Staff Reports
The dean of Cambridge University's Trinity College is under fire after defending a student's controversial sermon, which claimed that Jesus Christ had a "trans body."
Junior research fellow Joshua Heath made the controversial remark during an evensong service in the college's chapel, where he discussed the body of Jesus and how his side wound looked like a woman's vagina. According to the Daily Telegraph, Heath was referencing Renaissance and medieval art.
According to Heath, if the works of art that were made during the Renaissance and medieval period refer to the body of all humans, then Jesus Christ had a "trans body."
The controversial sermon was met with outrage by the congregation. Many of them expressed their discomfort at what was said. Dean Michael Banner of the college had received a complaint regarding the sermon.
One person said that they were especially offended by the imagery used during the service, especially when it was shown to the congregation from the pastor's position. Another individual said that they were outraged by the idea of commemorating the martyrdom of a trans person. Dean Banner defended the controversial sermon and his invitation to Heath.
In an interview with the Telegraph, Dean Michael Banner stated that he believed that speculation about the nature of Jesus' body was legitimate. He also said that he would not have invited someone who would intentionally offend or shock the congregation. A spokesperson for the university noted that neither Heath nor Banner had suggested that Jesus was transgender.
In response to the controversy, the college stated that the service was about discussing the various interpretations of Jesus' image in art. It also explored the nature of religious art. The university noted that the discussion was part of an academic inquiry that was open to debate.
The controversy at Cambridge University follows a report earlier this month that the institution had urged German students to exclusively use gender-neutral words. The majority of German words have either a male or female inclination.
The effort to only use gender-neutral words was ridiculed by German speakers. One individual said that people would probably make a mistake if they tried.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Washington Examiner.
