A “transgender” and “nonbinary” Episcopal priest is facing widespread criticism after a sermon claiming that God is transgender and Jesus “transitioned” following the Resurrection went viral on social media.
The Rev. Flourish Klink delivered the sermon March 21 at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City during a noonday prayer service celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility.
Klink currently serves as an assistant priest at Christ and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and uses they/them pronouns.
Klink is also a co-chair of the Greater New York Area Episcopal Trans Task Force and a member of the Episcopal Diocese of New York’s Liturgical Committee.
Although the sermon was delivered in March, a clip resurfaced Wednesday after being shared by the conservative Christian outlet The Dissenter. The video quickly accumulated more than 5.5 million views and thousands of responses.
During the sermon, Klink first argued that God exists beyond traditional human categories of gender.
“God is non-binary,” Klink said before going further and declaring, “God is trans.”
Klink compared the Christian account of God taking human form as Jesus Christ with the experience of transgender people being assigned a gender at birth.
The priest argued that when Jesus was born, Mary viewed the infant as a boy. Klink then claimed that description did not reflect God’s complete identity because God exists beyond male and female categories.
Klink also pointed to aspects of Jesus’ life that differed from those of an average Judean man during the first century, including his apparent decision not to marry and his interactions with women.
The priest’s argument then turned to the Resurrection. Klink noted that the Bible describes instances in which Jesus’ disciples initially failed to recognize him after he rose from the dead.
Klink acknowledged that Scripture does not explain precisely why Jesus appeared different but offered a personal interpretation of the biblical account.
The priest suggested Jesus was resurrected as his “true self, which is beyond male or female,” before stating, “I think that Jesus transitioned.”
Klink presented the interpretation as a message intended to assure transgender Christians that God understood their experiences and struggles.
The remarks drew intense opposition online, with critics describing the sermon as heretical, blasphemous and inconsistent with biblical teaching.
A community note attached to the viral post cited the Gospel of Luke, which recounts the angel Gabriel telling Mary that she would give birth to a son and name him Jesus.
Traditional Christian doctrine teaches that Jesus is both fully divine and fully human. The New Testament repeatedly identifies Jesus as the Son of God and refers to him using male language, according to the Daily Mail.
Klink’s official transcript shows that the priest framed the claim as a personal theological interpretation and conceded that the Bible does not say Jesus’ gender changed after the Resurrection.
Responding indirectly to the criticism, Klink wrote on Instagram that social media provided an opportunity to send love to “haters.” The priest added that God continued to love people even when they were at their worst.
Neither Christ and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church nor the Episcopal Diocese of New York had announced disciplinary action against Klink in response to the sermon.
