceptance of ROGD is supported by a misunderstanding of the difference between numerical growth and percentage growth and points to the more convincing explanation for the increase in transition care at the Tavistock Centre (a central plank in the ROGD argument).

Part 14 Celeste 4: Chapter 10C The Litmann Study and ROGD

In which Celeste take a deep dive into the retracted and corrected Littman study, its flaws and limitations, and Dr. Sprinkle’s (mis)use of it in his book.