Suggested Reading
Love Into Light – The Gospel, The Homosexual, and The Church
Hubbard, Peter. Love Into Light – The Gospel, The Homosexual, and The Church. Ambassador International, 2013.
How can the church best address the myriad of issues related to homosexuality and sexual orientation that are embodied in the lives and stories of real people who fill our pews, seek our advice, and are part of our families? Written by a pastor, this book is a biblically-sound and pastorally-driven book that can serve as a guidebook for us as individuals and as the church. Hubbard has found that sweet spot where grace and truth come together in a way that we believe brings great honor and glory to God. Hubbard writes, “Partial truths, no matter how beautiful they sound, act as a poison to the Christian community. The freedom of grace, for example, is cancerous if it does not generate purity. And the call to holiness is malignant if it is not embedded in God’s empowering love.” This is a must-have resource for all pastors, youth workers, and church leaders.
Available in the CPYU Resource Center.
Ministering to Gay Teenagers – Practical Help for Youth Workers and Families
Harrison, Shawn. Ministering to Gay Teenagers – Practical Help for Youth Workers and Families. Group, 2014.
With truths drawn from his own personal experiences, youth pastor Shawn Harrison seeks to equip youth workers, parents, and churches in ministering to gay teenagers, their families, and the gay community at-large. The church must not compromise truth, he says, but it should not withhold grace either. How gay students first encounter God personally and communally and how Christians react to them can determine subsequent steps in their faith journey.
Homosexuality and the Christian
Yarhouse, Mark. Homosexuality and the Christian. Bethany House, 2010.
Mark Yarhouse gives honest and accurate answers to parents and pastors who have questions about homosexuality. Throughout the book, the author uses a new framework for understanding the issue, carefully separating the concept of same sex attraction from a gay identity. In a clear and compassionate style, he explains the research regarding what causes same-sex attraction and whether or not it can be overcome. He also discusses what Christians can do when someone they know opens up to them about their homosexual attractions.
Understanding Sexual Identity: A Resource for Youth Ministry
Yarhouse, Mark. Understanding Sexual Identity: A Resource for Youth Ministry. Zondervan, 2013.
Reframing the focus away from the culture wars, Yarhouse introduces readers to the developmental considerations in the formation of sexual identity—all of which occurs in the teen years. He offers practical and helpful ways to think about homosexuality along with suggestions for talking with people who experience same-sex attraction. He also helps parents and youth volunteers learn to graciously respond to children and teens who struggle with questions of sexual identity, and discusses how youth ministry can become more relevant in the lives of youth who are navigating these issues.
Surfing for God: Discovering the Divine Desire Beneath Sexual Struggle
Cusick, Michael John. Surfing for God: Discovering the Divine Desire Beneath Sexual Struggle. Thomas Nelson, 2012.
Cusick’s insights help readers understand how porn struggles begin, what to do to prevent them, and most importantly, how to overcome the compulsion once it begins. In the end, this powerful book shows us all how the barrier built by porn addiction can become a bridge to abundant life.
Wired for Intimacy. How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain
Struthers, William M. Wired for Intimacy. How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain. Intervarsity Press, 2009.
Pornography is powerful. Our contemporary culture as been pornified, and it shapes our assumptions about identity, sexuality, the value of women and the nature of relationships. Countless Christian men struggle with the addictive power of porn. But common spiritual approaches of more prayer and accountability groups are often of limited help. In this book neuroscientist and researcher William Struthers explains how pornography affects the male brain and what we can do about it. Because we are embodied beings, viewing pornography changes how the brain works, how we form memories and make attachments. By better understanding the biological realities of our sexual development, we can cultivate healthier sexual perspectives and interpersonal relationships. Struthers exposes false assumptions and casts a vision for a redeemed masculinity, showing how our sexual longings can actually propel us toward sanctification and holiness in our bodies. With insights for both married and single men alike, this book offers hope for freedom from pornography.
Questions Kids Ask about Sex: Honest Answers for Every Age
Fitch, J. Thomas., and Cox, Melissa. Questions Kids Ask about Sex: Honest Answers for Every Age. Revell Publishing, 2005.
Unlike any other book on the market, Questions Kids Ask about Sex offers a biblical and comprehensive approach to sexuality. Melissa R. Cox, co-creator of the bestselling Focus on the Family Complete Book of Baby and Child Care, has collaborated with The Medical Institute for Sexual Health to deliver age appropriate, thoughtful responses to the most flabbergasting questions kids ask about sexual identity, issues, and practices. Tested by educators, physicians, and parents across the country, this resource also offers helpful sidebars, straightforward advice, and empowering affirmation. This is the ideal guide to developing the open, respectful, and effective conversation kids need and want.
Sex and Dating: Questions You Wish You Had Answers To
Meier, Mindy. Sex and Dating: Questions You Wish You Had Answers To. Intervarsity Press, 2007.
Real people. Honest questions. In this complicated age of hooking up and uncertain expectations, campus minister Mindy Meier provides Christian insight into the realities of sex and dating. She looks at over thirty key questions about today’s relational issues and offers a wealth of real-life stories and practical examples. Enough already with confusing relationships. Turn here for guidance, healing and hope.
Available in the CPYU Resource Center.
Premarital Sex in America: How Young Americans Meet, Mate, and Think About Marrying
Regnerus, Mark. Premarital Sex in America: How Young Americans Meet, Mate, and Think About Marrying. Oxford University Press, 2011.
Premarital Sex in America combines illuminating personal stories and comprehensive survey data to provide the fullest portrait of heterosexuality among young adults ever produced. Mark Regnerus and Jeremy Uecker draw upon a wealth of survey data as well as scores of in-depth interviews with young adults from around the country, both in and out of college.
Real Sex: The Naked Truth About Chastity
Winner, Lauren F. Real Sex: The Naked Truth About Chastity. Brazos Press, 2005.
In Real Sex, Lauren Winner speaks candidly about the difficulty – and importance – of sexual chastity. With nuance and wit, she talks about her own sexual journey. Never dodging tough terms like ‘confession’ and ‘sin,’ she ground her discussion of chastity first and foremost in scripture. She confronts cultural lies about sex and challenges how we talk about sex in church.
Sex and the iWorld: Rethinking Relationship beyond an Age of Individualism.
Kuehne, Dale. Sex and the iWorld: Rethinking Relationship beyond an Age of Individualism. Baker Academic, 2009.
Examines current issues pertaining to sexuality and society following the sexual revolution and asks, what kind of world are we creating? Is it a world that is actually harming us more than benefiting us? With an inclusive perspective, Kuehne contrasts the long established ‘tWorld,’ in which traditional morality reigned, with the present day ‘iWorld,’ in which the immediate desires of the individual have been deemed paramount. He maintains both fail to deliver the benefits of the proposed ‘rWorld,’ in which a larger web of healthy and nourishing social relationships provides the most personally fulfilling context for sexuality and relational well-being.
Closing the Window: Steps to Living Porn Free by Tim Chester
Chester, Tim. Closing the Window: Steps to Living Porn Free. InterVarsity Press, 2010.
With internet pornography shaping multiple generations as a result of increased prevalence, acceptance, and access, Tim Chester brings good theology to bear on the quest to break free from pornography’s deadly and addictive grip. The steps are practical, biblical, and do-able. This is a book that should be read and then kept at arm’s length by every parent, youth worker, pastor, and counselor.
Available in the CPYU Resource Center.
