Our sermon this morning is focused on helping parents navigate the challenge of helping our kids in the midst of a cultural revolution in sexuality. Our goal as a church is to come alongside parents to support, encourage, and equip them to be godly parents who train up their children to love Jesus and grow as disciples. In all cultures, training children to wrestle with questions and challenges of sexuality is so important for their discipleship. But more so in ours where the message of the culture is so drastically different than that of the Scriptures. We must begin the conversation when they are young preparing them for an ongoing discussion on this topic during their teen years. We must be prepared the for the questions that will arise. But furthermore, parents in our day must know that the message coming at our kids from our culture in a loud and clear way is that all sexual and gender expressions must be accepted and celebrated. If we are not preparing our kids to critique and evaluate this message with the Gospel that will be the message they will believe. On the other hand, the message often coming from the church may have correctly defined God’s plan for sexuality, but has been so condemning and without grace. On one hand, this has produced a version of Christianity filled with hate and looking very little like Jesus. Yet, on the other hand, it has given some within the church and definitely outside the church to outright reject what is clear in the Scriptures about marriage, sexuality, and gender, even claiming the Bible’s teaching is hate speech.
The goal of this post, then, is to provide resources for all of us, but especially for parents so that we can be Gospel-informed people who are ready to help train our kids. Some of these are specifically designed to interact with your kids. Others are for us to be educated so we can have “the talk” and answer questions and objections that might be raised by our kids, their friends, or anyone else. We cannot be uninformed and lack clarity on this. We must be proactive, but in a way that shows grace to our kids as they engage this challenge.
One of the great gifts God is giving the church at our time is people whom He has saved through the Gospel for His glory from the LGBT lives. Many of these resources are from some of these people and their stories.
Living Out Website – This is an amazing website dedicated to Biblical faithfulness for people who struggle with same-sex attraction. Their statement on the homepage says, “Can you be gay and Christian? Is it a sin to be gay? How do you live life without sex? How do I support my same-sex attracted Christian friend/family member?
We are a group of Christians who experience same-sex attraction bringing out into the open the questions and dilemmas that gay Christians can often face.”
Training Materials for Parents and Kids
Passport to Purity – From Family Life Today and highly recommended. Great resource for parents and their early teen or pre-teen kids to get the conversation started. Designed for a weekend getaway and has resources for your kid and for parents, including guides for discussions. This first one is the website Living Out –
Testimony Stories from People God has Redeemed
Homosexuality and the Christian Faith – Unbelievable story of her redemption out of a homosexual activist life by Rosaria Butterfield.
Out of a Far Country – Story of God’s redemption, and a mother’s prayerful love from Christopher Ruan, who is now a professor at Moody Bible Institute (my daughter Alex had him and he is absolutely one of her favorites)
LivingOut – stories – This page has several faith stories from people who are same-sex attracted and faithful followers of Jesus.
Gay Girl, Good God – The story of Jackie Hill Perry, who was redeemed out of a lesbian lifestyle.
Conference Messages and Videos
Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Conference 2014 – Homosexuality, the Gospel, and the Future of Marriage – The ERLC hosted this conference, every talk is well worth listening.
Is God Anti-Gay – This is excellent, forum event with Sam Allberry and Matt Chandler
The Village Podcast – Is God Anti-Gay – Interview discussion with Sam Allberry
Together for the Gospel Panel Discussion on Homosexuality – Featuring Al Mohler, Sam Allberry, and Russell Moore
Books
Is God Anti-Gay by Sam Allberry
Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son’s Journey to God, A Broken Mother’s Search for Hope by Christopher Yuan
Gay Girl, Good God by Jackie Hill Perry – this book has not been released, but it will be a good read for moms and teenage girls.
Articles
How do I Talk to my Kids about Homosexuality – Gospel Coalition blog post by Seth Stuart
Three Truths to Help our Children Weather the Gender Storm – Gospel Coalition by Dannah Gresh
5 Lessons My Parents Taught Me About Sexuality – Gospel Coalition by Jaquille Crowe
How to Talk to your Kids About Sex – Article from the Village Church in Dallas
Singleness, Same Sex Attraction, And the Church: A Conversation with Sam Allberry, Rosaria Butterfield, and Christopher Yuan – from 9 Marks
