By Laurie Higgins, Director of IFI's DSA, Illinois Family Institute

Chastity Bono's publicist announced that Chastity is pursuing a "sex change." Chastity, as everyone knows, is the only daughter of Cher and the deceased Sonny Bono. Many years ago, Chastity made the decision to embrace homosexuality, and as of March, she has begun the process of "changing sexes."

Of course, rational people realize that changing one's name, cross-dressing, ingesting hormones naturally produced by the opposite sex, and electively amputating healthy parts of one's sexual anatomy don't really change one's biological sex. The emperor was really wearing no clothes, and Chastity, who has assumed the moniker "Chaz," will always really be a woman.

It's utterly confounding that society en masse believes or pretends to believe that "transgenderism" reflects a real phenomenon of people actually trapped in the wrong body rather than a profound disruption in the development of a secure and proper sexual identity. Doctors who perform such surgeries are engaging in medical malpractice and violating the increasingly meaningless and antiquated Hippocratic Oath.

Governments and governmental bodies like departments of motor vehicles that permit people to formally change their sex on legal documents collude in fraud.

And friends, family members, schools, and churches that participate in the sexual confusion of "transgenders" lack both wisdom and compassion.

Someone who demonstrates both the wisdom and compassion so sorely needed in this time so suffused with sexual sin and the suffering it entails is Dr. Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also serves as a preaching pastor at Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

He has written an important and compelling document on how the church should respond to those who have had the woefully misnamed "sex reassignment surgery." Unfortunately, this issue will increasingly affect the church as society increasingly affirms sexual confusion. I should clarify that it is unfortunate that the phenomenon of transgenderism is increasing, but it will be a good thing if those who experience such torment someday find themselves in the pews of a Bible-believing church where they can experience the forgiveness and healing that comes from submission to Christ. The church needs to be ready and waiting for them with open arms.

Please read Dr. Moore's important document, send it to all the church leaders you know, and pray that Chastity Bono never has the surgery.