Resources to help you develop a robust, biblical perspective on the human body, sexuality and identity.
The human body, sexuality and identity are hot topics in our culture and in the church right now. It is currently “Pride” month in Canada, and we and our children are being inundated with secular worldviews on these subjects. So we, as christians, need to be sure that we develop a robust, well-thought-through, biblically-grounded framework from which to navigate these issues. Otherwise, either the cultural narrative will indoctrinate us and our children with modern secular worldviews, or conversely, we will speak to the issue from fear and anger, which can manifest as homophobia and bigotry.
As in all parts of life, we want the gospel to shape our thoughts and affections towards those who are a part of the LGBTQ community and to learn to speak in way that is grounded by Biblical truth and seasoned by tender-heartedness and grace.
To this end, we have compiled a resource list of books, videos, podcasts, and articles from some really good christian authors on this subject, to help you and your family grow in a Biblical understanding of our human bodies, sexuality and identity. Many (if not all) of these books we have in our church library and we’d be more than happy to lend them to you. We’d also love to have more conversations with you if you are struggling with the christian response to this topic. Contact the church office and RD or one of our pastors would love to meet and talk it through with you.
In the end, all of us stand equal before the cross of Christ, and we are a church that welcomes all people, no matter their self-identified gender or sexual orientation. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). We simply want to grow together in what it means to live a holy life, where Christ is Lord over all things, including our bodies and sexuality. We pray that these resources point you more and more to Jesus, and challenge you to submit to his word, which is our compass and anchor in difficult times.
RESOURCES
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Books
Is God Anti-Gay?
By Sam Allberry
It’s the hot topic of the moment. Christians, the church and the Bible seem to be out of step with modern attitudes towards homosexuality. And there is growing hostility towards those who hold a different view. So is God homophobic? And what do we say, and how do we relate to to both Christians and non Christians who experience same-sex attraction.
In this short, simple book, Sam Allberry wants to help confused Christians understand what God has said about these questions in the scriptures, and offers a positive and liberating way forward through the debate.
Buy on Amazon
Also available in our church library
Gay Girl, Good God
By Jackie Hill Perry
In Gay Girl, Good God, author Jackie Hill Perry shares her own story, offering practical tools that helped her in the process of finding wholeness. Jackie grew up fatherless and experienced gender confusion. She embraced masculinity and homosexuality with every fiber of her being. She knew that Christians had a lot to say about all of the above. But was she supposed to change herself? How was she supposed to stop loving women, when homosexuality felt more natural to her than heterosexuality ever could?
At age nineteen, Jackie came face-to-face with what it meant to be made new. And not in a church, or through contact with Christians. God broke in and turned her heart toward Him right in her own bedroom in light of His gospel.
Read in order to understand. Read in order to hope. Or read in order, like Jackie, to be made new.
Buy on Amazon
Also available in our church library
Washed and Waiting
By Wesley Hill
Wesley Hill’s personal experiences and biblical reflections offer insight into how a nonpracticing gay Christian can “prove, live out, and celebrate” the grace of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Buy on Amazon
Also available in our church library
Born Again This Way
By Rachel Gilson
In this powerful and personal book, author Rachel Gilson describes her own unexpected journey of coming out and coming to faith… and what came next. As she does so, she addresses many of the questions that Christians living with same-sex attraction are wrestling with: Am I consigned to a life of loneliness? How do I navigate my friendships? Will my desires ever change? Is there some greater purpose to all this?
Drawing on insights from the Bible and the experiences of others, Born Again This Way provides assurance and encouragement for Christians with same-sex attraction, and paints a compelling picture of discipleship for every believer.
Whatever your sexuality, this book is an inspiring testimony of how a life submitted to Jesus will be fulfilling and fruitful, but not always in the ways we might expect.
Buy on Amazon
Also available in our church library
Openness Unhindered: Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ
By Rosaria Butterfield
In What God Has to Say about Our Bodies, Sam Allberry explains that all of us are fearfully and wonderfully made, and should regard our physicality as a gift. He offers biblical guidance for living, including understanding gender, sexuality, and identity; dealing with aging, illness, and death; and considering the physical future hope that we have in Christ.
In this powerfully written book, you’ll gain a new understanding for the immeasurable value of our bodies and God’s ultimate plan to redeem them.
Buy on Amazon
Coming soon to our church library
What God Has to Say About Our Bodies
By Sam Allberry
In What God Has to Say about Our Bodies, Sam Allberry explains that all of us are fearfully and wonderfully made, and should regard our physicality as a gift. He offers biblical guidance for living, including understanding gender, sexuality, and identity; dealing with aging, illness, and death; and considering the physical future hope that we have in Christ.
