A student reached out to me a few months back, and I responded to her question in a podcast titled, Are there transgender people in the Bible? However, I have been wanting to create a few short YouTube videos addressing the question as well. Here is part 1.
Ryan Pauly
Ryan Pauly is the founder and president of Think Well and the Director of Immersive Experiences at MAVEN. He has been working with junior high, high school, and college students for over a decade as a missionary, school teacher, field guide and speaker. After graduating from college he became a missionary in the Dominican Republic where he spent four years teaching English, Worldview, Apologetics, and Leadership to junior high and high school students. Ryan moved back to Southern California in 2015 and started teaching Historical Christian Doctrine and Apologetics, Comparative Religions and Worldviews, and Philosophy of Ethics at a Southern California Christian high school. He taught high school full-time for 12 years until 2023 when he left to work with Think Well and MAVEN. Ryan started in the apologetics world back in 2015 with his blog, Coffeehouse Questions. This led to the podcast in 2016 and YouTube in 2020. Think Well was officially launched in June of 2022. Ryan joined MAVEN as a field guide in 2017 and was promoted to Director of Immersive Experiences in 2023. He also serves as a faculty member at Summit Ministries, a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Reasons to Believe Scholar Community, and a volunteer at www.talkaboutdoubts.com. Ryan received a Bachelor’s degree in Theology with an emphasis in youth leadership from Vanguard University. He completed his Master’s degree in Christian apologetics from Talbot School of Theology and is currently working toward a Doctor of Ministry in Practical Theology. His research is focused on what Scripture says about the most pressing practical issues of our day like gender and sexuality, race, technology, politics, deconstruction, and more. He also holds a certificate in Science Apologetics from the Reasons Institute.
think-well.org 
August 26, 2019 at 8:56 am
My sister’s 15 yr old grand daughter has decided to get baptised in her Mom’s church. This is a gay church. My sister is going today to “visit” confront this lady pastor. Baptism is an outward showing of an inward decision. Should she be concerned “worried” about where the baptism takes place?? She, we have fed into her spiritual walk her whole life. Thank you for all you do for the case for Christ❤
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August 26, 2019 at 9:16 pm
Thanks for the comment Gina. There seem to be a couple things here. First, I do think she should be concerned about where the baptism takes place. Baptism is an outward showing of an inward decision, but you are also baptized into a community of believers. If that community has theology that goes against the Word of God, then I would not want to attend or be baptized into that community. Second, I’m not sure I understand why your sister is confronting the lady pastor. If here daughter and granddaughter go to the church then it would make sense to get baptized there. That is their community. If I was in that position then I would want to talk to my daughter and granddaughter.
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August 26, 2019 at 9:41 pm
Thank you! I appreciate your time and answer. I don’t think I’ll put anymore on the net though. We are praying.
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