The Speaker

   THE SPEAKER 

Sam Andreades is a pastor who has found that teaching what the Bible says about gender helps people. Through a careful reading of Scripture, a sober look at modern movements, walking alongside truth-seeking folks, and engagement with his own pro-Nicene theological tradition, Sam has forged a theology of gender that is invigorating, uplifting and orthodox. As this message gives a positive vision of of masculinity and femininity, it also helps to answer many hard questions about women, men and relationships.

He has now used it for two decades in his pastoral care for individuals and couples counseling as well as sharing it at conferences, seminars, and retreats. He has seen the fruit of it in changed lives. His goal is to help people recover the gendered image of God, given to foster intimacy and fruitfulness in our relationships.  He especially looks to equip ministry leaders to navigate the gender issues of those they serve in the midst of a gender-denying culture.

God gave us a precious gift when He made us men and women in His image. Can Sam help you celebrate that gift?

 

THE Presentation

His current presentation, The Gift of Gender, is a series of talks that introduce audiences to the seven big principles the Bible teaches about gender. Some combination of these expositions lays a foundation for listeners to address whatever gender quandaries confront them.

The presentation is:

  • Simple. A few, easy-to-follow lessons open up the wisdom of God's profound gift.
  • Engaging. Sam has found ways to make some difficult concepts understandable. A lively lecture using an illustrative slide presentation make the concepts enjoyable to learn. 
  • Adaptable. The topic of gender reaches into many different areas and problems. Some combination of the talks  easily adjusts to the particular needs and concerns of an audience.
  • Practical. The principles have immediate application to many of the struggles people are having today.
  • Theological. Before they know it, audiences are being grounded in great truths of the Christian faith.
  • Gracious. The topic of gender is obviously contentious. These talks, along with accompanying times of open Questions & Answers, help model for people how to engage the culture with truth and love.

 

THE CONTENT

Gender can be a confusing and divisive topic. When we depart from the Word given to us by the Giver of the gift of femininity and masculinity in thinking about them, we quickly end up in a morass of either sexism or dehumanization. The Bible helps us recover the truths that bring us back into relationship with each other. What are the seven big principles of gender?

 

  1. The Persons of God experience the archetype of intimacy and fruitfulness.
  2. Gender is a gift of being the image of the triune God.
  3. Gender matters in relationship.
  4. Men and women are equal in bearing God’s image together.
  5. God made the genders with three asymmetries to love each other differently.
  6. Our bodies openly express the gender of our hidden souls.
  7. God gave us gender to foster emotional intimacy and fruitfulness.

In establishing and applying these principles, listeners learn what makes a real man and a true woman, how to aid friends struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction, how wives and husbands can appreciate Bible verses about marriage, how churches can appropriately include all their peoples' gifts, how to walk with teens struggling with their bodies, the way to encourage those with transition regrets,  effectively minister to people in the midst of our current culture’s gender disintegration.

What Do Audiences Say?

"We invited Dr. Andreades to give the Harvest USA staff a half-day seminar on gender and transgender issues. We were hoping to gain from Sam’s study of and experience with people struggling with gender issues.

"Wow, did he deliver! We were amazed and very thankful for what he gave to us that afternoon!

"Especially, he led a deeply insightful, theologically solid, and pastorally practical discussion on responding to the struggles people have and to the transgender agenda we now face.  The issues of transgenderism are relatively new, complex, and fraught with no small degree of peril as our culture aggressively promotes redefining what it means to be a human being.

"The implications for the church and for society are huge here. Sam skillfully and with much pastoral care led us through a deeper knowledge of Scripture about gender and constructive ways to help others."

               --Nicholas Black, Education and Resources Director, Harvest USA

"We were delighted to have Dr. Sam Andreades as a keynote speaker at The Gender & Sexuality Forum at our church. It was important to me to provide a solid, biblical worldview on gender so that we could better equip our congregation with a framework for all questions and challenges that touch on male and female design. Sam met and exceeded my expectations. Not only did he provide a thoughtful and clear biblical framework for gender, but his presentation style is disarming, kind and encouraging. Sam was able to keep the audience's attention through a mix of Biblical teaching, audience engagement and story. He equipped our church on the vital and relevant issues of gender and sexuality."
               --Nate Keeler , Lead Pastor, Brandywine Valley Church

"Dr. Andreades spoke recently at a community-wide conference hosted by our church. His messages were timely, biblical, encouraging, and thought-provoking. He engaged listeners with powerful stories drawn from his experiences ministering to people who struggle with unwanted same-sex attractions.

"Sam has a special gift for navigating sensitive, controversial issues with a gentle and gracious manner while unswervingly upholding the teachings of Scripture. He clearly displays a pastor’s heart of compassion for those who have been wounded by the effects of a gender-denying culture.
"Every man and woman needs to hear his challenges to embrace and celebrate their God-given gift of gender."

--Holly Pivec,  The Christian Thought Forum

 

 

"Dr. Andreades came and gave a seminar to our denominational committee (RPCNA, Reformed Presbyterian Church, North America), as we thought through our denominational position on gender issues...He helpfully highlighted the blessings in one’s sex (gender) and how we as male and female image bearers of God seek to bless each other.