In this powerfully written book, you’ll gain a new understanding for the immeasurable value of our bodies and God’s ultimate plan to redeem them.
Buy on Amazon
Coming soon to our church library
Podcasts
Does God Still Love Me if I’m Gay?
Sam Allberry
Sam Allberry addresses the question of sexuality and its association with sin according to Jesus’s own words. He refutes the idea that Jesus was silent on the issue of sexual ethics; in fact, Jesus intensified the already stringent sexual ethic of the Old Testament. His expectation for his people in marriage and sexuality—just as in all of life—is high. It requires denying one’s own sinful, selfish desires in order to become who we were meant to be and to receive life. It is a costly proposition. And it is always worth it.
Listen to the Podcast
Sexual Identity and Loving Our Neighbor
Rebecca McLaughlin | Jackie Hill Perry | Sam Allberry
Having experienced same-sex attraction and taught extensively on issues of sexuality, each participant in this panel speak from their own experiences—both being confronted personally by the gospel and engaging in conversations with others around the confrontational and controversial topics of sexuality. They encouraged their listeners to engage honestly, with open ears and a humble posture, recognizing that every image bearer has a story that is worthy of our careful attention.
Listen to the Podcast
We Are All Messy: Loving Our Gay and Lesbian Friends
Rosaria Butterfield
In this video, Rosria Butterfield talks about how fostering raw, honest, empathetic relationships with our Gay and Lesbian friends is vital if we want to reach them with the gospel.
Listen to the Podcast
Gen Z’s Questions About Christianity: Sexuality and Gender Identity
Rachel Gilson
In this episode of TGC Q&A, Rachel Gilson answers four important questions about sexuality and gender identity.
Listen to the Podcast
Homosexuality and the Christian Faith
Rosaria Butterfield
Rosaria Butterfield speaks on homosexuality and the Christian faith at TGC’s 2014 National Women’s Conference in Orlando, Florida.
Listen to the Podcast
Articles
He Made Them Male and Female: Sex, Gender, and the Image of God
by Christopher Yuan
Is “gender” a social construct? Should male or female be a matter of personal choice? Are there more than two “genders”? Read as Christopher Yuan (Desiring God) unpacks how Christians should understand and critique today’s concepts of gender in light of Scripture.
Read the Article
How to Love Women Who Feel Like Men: What Transgender People Need to Hear
by Rachel Gilson
I want to invite you to think about transgender concerns not primarily as topics to be discussed, but as issues affecting real people, human beings made by God.
We who have lived the miracle of rebirth know that no one is more powerful than God. He alone brings the dead to life, and defines life correctly. Still, confusion and conflict jostle our newsfeeds and our minds. How can we begin to understand what coming to Christ would look like for someone who identifies as transgender, or for someone who identifies as genderqueer?
Read the Article
Longing for Intimacy: Four Promises for Same-Sex-Attracted Christians
by Christopher Asmus
If you’re a Christian struggling with same-sex attractions, know that you are not defined by your sin. Your identity is not determined by your temptations. “Embrace who you really are” by embracing Jesus Christ and your new life found in him (2 Corinthians 5:17). “Be true to yourself” by clinging to Truth himself (John 14:6) and enjoying the freedoms Christ purchased for you with his blood.
Read the Article
For Parents
BOOK
God Made Boys and Girls: Helping Children Understand the Gift of Gender
By Marty Machowski
In a world where there is so much confusion about gender and identity, pastor and best-selling author Marty Machowski shares the simple, clear truth that all of us are made in God’s image as either male or female-and what God made is very good! Included in the back of the book is a special section just for parents and caregivers that gives biblical guidance and help as they have this important conversation with their children.
ARTICLES
3 Things to Tell Your Children About Gender
by Dan Doriani
This short article cannot address every transgender issue, but seeks to equip parents to talk to their children about gender and offers three great truths that can help parents discuss this topic with their kids.
Read the Article
3 Ways Parents Can Help Kids Navigate Transgender Ideology
By Maria Baer
Kids are regularly exposed to transgenderism: the assertion that an inner sense of gender trumps our biological sex. This ideology shows up on social media, in advertising, and in entertainment. Kids are also hearing it from their friends and transgender ideology is being promoted from the front of the classroom. So if transgender ideology has captured so many kids’ imaginations, how can parents, alongside the church, guide them back to reality?
Read the Article
