GENDER & SEXUALITY: Resources for the Christian
1. Having “The Talk” about the Birds & the Bees with Teenagers?
Tim Keller’s The Meaning of Marriage has an excellent chapter on “Sex & Marriage”. For Christian parents, “The Birds & the Bees” talk is more than simple biology; there is a theological and biblical aspect to passing down the Christian sexual ethic which doesn’t simplistically stigmatize sex as “dirty & bad” but rather beautifully acknowledges the “goodness & glory” of sex within the framework of the covenantal relationship of marriage between one man and one woman.
You can download that chapter here.
2. What about married couples struggling with sex?
For many Christians, sex is an aspect of our humanity that needs redemption: past sexual abuse, rape, pornography, adultery, shame, and unrequited love (just to name a few) complicate the beauty and goodness of sex for many. Some Christians raised in a legalistic church have a difficult time celebrating the beauty and passion of sex with disastrous results for their marriage.
Mike Mason’s The Mystery of Marriage is a delightfully profound and moving book on marriage. I highly recommend it!
His chapter on sex is a beautiful treatment of sex because sex represents not simply a physical union of two bodies but also reveals deep spiritual truths -- sex is sacred ground.
You can download that chapter here.
3. What about homosexuality?
Kevin DeYoung’s What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? is a simple and short read about an important topic for Christians in the 21st century. At less than 150 pages, you will discover what the Bible says about homosexuality from the Old Testament into the New Testament.
DeYoung also anticipates several objections that Christians will hear in today’s world in holding to a biblical worldview and the historic, orthodox view on human sexuality.
You can buy the book on amazon.
4. What about Biblical Masculinity & Biblical Femininity?
Most Christian books on masculinity and femininity only delve into “roles in the church”. Larry Crabb’s Fully Alive: A Biblical Vision of Gender that Frees Men and Women to Live Beyond Stereotypes is a lonely exception to that general rule.
Dr. Crabb delves into the relationality of biblical masculinity and biblical femininity in ways that are deeply penetrating for relating as gendered image bearers to the glory of God. Prepare to be changed!
You can buy the book on amazon.
In Case You Missed it….
5. This Cultural Moment: A Sermon
How did Jesus engage the various political parties of his day? How does the “Genesis Blueprint” of God creating male and female in his image (Gen. 1:26-28) speak to our cultural moment where transgenderism is being celebrated?
In the first sermon in the series “God’s Design, Our Bodies, and This Cultural Moment”, I give a few opening thoughts on gender in today’s world while clearing the necessary “space” to have the conversation in the first place.
You can download the written sermon here.
6. How Did We Get to the Point in our Society where Transgenderism is Being Celebrated?
That is the question Carl Trueman sets out to answer in the form of an intellectual history in his book The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution.
“The Triumph of the T” can be summarized in three movements:
i. Psychologize the Self: “I am what I feel.”
ii. Sexualize the Psychology: “I am what I feel sexually.”
iii. Politicize the Sexuality: “I will cancel you if you don’t celebrate my sexualized identity.”
You can download the 5-Session Discussion Guide here: “God’s Design, Our Bodies, and this Cultural Moment”.