At the enGendered Conference at Peace Church two weeks ago, Rosaria Butterfield gave an insightful talk on “How we Got Here – Gender and Sexuality,” critiquing the attempt to build an identity on one’s sexual desires. In it, she referenced Michel Foucault’s influential 1976 work, The History of Sexuality, whence comes our popular phrase, “the will to power.” Most normal …
To Christian parents, those three words are a shock, beginning a cascade of difficult feelings. Despite the cultural shift, most Christians still disagree that adopting a gay identity is a good move so hearing those three words still brings anguish. After years of AffirmingGender ministry, I find this to be an increasingly common experience among those I address who are …
One term that should never be allowed to wander very far from gender dysphoria is comorbidity, a word that we are liable not to know if we are not doctors, which most of us aren’t.
When spoken, it wafts gently through the air. It rhymes soothingly with euphoria. It almost sounds peaceful. To those who experience it, it is anything but peaceful. Yet dysphoria has the advantage of being so clinical a term that ordinary people like us, who are not doctors and never use it in conversation, have no idea what it means. That …
In his passionate 2013 book, Fully Alive, page 35, Larry Crabb makes a highly significant point. He notes how, when God created us in Genesis 1:26, The Creator said, “Let us make man in our image.” As Dr. Crabb points out, “it is only when God made male and female human beings that he introduced Himself as persons-in-community.” In other …
Those looking for live happenings we welcomed to come Affirm Gender with me at one of these fall events. These were some opportunities to learn a way to answer the most pressing gender questions and receive practical guidance on resolving gender troubles. September 29-October 01: enGendered: God, Gender and Sexuality in the 21st century Peace Presbyterian Church, Cary/Raleigh NC …
Her name was Linda Hubka. We were in 8th grade, or was it 7th? I had decided that she was the one, and I made up my mind to ask her out. I took a deep breath and let her know that I liked her. But Linda Hubka was a discerning girl, especially for that age, and was reluctant. She …
A question often asked of me while Affirming Gender is how to deal with friends or loved ones making gender decisions we feel are bad for them. A book I often recommend, especially if short on time to answer, is Glenn T. Stanton’s Loving My (LGBT) Neighbor: Being Friends in Grace and Truth (2014). Mr. Stanton gets gender in a …
I was feeling quite happy. This king was only eighteen years old, but the last ten years had shown the royal colors. Finally, I was thinking as we walked along, a king who actually trusts the priesthood.
There is no shortage of stories in the media of how wonderful it is to transition from one sex to another. But the microphone never seems to be handed to the people who have done it and then come to see a better way for themselves. This lack has been addressed by Pure Passion Media/Mastering Life Ministries in their 105 …
