The features of romantic involvement leaving one of the genders out.
If there was an anthem for the last ten years of gender minimization, it would be the sentence, “I was born this way.” The proclamation would stop conversations, halt dialogues, silence critics. Now the chorus is dying away and, like most pop songs, it will soon be forgotten.
A minister friend of mine told me about his recent job interview. The discussion brought out an interesting combination of views: they believed in no difference at all between women and men in taking responsibilities in a church. At the same time, they understood gayness as wrong. My friend was rightly puzzled.
A Time of Confusion about the Basics What is a Christian response to people who no longer know their left hand from their right (Jonah 4:11)? Or, in our case, their men from their women? The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a landmark ruling recently that redefines the term “sex” in the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include …
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 …
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 …
A reader writes: My understanding has been that same sex attraction that is not acted upon is not sin. Is a Christian who struggles with same sex attraction, yet in living for the Lord, doesn’t act on these desires, sinning? Is being tempted, yet resisting temptation, still evil? I thought it would be correct to tell a friend wrestling with …
I have a confession to make about myself, and I suppose it is appropriate to disclose it on this website. From the time when I was very young, as young as one can be and have desires like this I guess, I have had certain desires that I was ashamed of. I got the impression early on that these …
The same year enGendered was published (2015), Rosaria Champagne Butterfield released Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ. I want AffirmingGender readers to know of this work. This sequel to her first Christian book opens with further reflections on her conversion. As she goes on, Dr. Butterfield gives us a refreshing …
A college freshman friend of mine recently found herself in a sad plight, now sadly typical. Young women, transitioning from high school to college, often crave close relationship. If you are such a young woman, to find a girlfriend, with whom you really connect, feels like a gift from heaven. Because it is. A close same-gendered friend is so much …
