One mission we have at CBMW is to help Christians think through secular and ecclesial trends on gender and sexuality. Through this work, we pore over a lot of news reports and articles as we attempt to wade through the constant flow of information. 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

Azusa Pacific Reinstates Ban on LGBTQ+ Relationships, ZU Media (Michaela Ricaforte & Michael Luso)

“The Board of Trustees made it clear that their aim is to stay ‘biblical and orthodox in our Christian identity.’ After the ban on LGBTQ+ relationships was removed at the beginning of the school year, APU received nationwide attention from outlets such as Christianity Today and The Daily Wire, which caused many evangelicals to be outraged by the school’s decision.”

Cloud of sex abuse scandal hangs over Vatican youth meeting, USA Today (Nicole Winfield)

“Despite the dark cloud hanging over the synod, organizers said they thought the rebirth of the scandal could still give the Vatican an opportunity to show that the Catholic Church isn’t just about sex abuse and cover-ups”

LGBT Fight Comes To Orthodoxy, American Conservative (Rod Dreher)

“I had a number of conversations at the conference with Orthodox converts who came to Orthodoxy out of churches that had surrendered orthodox Christian teaching on sexuality, and which had since begun sliding into moral and theological disarray. As a former Catholic, I talked about how Catholicism is rapidly following Mainline Protestantism down this path, especially under Pope Francis. Talking last week to a Catholic friend about this, I told her that this fight has now come to Orthodoxy. She said, ‘Please don’t give in; you guys are the last place left.'”

Secular Trends on Gender and Sexuality 

UN Experts Slam Athletics Gender Regulations, Human Rights Watch (Minky Worden)

“Women who do not conform to culturally constructed notions of womanhood are particularly at risk of discrimination, violence, and criminalization. By singling out a certain group of athletes and denying them membership in the ‘female’ category, the IAAF puts these women at risk of repercussions far beyond the inability to compete.”

Will The Fertility Rate Recover? Probably Not, A New Study Says, Forbes (Elizabeth Bauer)

“It’s not news any longer that the fertility rate in the United States is dropping, and no one’s really sure what the end result of this trend will be, given that the expected recovery in fertility rates alongside economic recovery has not played out. A new report at the Center for Retirement Research , “Is the Drop in Fertility Temporary or Permanent?” suggests that this birth rate recovery will not occur. Since the Social Security Trustee’s Report’s projections assume that the total fertility rate (TFR) rebounds from its present 1.76 back up to 2.0 births per woman (see my May article on the topic), and the long-term impact of a declining and aging population is to make old-age-related social programs all the more expensive, this is not good news.”

Fake News Comes to Academia, The Wall Street Journal (Jillian Kay Melchior)

“The existence of a monthly journal focused on “feminist geography” is a sign of something gone awry in academia. The journal in question—Gender, Place & Culture—published a paper online in May whose author claimed to have spent a year observing canine sexual misconduct in Portland, Ore., parks.”

These workplace issues significantly up your odds of divorce, Science Mag (Michael Price)

“If home is where the heart is, work may be where it wanders. Married people who work with lots of members of the opposite sex are more likely to get divorced, with highly educated men appearing to be particularly susceptible to this trend, according to a new study of Danish divorce patterns.”

Public bathrooms are gender identity battlefields. What if we just do it right?, The Guardian (Simona Castricum)

“The current gender-neutral logo depicting a half-female/half-male figure is for many gender nonconforming people as othering and transphobic it reads. That building, and design practice accepts this as a solution is even more unfortunate. I’m asking for a standard much higher, more respectful, for a future much safer and permanent for those outside the gender binary.”

‘X’ is new gender choice on Minnesota driver’s licenses, NPR News (Tim Nelson)

“Minnesotans can now put an ‘F’ on their ID for female, an ‘M’ for male, or an ‘X’ for what officials are calling non-binary gender… The agency said in a statement that the third gender option is in line with other self-reported descriptions, such as weight, height and eye color and allows it to better serve all Minnesotans. Federal regulation allows the change.”

De Blasio to sign legislation allowing third gender on birth certificates, New York Post (Rich Calder)

“The legislation, which was proposed by Council Speaker Corey Johnson, ensures a new ‘non-binary’ identity category known as ‘X’ will be available on birth certificates for those who don’t consider themselves to be male or female De Blasio said he plans to sign the bill” 

Austin High School to hold gender-neutral homecoming, NBC Austin (Tim Miller)

“Under the new plan, the four seniors and two underclassmen in each grade with the highest vote total will be announced as part of homecoming royalty regardless of gender during the homecoming game on Oct. 11.“

Gender and Sexuality Miscellany

LGBT, the Bible, and Sexual Identity, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (Vince Vitale, Sam Allberry, & Jo Vitale)

“If God is for us, how can He be against someone’s identity? What does it look like to be same-sex attracted and a Christian? Does the Christian worldview condemn some to a life of loneliness? How can Christians show the love of Christ to those who consider them narrow-minded? This week on Ask Away, Vince and Jo Vitale, along with guest Sam Allberry (RZIM speaker and author of Is God Anti-Gay?), address these and other listener-submitted questions on this important and sensitive topic.”

The Wages of Infidelity, Institute for Family Studies (Hugo Schwyzer)

“It is a Sunday night at my ex-wife’s house, and I’m getting ready to say goodbye to the kids after a happy, rough-and-tumble afternoon. As I prepare to leave, my six-year-old son goes to the bookcase and pulls out a slim, black volume, clutching it tightly to his chest. I ask to see what he’s holding, and he hands it over, but not before kissing the image on the front. It’s a photo album, one of those custom-made jobs you order online. This album is a collection of photos from our family trip to Israel in 2015, and the cover photo that my son kissed features him, his older sister, his mother, and me all beaming at the camera.”

With Great Power Comes Great . . . Temptation, The Gospel Coalition (Russell Morre, Sam Allbery, Vermon Pierre)

“TGC Council members Russell Moore and Vermon Pierre and TGC editor Sam Allberry sat down to talk about how to be alert to the temptations that come with power”

How to Raise Children in a Pornographic Culture, Desiring God (John Piper)

“Establish, in your home, protections on all your electronic devices so that the child is subject to the same scrutiny as Mom and Dad, or vice versa. Don’t treat them as untrustworthy while you pretend to be above scrutiny. Let them know that the whole family understands the dangers of pornography (as well as other superficial distractions) and its easy accessibility. Let them know that Mom and Dad share in the same concern, the same burden, the same susceptibility, and the same accountability.”

Tips for Teaching Kids About Marriage, The Gospel Coalition (Jani Ortlund)

“Children are curious about marriage. They see families with various parental arrangements, and they have legitimate questions about them. Children need answers. And children deserve good answers—answers based on the eternal Word of God rather than shifting cultural trends.”