"He also challenged us as we considered roles of men and women...in the not-so-clear realm of society, i.e. the work place. At the very least these challenges help the conversation to move forward with the intent and question: 'How can I glorify God?' This is a valuable teaching that draws from Dr. Andreades' years of pastoral counseling and study."

        --Pastor Kent Butterfield, First Reformed Presbyterian Church of Durham

 

 

"Sam came and spoke on gender and sexuality at our annual multi-church youth retreat. His presentation had theological depth but also clarity our teens could easily follow. His talk was engaging and addressed issues our kids face daily, how to respond to gay friends, how to think about their own sexual temptations, and how to understand biblical teaching on gender in marriage and the church.

"Personally, I have found Sam's book and his talk to be extremely helpful in my own thinking on the Bible's teaching on gender and a rich resource for my teaching. I highly recommend him to pastors, parents, congregations, and youth groups.

          --Chris Walker, Senior Pastor, Westminster Presbyterian Church of Lancaster

 

I have never been in a setting where I felt I could come with my most difficult and troubling questions - about perplexing biblical passages and how to deal with the whirlpool of gender confusion in our world today - until Pastor Sam's training. I also appreciated just getting to know Pastor Sam a bit as a person and seeing his heart as a pastor, a husband and father, and an everyday follower of Jesus.
I am so grateful for his rigorously thoughtful and biblically careful approach in developing a much-needed theology of gender. I am equally thankful for the compassionate and gracious way he handled such sensitive issues, fraught with so much controversy, confusion, and heartache.
May God pour abundant grace on this ministry, and use it to equip and stir up His Church to stand for His truth and reflect His image in fruitful gendered relationships.
--Timothy Hsu, Pastoral Intern, Chinese Bible Church of Maryland 

 

"I was blessed to attend Sam Andreades' seminar this weekend on gender.  Sam's presentation was so deeply rooted in Scripture and complimented with such vast personal experience.  There was also an underlying tone of humility that built everyone up.

"The topic was so much more than the sticky navigation of gay/lesbian issues and those complexities.  Yes, I was powerfully equipped to promote dignity and maintain relationship with those in those situations...But I came away with something even more: A new determination to be more of a woman than I have ever been before.  The need to be a real man or true woman was beautifully presented.

"If you ever have the opportunity to attend one of Sam's seminars I believe you would be strengthened and encouraged as a pastor or as a person."

--Michelle,  attendee of the Affirming Gender Seminar in Quarryville

 

I am grateful for Dr. Andreades speaking at our School’s event, “Coventry U.” One attendee said that the “talk on body shame was beautiful and a perfect message for today.” Several expressed that they wished that they could hear more from him. We appreciate the blessing he was to our school community.

--Abigail Overbey, Director of Curriculum And Instruction, Coventry Christian Schools

What a glorious weekend of biblical teaching and worship we enjoyed!  In the Fall Conference: "The Gift of Gender," Rev. Dr. Sam Andreades led us through a profound examination of what the Bible teaches us about the connections between our shared humanity and our being "gendered" beings, rooting these things in turn in the very nature of God, who is one God in three persons, the same in substance (homoousias), equal in power and glory.  If you're thinking, yeah, yeah, I've heard all this stuff before...  trust me, you probably haven't!  This was a really deep dive into Scripture, with all manner of applications for daily life. 

One attendee wrote:

"WHAT A FANTASTIC HOME RUN THE FALL CONFERENCE was !!~!  Sam did a superb presentation.  His content was really good and his delivery was also well done and very professional.  The greater Christian body needs to hear and apply this information.  Especially liked his variety.  Whole day was delightful and a very good and timely subject matter."

 

It was a highlight for me in my years pastoring here at this church.  I will pray that this theology of gender gets a wider and wider hearing in Christ's church, because it's important.

--Rev. Jules Grisham, Faith Church of Fairless Hills

 

Pastor Sam came to speak to our entire staff body at the Boardwalk Chapel, an evangelistic mission where we encounter people of all backgrounds and ideologies. His presentation on theology of gender was biblical, straightforward, engaging, and not the least awkward, despite being a culturally sensitive topic. He welcomed insight, thoughtful questions, and comments from the audience, as well as from his wife and children who had accompanied him, which only served to add depth, richness, and balance to the overall flow of the lectures. (As one seminary student who attended put it, "I don't know if I've ever received training from someone who took people's questions so seriously -- making sure to understand them properly and address them in a way helpful to the students.")

"Pastor Sam's compassion, humility, and graciousness in addressing the important and volatile issue of gender in today's world was admirable and worth reflecting by all disciples of Christ who seek to minister in the midst of cultural confusion. I highly recommend that every man and woman in the church today read enGendered and find an opportunity to seriously think, pray, and discuss what we as the Church believe about masculinity and femininity and how we can live it out to the glory of God in whose image we are created.

--Elizabeth Horst, OPC Boardwalk Chapel

 

We can’t thank Sam and Mary K enough for spending their time with us for the conference.  I think that was one of the best, or the best, that we’ve had to date.  The Q&A time was a highlight for me, and I appreciated how Sam and Mary K took the time to talk with people.  I keep hearing how helpful it was that he took the time to talk individually with people. Truly the mark of a pastor’s heart!

Elder Nate Schaeffer, Church of the Living Christ, Loysville