Here at the end of Pride Month, we thought we would share some of the best resources we have seen this June regarding LGBTQ issues. We’ve included a number of books that may also help you think through these issues before you talk with your teenagers. The resources we have included are not flawless; still we feel that they represent a biblically sound approach to questions of sexuality and gender.
Articles and Audio
A Prayer for Pride Month “We recognize that due to sin and brokenness in the world, all of us. . . ALL of us. . . struggle personally with sexual brokenness as we choose to listen to the deadly combination of the wrecker of this world, the current cultural narrative, and our own selfish desires.”
People I’m Proud of This Month by Rebecca McLaughlin, TGC. “The Bible doesn’t call us to less love than the world. It calls us to more. And love means carrying each other’s burdens, hearing each other’s struggles, witnessing each other’s hurt, and believing together that Jesus loves us more than any other man or woman ever could (Gal. 6:2; James 5:16; John 15:12). It means denying ourselves and taking up our cross and following our Lord—including sacrificing romantic dreams and sexual desires when they are calling us away from him (Matt. 16:24).”
Five Things to Remember When a Transgender Student Visits Your Church by Patrick Weikle, ERLC. “It might be that the transgender student visiting your church is a child of one of your members. Currently, in my church, a dear friend and faithful volunteer confided in me after youth group that his child wrestles with gender dysphoria. My heart ached when I heard him describe his worry about discussing publicly what he and his wife were going through at home because of the judgment that they might experience in our church. He confessed that all he and his wife were looking for was prayer and encouragement as they sought to handle the situation in the most Christ-like manner and in a way that didn’t alienate their child from church. I drove home thinking, ‘Why should he be afraid?’”
How I Would Explain a Christian View of Transgenderism to a Non-Christian by Samuel James, Digital Liturgies. “This splinter between our inner self and our outer self is not, Christians believe, a sign that we really are not the person our bodies tell us we are. It is a sign that our bodily life is in this world is one of futility, and that what we really need is a radical restoration and transformation of our entire selves.”
Prepping Your Kids For Pride Month by Amy Davison, Mama Bear Apologetics.
“Despite what LGBTQ+ people have been told, you are welcome within the church. You can even pick which kind of sinner you’d like to sit next to, and people will gladly make room! No, you won’t find sexual sins endorsed.2 Just like you won’t find the pastor preaching on the goodness of being a greedy, lying, gossiping, gluttonous, busybody. But you will be welcomed into the body of believers, encouraged to take up your cross, and affirmed for who you truly are: an image-bearer of God.
Why LGBT Identification in the US Has Reached An All-Time High by Staff, ERLC. “This trend—whether because of peer pressure or a genuine struggle with same-sex attraction— provides an opportunity for evangelical churches to reach young adults who are exhausted by the broader culture’s over-emphasis on sexual identity. Churches that hold to the biblical standard of sexuality will increasingly be the only area of culture where young people can hear the truth that their sexuality is not the most important aspect of their identity.”
And Walt Mueller wrote several very helpful articles:
Youth Workers, Parents, and Pride Month “As parents and youth workers, we must use our voices to teach our children and teens what God really did say if we hope to help them find their way through the cultural narrative’s lies on sex and gender.”
Teaching God’s Design for Sex and Gender:
Truth #1 God is our loving authority for sex and gender.
Truth #2 All people are made by God in his image.
Truths #3, 4 and 5 God gave us his order and design for sex and gender at Creation. Human sin has corrupted everything, inclduing sex and gender. God’s will and way for gender is clear.
Truths #6-10 God’s design for sex and marriage is clear. God recognizes that we will all struggle at some level with sex and gender. God uses our sex and gender struggles for His glory and our good. God is with us in our struggles as we wait for them to end! There is help for you when you struggle with sex and gender.
Resources from trustworthy Christian leaders
Jackie Hill Perry
Leaving Homosexuality and Finding Forgiveness – Jackie Hill Perry, Focus on the Family; 30 minute talk where Perry shares her testimony. This resource is not new, but it is excellent. And here’s a TGC podcast where Perry discusses the themes from her excellent book, Gay Girl, Good God, The Story of Who I Was and Who God Always Has Been.
Rosaria Butterfield
Homosexuality and the Gospel– Rosaria Butterfield, TGC. Click here for brief articles from her blog answering questions about how Christians should think about sexual orientation. Her book is called The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor’s Journey into Christian Faith.
Christopher Yuan
Holy Sexuality and the Gospel: Sex, Desire, and Relationships Shaped by God’s Grand Story (book)
Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son’s Journey to God. A Broken Mother’s Search for Hope (Book)
See Also
What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality? Book by Kevin DeYoung.
