Holy Sexuality and the Gospel

Zusatztext 87515680 Informationen zum Autor CHRISTOPHER YUAN, DMin, has taught at the Moody Bible Institute for over ten years and his speaking ministry on faith and sexuality has reached five continents. He speaks at conferences, on college campuses, and in churches. He co-authored with his mother, Angela, their memoir (now in seven languages), Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son's Journey to God, A Broken Mother's Search for Hope . He is also the author of Giving a Voice to the Voiceless. Dr. Yuan holds degrees from Moody Bible Institute, Wheaton College, and Bethel Seminary. Klappentext From the author of Out of a Far Country , which details his dramatic conversion from an agnostic gay man who put his identity in his sexuality to a Bible professor who now puts his identity in Christ alone, comes a gospel-centered discussion of sex, desire, and relationships. Dr. Christopher Yuan explores the concept of holy sexuality--chastity in singleness or faithfulness in marriage--in a practical and relevant manner, equipping readers with an accessible yet robust theology of sexuality. Whether you want to share Christ with a loved one who identifies as gay or you're wrestling with questions of identity yourself, this book will help you better understand sexuality in light of God's grand story and realize that holy sexuality is actually good news for all. 1 Shaped by God's Grand Story Framing the Conversation with Theology I am gay is a simple statement with a complex and multifaceted meaning. We all know someone who's gay. You most likely picked up this book because you have a gay child, sibling, coworker, or dear friend. As a follower of Christ, you recognize that John 3:16 For God so loved the world includes this individual. Your love for him or her is not in question. Rather, the question is, What does this love look like? Many books provide advice for showing compassion to those experiencing same-sex attractions. They offer different and sometimes conflicting approaches on how to do this. Do we help gays and lesbians embrace their sexuality and encourage a modern church reformation that affirms same-sex marriage? Do we help heal a torn church by advocating for unity between affirming and nonaffirming sides? Do we help gay Christians cultivate deeply spiritual friendships while they accept a stark reality of lifelong celibacy? Do we help those with unwanted same-sex attractions fulfill their heterosexual potential and marry someone of the opposite sex? Or could the gospel be calling us all to something costlier and more magnificent than we've ever envisioned? I believe the diverse approaches in these books all begin with a common intent: love. The difference is not just methodology, but it stems from varying definitions of love . In fact, I believe many well-intentioned pastors who preach fire-and-brimstone sermons against the gay community believe they're doing it out of lovealbeit a deeply misguided love and a lopsided view of the gospel. With so many methods, which is the right one? Discerning the correct way to love is not a theoretical exercise. For me, it's deeply personal. This Is My Song In 1993 I announced to my parents that I was gay. This led to massive disruption in our family, to put it lightly. Ultimately, this moment became a catalyst that led each of us, one by one, to the Lord. At the time, my unbelieving mom rejected me. But contrary to the stereotype, after she became a Christian, she knew she could do nothing other than love her gay son as God loved her. However, with no more secrets, I felt unimpeded to fully embrace who I was. This new freedom quickly propelled me down a path of self-destruction that included promiscuity and illicit drug use. Certainly, not all gay men go down thi...

"The Bible is the most important book the world has for all generations. The Bible is our guide to faith and life. Nothing can compete with it or improve it. But in Dr. Christopher Yuan’s Holy Sexuality and the Gospel, you are holding in your hands the most important humanly composed book about biblical sexuality and godly living for our times."
—Rosaria Butterfield, PhD, speaker and author of The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, Openness Unhindered, and The Gospel Comes with a House Key.

“I read a lot of books, and Holy Sexuality and the Gospel is on the shortlist of most important books I’ve read in the past decade. There’s a desperate need for a biblically astute and theologically grounded yet warm and personal approach to human identity and how it does and doesn’t relate to gender and sexuality. This is that book. Holy Sexuality and the Gospel is profoundly relevant in an age of toxic confusion. It should be read by every person questioning their sexual identity as well as by every pastor, parent, friend, or sibling.”
—Randy Alcorn, author of Heaven, Happiness, and The Purity Principle and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries

“A truly breathtaking book that unpacks the soul issues of gender. This book not only gets at the heart of sexuality; it gets at the heart of the gospel. Yuan is an insightful thinker and keen storyteller.”
—J. D. Greear PhD, author of Not God Enough, sixty-second president of the Southern Baptist Convention, and pastor of the Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC

“In a world with many opinions surrounding sexuality, Christopher Yuan has given the church and beyond a resource tethered in something much more concrete—that is, the Word of God. And for that reason, I believe this book can lead many into the truth that will set anybody and everybody free.”
—Jackie Hill-Perry, poet, speaker, artist, and author of Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was and Who God Has Always Been

“Dr. Christopher Yuan has done something deeply and desperately needed: he has told the great story of what the Bible says about sexuality—and about same-sex attractions—in a way that neither compromises the truth nor the love that is at the heart of that story. God’s overwhelming love for us is expressed in his passion for us to be holy even as he is holy. So he never calls us to mere celibacy or mere happiness but to a transcendent holiness and joy. That is the fullness and the glory of walking with the God who died for us—and God forbid that we should settle for anything less.”
—Eric Metaxas, New York Times best-selling author of Bonhoeffer: Prophet, Martyr, Pastor, Spy, and Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World

“Christopher Yuan is a leader of courage, conviction, and compassion whose life story echoes with amazing grace. This book offers a practical, grounded Christian vision of sexuality in a world culture confused by and obsessed with sex. As the church thinks through how to engage our neighbors on issues such as sexual orientation and gender identity, and on how to disciple our brothers and sisters in Christ who grapple with such temptations, this book will be of immense help.”
—Russell Moore, PhD, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention

“What a gift Christopher Yuan is to the body of Christ. His journey into ‘a far country’ and back home into union with Christ has led him to grapple with hard questions we are all asking (or need to be asking) these days about sexuality, identity, sanctification (both the process and the goal), and what it means to mortify sin and wage war against idols of the heart. In his treatment of these important topics, Christopher is at once humble, compassionate, insightful, and unwaveringly committed to holiness, the authority of Scripture, and the glory of God. Penning this book no doubt required intense exertion and great courage…