A recent sermon video by John MacArthur presenting the biblical view of gender and sexuality has been flagged as hate speech by YouTube.
Conservative commentator Todd Starnes reports that the video was removed by the platform because it supposedly violated YouTube's hate speech policy.
MacArthur said in his sermon that there is "no such thing as transgender", and that there were only two gender categories - male and female.
"You are either XX or XY, that's it. God made man male and female. That is determined genetically, that is physiology, that is science, that is reality," he said.
He then called transgenderism a "lie and deception" that was "so damaging, so destructive, so isolating, so corrupting that it needs to be confronted".
MacArthur preached the sermon as part of a protest by evangelical churches in Canada against the country's recent conversion therapy ban.
Canada's C-4 Bill came into effect on January 8 and has caused evangelical pastors to fear restrictions on their preaching.
According to Starnes, MacArthur's sermon was pulled because of his comments on the biblical viewpoint of gender.
"Our team has reviewed your content, and, unfortunately, we think it violates our hate speech policy," YouTube said, according to Starnes.
"We've removed the following content from YouTube: 'There is no such thing as transgender. You are either XX or XY. That's it. – Pastor John MacArthur.'"
MacArthur was one of thousands of evangelical pastors to stage the pulpit protest against the C-4 Bill by preaching sermons on the biblical definition of sexuality and gender during their Sunday services last weekend.
Criticizing the removal of MacArthur's video, Starnes said he feared it will not be long before the Bible itself is confiscated or re-written.
"In other words, YouTube affirmed the Canadian law by banning any opposition to transgenderism on their platform," he said.
"And it won't be very long before the sex and gender revolutionaries target the source of our beliefs – the Holy Bible. I foresee a day in American history where Bibles could be confiscated or rewritten to affirm the LGBTQIA lifestyle."
He quoted Jenna Ellis of the Thomas More Society, who represented MacArthur in his successful legal challenge against LA County's Covid regulations.
She accused social media giants of censoring Christian beliefs.
"The big tech oligarchy in the United States is implementing the equivalent of Canada's insane law by censoring truth and the right of pastors to teach the Bible," she told Starnes.
"If Americans don't stop big tech, this new Regime will circumvent the Constitution to foreclose our fundamental rights to speak and exercise religion, and the impact will be devastating.
"I stand with John MacArthur and all pastors across the world who are simply standing firm and teaching biblical truth, and I will continue to fight to protect the Church in America," she continued.
