He wants you to call him her. What do you do? For the Colson Center, I’m John Stonestreet.

So a friend announces that he or she was born in the wrong body, and is asking you to call him or her by the opposite gender’s pronouns. How do you respond?

Over at The Stream, Tom Gilson writes it’s important not to unnecessarily offend that friend, but at the same time, the idea that God created us male and female is a core conviction. We serve a Savior Who calls Himself “the Truth.” We can’t tell a lie.

Gilson suggests an answer along these lines: I understand that you have convictions about yourself, which is why you’re asking me to call you by a different pronoun. But I have convictions, too. And for me to go along with your request would violate those convictions, and therefore my identity. So how can we work this out together?

A little kindness, a little care, a little gentleness can go a long way. So remember, truth and love are not in conflict. No matter what happens, speak the truth and remember that the person you’re speaking with is made in the image of God.