A New York City Episcopal priest has sparked controversy after asserting that Jesus Christ was transgender and that God is nonbinary during a recent sermon. Father Flourish Klink, who identifies as nonbinary and transgender and uses they/elle/hen pronouns, made the remarks at Christ & Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church on the Upper West Side.

In a sermon shared via livestream, Klink described God as beyond traditional male and female categories, stating, “God is nonbinary” and adding that God is also “trans.” Drawing parallels between the experience of transgender individuals and the nature of God, Klink explained that just as people are assigned a gender at birth that may later be rejected in favor of their true identity, God similarly transcends assigned gender.

“When God, who — as we have established is nonbinary — was born in human form as our Lord Jesus Christ, Mary said, ‘Oh look, a baby boy,’” Klink said during the service. They emphasized that although Jesus was described as male at birth, God’s identity is beyond boy or girl. “God was assigned a gender at birth, and later on it became clear that that gender wasn’t right,” Klink added.

Klink further suggested that denying this interpretation could amount to rejecting the divinity of Jesus Christ. The priest also proposed that Jesus’ life deviated from traditional first-century male roles, citing the fact that Jesus did not marry. Klink speculated that Jesus was “resurrected as Jesus’ true self,” which they described as existing beyond male or female, and suggested that Jesus underwent a form of transition after resurrection.

Father Klink’s comments echo beliefs previously expressed by James Talarico, a Texas Democratic Senate candidate and former seminarian, who has also described God in nonbinary terms. The sermon has drawn both attention and criticism, reflecting ongoing debates within some religious communities about gender identity and theology.

Klink, who is married and has a daughter, did not provide further elaboration beyond the sermon. The church did not issue an immediate response to the remarks or any related inquiries.