An Episcopal priest's claim that Jesus "transitioned" after the resurrection is drawing fresh attention months after it was preached in New York City. The Rev. Flourish Klink also told worshippers that God is nonbinary and transgender, offering a reading of the resurrection that many Christians will find startling.
The timing and location matter. Klink delivered the sermon on March 21, 2026, during a Celebration of Trans Joy and Resilience at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Although Klink serves at Christ & St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, the sermon was not preached at that Upper West Side parish, as some descriptions of the controversy suggest. The cathedral's event listing names Klink as the preacher.
Klink's argument began with the claim that God is beyond human categories of gender. The priest then took a more provocative step, arguing that because Jesus was identified as a boy at birth while God is beyond male and female, God could be described as transgender. Klink went on to suggest that the risen Jesus appeared to the disciples in a form beyond those categories.
The most striking line came as Klink discussed why Jesus' followers did not immediately recognize him after the resurrection: "I think that Jesus transitioned." Klink acknowledged that the Bible does not explain those moments of nonrecognition in this way. The claim was presented as the priest's interpretation, intended to assure transgender worshippers that God understands their lives and struggles.
That distinction lies at the heart of the dispute. The Gospel accounts describe the risen Jesus and the disciples' difficulty recognizing him; they do not state that his gender changed. Readers may disagree over what those scenes mean, but Klink's conclusion goes beyond what the passages explicitly say. At the same time, the full sermon makes clear that the priest was addressing transgender Christians who feel rejected by churches, rather than making the remark as an isolated provocation.
The controversy also has a political echo. Texas Democratic Senate candidate and seminarian James Talarico has previously said that God is nonbinary, a remark that has drawn criticism during his campaign. That shared phrase does not mean Talarico made Klink's separate claim about Jesus' resurrection; the two statements should be judged on their own terms.
Klink's sermon raises a question with consequences well beyond one viral clip: how far can a preacher take an interpretation meant to welcome people before listeners conclude that it changes the story the Gospels tell? For those troubled by the claim, the issue is whether Klink has read a contemporary understanding of gender into the resurrection. For those who welcomed the sermon, its force lies in hearing a priest say that transgender people belong in the church's account of God's love. The full text leaves no doubt that Klink intended to make that case-and no doubt about why the response has been so intense.
