One mission of CBMW is to help Christians think through secular and ecclesial trends on gender and sexuality. Through this work, we pore over a lot of different news reports and articles as we attempt to wade through the ceaseless flow of information on the web. In our weekly Gender and Sexuality News Roundups, we aim to distill some of the more pertinent information for you.

The articles below are from a wide variety of sectors and publications, organized generally into three categories. They are presented in aggregate, not necessarily endorsed.

If you see an article that you think should be featured in future CBMW News Roundups, you can send it to [email protected] with the subject “News Roundup.”

Ecclesial Trends on Gender and Sexuality

Church of England to offer baptism-style services to transgender people to celebrate their new identity for first time, The Telegraph (Helena Horton)

“New pastoral guidance, published on Tuesday, advises clergy to refer to transgender people by their new name, though it stops short of being a baptism.

“The guidance, which was approved by the House of Bishops on Monday night, also details how elements including water and oil can be incorporated into the service.

“It also advises that as part of a special service, they can be presented with gifts such as a Bible inscribed in their chosen name, or a certificate.”

Lauren Daigle and the Lost Art of Discernment, The Atlantic (Jonathan Merritt)

“The Christian musician says she is unsure about the morality of LGBTQ relationships. Not all of her fans are prepared to accept that.”

Lauren Daigle, Persecution, and the Church’s Opportunity for Witness, Patheos (Owen Strachan)

“That chance to answer a hostile question, a question that could possibly derail all the hard work we’ve put in to have a public voice, is a chance given us by God for the glory of his name.”

Celebrity Theologian, First Things (Robert Benne)

“Bolz-Weber was in the news again recently, after she claimed, in the LGBTQ magazine Out in Jersey, that “there is ethically sourced porn”…Bolstered by her celebrity status, Bolz-Weber, founding pastor of the House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, has made a huge splash as a “public theologian.””

Secular Trends on Gender and Sexuality

The ignored story of ‘America’s biggest serial killer’, Washington Post (George Will)

“If Gosnell’s victims had been middle-class instead of inner-city minorities, there surely would have been more interest in an abortion facility where babies were heard crying, and where a woman victim of Gosnell’s slapdash procedures went home with an arm and a leg of her baby still in her.”

Supreme Court sides with Planned Parenthood in funding fight, CNN (Ariane de Vogue)

“It would have taken four justices to agree to hear the issue, and only three conservative justices — Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch — voted to hear the case. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh appeared to side with the court’s liberals in not taking up the case — showing an effort to avoid high-profile abortion-related issues for now.”

Kevin Hart steps down as Oscars host amidst mounting anti-LGBT controversy, Fox

“Just two days after been named host of the Academy Awards, Kevin Hart has stepped down following an outcry over past homophobic tweets by the comedian.”

Teacher fired for refusing to use a transgender student’s pronouns, NBC News

“A Virginia high school teacher who refused to use a transgender student’s new pronouns has been fired for insubordination, according to the school system.”

West Point students walk out of class to support fired teacher, The Virginia Gazette (Ashley Luck)

“About 100 middle and high school students in West Point held a walkout in support of a teacher who was fired for refusing to use a transgender student’s preferred pronoun.”

Ohio State U student government wants mandatory ‘LGBT safe zone’ training for residential advisers, Life Site News (Calvin Freiburger)

“Students interested in becoming residential advisers at Ohio State University should be forced to undergo training geared toward LGBT “inclusion,” according to a resolution passed last week by the student government.”

There are ‘ups and downs’ in Trump’s relationship with LGBT community, says leader of gay GOP group, The Hill (Julia Manchester)

“‘He has been more vocally supportive than any Republican candidate or president, but there have been a few things that I haven’t loved that the administration has done, and some things that I think we can do some work on,’ she continued.”

Gender and Sexuality Miscellany

When Gender Roles Don’t Work: How One Couple and Their Sons Became Egalitarians, CBE International (Jodi and Dave Hansen)

“We spent many years of our marriage and raised our sons in a church that sought to form men into manly Christian leaders and women into submissive followers. Thankfully, we realized that model didn’t make sense for our marriage or for our sons.”

There’s Nothing Sketchy About Cross – Gender Friendships in the Church, Christianity Today (Gina Dalfonzo)

“Why we shouldn’t let the Billy Graham Rule—or the “Billy Crystal Rule”—define how men and women relate.”

What Advent Waiting Means for Singles, Christianity Today (Brianna DeWitt)

“In the midst of relational uncertainty, this season invites me to savor God’s goodness.”

Jackie Hill Perry’s “Gay Girl, Good God” Is a Book You Shouldn’t Miss, Eternal Perspective Ministries (Randy Alcorn)

“Jackie writes, and beautifully speaks in the audio, “What God has done to my soul is worth telling because He is worth knowing. Worth seeing. Worth hearing. Worth loving, and trusting, and exalting…To tell you about what God has done for my soul is to invite you into my worship.”

Confessions of a Wandering Mom, Desiring God (Christina Fox)

“Moms, those things you turn to for life and hope will only provide you temporary satisfaction. They cannot fill you. They cannot complete you. They cannot give you the meaning, purpose, and significance you seek. You’ll only find it in Christ.”

Porn Stars Bear God’s Image, For the Church (Russell L. Meek)

“Porn stars are human beings made in God’s image. That’s not just pixels on a screen. That’s God’s image bearer, whom he created for relationship with him.”

Love, Ancient and Modern, The Imaginative Conservative (Paul Krause)

“Modernity speaks incessantly in the language of “love” but most moderns do not know love. The sad reality is that we are afraid of love. And unlike that of the ancient poets, or Christianity, the love of modernity is directed only to the self rather than to the family—the cornerstone of love.”

President George H. W. Bush—A Family Man, Institute for Family Studies (Ashley McGuire)

“Among the many moving images that came out of yesterday’s state funeral for former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, one stood out: each of his children, lined up with their spouses, with their hands over their hearts before his casket. It was a poignant reminder that while many will rightly reflect upon and tally his seemingly endless list of military and civic accomplishments, his legacy as a husband and father is as extraordinary.”

A Better Story: God, Sex and Human Flourishing, The Gospel Coalition Canada (Peter Jensen)

“Harrison’s book has much good advice about how we are to play as ‘the away team’ and much encouragement about ‘the better story’ which we have. It is accessible, challenging and addressed to all Christians. I retain my enthusiasm.”

Ten Lessons from a Decade of Marriage, The Gospel Coalition Canada (Dan Stegeman)

“This past summer, my wife and I celebrated our 10-year anniversary. It has been an amazing journey and I am grateful to God for my wife. Here are some of the lessons I have learned along the way.”