What does it look like for youth ministries to stay rooted in historic Christian sexual ethics while also making space for LGBTQ+/SSA students to have meaningful encounters with Jesus? Two seasoned youth pastors offer a detailed response to this question by exploring many of the concrete scenarios that come up in youth ministry, including constructing small groups, navigating sleeping spaces, and responding to a student's coming out.
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What are some of the creative ways celibate Christians—especially celibate LGBTQ+ and same-sex attracted Christians—have established family and fostered intimacy together? This paper explores the experiences of sixteen interviewees in celibate partnerships or other forms of non-marital committed friendship, outlining both the common themes of these relationships and their many differences.
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This research report discusses the major findings from our Summer 2021 survey of 519 parents. In it, we summarize key data, analyze the meanings behind the numbers, and evaluate the implications and limitations of the study.
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This paper is a guide to help church leaders think clearly, consistently, and biblically about policies regarding membership, baptism, communion (or Eucharist), service, and leadership for trans* people. Trans* people are created in God’s image, and they share many things in common with non-trans* people. However, trans* people also go through unique life experiences and wrestle with questions others don’t. This paper seeks to offer guidance to pastors and church leaders as they navigate these questions.
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This paper seeks to understand what the Bible says about the human identities of male and female as they relate to questions about transgender (and non-binary) identities. The focus of this paper is on what the Bible says and doesn't say, while interacting with the most salient trans-affirming biblical arguements. It concludes by offering some brief responses to some of the most pressing pastoral/ethical questions facing Christian leaders in the church.
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As Christians, what pronouns should we use when we speak about transgender people? In this paper, Gregory Coles argues that the most biblical response to this question is a posture of pronoun hospitality: the view that all Christians can and should use pronouns that reflect the expressed gender identities of transgender people, regardless of our views about gender identity ethics.
This paper offers an introductory survey of psychological research on sex reassignment surgery and hormone therapy, as well as other approaches to managing gender identity conflict. Our focus here is not on expounding biblical approaches to sex and gender; rather, we want to provide accessible psychological data that will equip Christian leaders to respond to gender identity questions with wisdom, clarity, and compassion.
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“I’m gay; can I join your church?” At face value, this is a simple question. But there’s actually a world of complexity in defining the terms: what do we mean by gay, and what do we mean by join? How we define join will shape our approach to membership, baptism, leadership, and communion, and how we define gay will shape its impact for the people we’re talking about. In this paper, Pastor Joshua Ryan Butler addresses these topics and offers guidance for Pastors and church leaders seeking to follow Jesus' example of radical embrace and radical obedience.
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LGBT youth are silently struggling in churches and youth groups all around the world. In many cases, they long to share their stories, which means that leaders need to be prepared to listen and graciously point these students to the fullness of the gospel. In this paper, Laurie Krieg draws upon her years of experience counseling LGBT youth, as well as her own personal struggle with her sexuality in high school, to offer a practical and pastoral way forward for church leaders.
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The biblical prohibitions against same-sex relations were given against a cultural backdrop that including many different kinds of same-sex relations. Some scholars have recently argued that adult, consensual same-sex relations didn't exist in biblical times. This paper examines many different references to adult, consensual realtions in Ancient Near Eastern, Greco-Roman, and Jewish texts, in order to show that the biblical prohibitions shouldn't be limited to nonconsensual relations.
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One of the most difficult relationships people try to manage is the one between Christian parents and gay kids. In this practical and thoughtful paper, Brad Harper talks authentically and pastorally about his relationship with his gay son, Drew. In the end, the two have not only maintained a relationship—their relationship has flourished.
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Does the Bible really say that same-sex sexual relations are sin? Is marriage only between a man and a woman, or can a Christian view of marriage be extended to include same-sex couples? There are many reasons why some Christians believe that monogamous, consensual, same-sex relations are not prohibited by Scripture. In this paper, Dr. Preston Sprinkle summarizes and responds to 15 of those reasons.
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Many Christians assume that the sin of Sodom (Gen. 19:1-10) was homosexuality. This assumption has given us everything from the word "sodomy" to bumper stickers declaring that "gay pride is why Sodom fried." But was "sodomy" really the sin of Sodom? Is gay pride the reason why God fried the city?
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Is being gay a sin? We argue that the answerto this questionis "no." Simply being gay in sexual orientation is no more or less sinful thanbeing straight. Our attractions and orientations don't make us sinful or holy—it's what we do with our attractions and orientations, the way we steward our sexuality, that counts in the eyes of God.
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Jesus never explicitly mentioned homosexuality in the four gospels of the New Testament. He talked about fornication, adultery, lust, marriage, divorce, and other aspects of sexuality. But he never mentioned same-sex sexual relations.
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Christians are often faced with the question: Should I attend the same-sex wedding of my friend or loved one? While the Bible doesn't give an explicit yes or no, it does provide us with principles that should shape our response. In this paper, Dr. Preston Sprinkle presents a framework for how to think through this question and describes several different responses that are faithful to a traditional Christian view of marriage.
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