Christian leaders decry Boy Scouts' decision to accept transgenders

Jardine Malado Thursday, February 02, 2017

Scouts gather to listen to Navy volunteers give encouragement to the young scouts during the National Boy Scouts Jamboree. | Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Navy photo by All Hands Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Todd Frontom

Some Christian leaders are urging parents to withdraw their children from the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) after it announced that it will now allow girls who identify as boys to participate in scouting programs.

The BSA announced on Monday that a child's eligibility for its programs will no longer be based on their birth certificates but on the gender identity indicated on their application.

Following the announcement, American Family Association President Tim Wildmon urged parents and churches to leave the Boy Scouts for other scouting organizations that uphold Biblical teachings on gender.

"It's the end of the Boy Scouts of America as we know it," Wildmon told The Christian Post. "They have a proud history but they have been infiltrated with the politically correct culture and now they can't even differentiate between a male and a female," he added.

The decision to accept transgender members came after the BSA made two other significant changes to its policies related to sexuality.

In 2013, the organization voted to allow openly homosexual scouts. In 2015, it permitted openly gay and bisexual adults to serve as unit leaders and employees.

"Tragically, the Boy Scouts seem to be continuing their trajectory toward embracing the moral priorities of the Sexual Revolution," Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, told the Baptist Press.

"Many of us predicted that earlier decisions by the organization were the beginning of an organizational reinvention and hoped we were wrong. Those fears have now been justified," he continued.

John Stemberger, chairman of the board of Trail Life USA, a Christian scouting organization formed in 2013, described the BSA policy change as "profoundly sad but inevitable."

He also expressed concern that there might be a "clear child protection issue" if boys and biological girls are allowed to shower, dress and camp in tents together.

A BSA spokeswoman told the Baptist Press that churches and religious organizations that partner with the Boy Scouts will still have the right to make decisions according to their religious beliefs.

The BSA has reported that it has about 2.3 million members and around 960,000 volunteers. Trail Life USA claims to have 700 troops in 48 states.