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.”
Calling same-sex attraction sinful makes LGBT individuals ‘more like the rest of us,’ says evangelical leader, The Christian Post (Michael Gryboski)
“Burk added that he was not arguing that ‘all sin has the same consequence,’ but he was stating that ‘all sins have the same source and that source is in every single one of us…The odd thing about what you see in debates among the Christians about this is that we’re seeing some people wanting to treat same-sex sin as different from all other kinds of sins,’ continued Burk.”
Improper Voting Discovered at Methodist Vote on Gay Clergy, New York Times (Elizabeth Dias)
“The final 54-vote margin against gay clergy and same-sex marriage exceeds the number of unauthorized votes discovered so far. But the voting irregularities raised questions about the process behind the divisive decision, which devastated progressive members. Some have discussed leaving the denomination and possibly creating a new alliance for gay-friendly churches. Church leaders are now discussing whether new votes should be called, Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, who serves on the commission on the general conference, said in a phone interview.”
Azusa Pacific University lifts LGBTQ relationship ban (again), San Gabriel Valley Tribune (Christopher Yee)
“The university Board of Trustees directed administrators to update the student handbook for undergraduate students, campus spokeswoman Rachel White confirmed. The changes specifically removed language that barred LGBTQ relationships as part of a standing ban on pre-marital sex.”
Maltese Catholic Criticize Archbishop Scicluna’s Leadership on ‘LGBT’ Issues, National Catholic Register (Edward Pentin)
“A priest representing Pope Francis’ point man on sexual abuse in the Church, Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna, spoke approvingly of homosexuality as created by God and ‘part of his plan’ to a talk show audience last week.”
SBC exec says churches should address abuse of adults, Baptist Standard (Adelle M. Banks)
“Lyell said she experienced ‘the best of what advocates of sexual abuse response reform are calling for in the Southern Baptist Convention.’ Still, she said that churches need to do more to address abuse. Lyell discussed the issue in a recent podcast released by another SBC agency, saying she thinks there are key factors churches should understand about sex abuse. ‘I’m going to say two things that the church needs to realize and understand and that is, first of all, that sexual abuse does not only happen to children,’ she told Trillia Newbell, host of the ‘Better Together’ podcast produced by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. ‘And second, is that sexual assault is not only rape.’”
Illinois House votes to require LGBT history curriculum be taught in schools, The Hill (John Bowden)
“The measure, which now heads to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s (D) desk for a signature, requires schools to include ‘the role and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the history of this country and this State’ in official textbooks.”
Push for broader LGBT rights slowed by lack of GOP support, Associated Press (David Crary)
“The LGBT rights movement’s top legislative priority, a comprehensive nondiscrimination bill, will be introduced in Congress on Wednesday, but the excitement will be tempered by political reality: The bill could well be doomed, at least for this year, by lack of Republican support.”
Drag queen storytime reader once charged with child sex assault, ABC 13
“Houston Public Library is apologizing after a man charged for sexually assaulting a child was allowed to entertain children at Drag Queen storytime.”
Politicizing Pediatrics: How the AAP’s Transgender Guidelines Undermine Trust in Medical Authority, Public Discourse (Leonard Sax)
“The five-year-old boy who transitions to identify as a girl has taken a major step on a road that may lead to treatment with cross-sex hormones, castration, and infertility. Most five-year-old boys who say they are girls will not persist: fifteen years later, in the great majority of cases, that boy will say he is a man, not a woman. But the American Academy of Pediatrics is now on record prioritizing the opinion of a five-year-old over the considered judgment of the child’s parents.”
Beneath Gillette’s “What Is A Man?” Controversy, By Faith (Gary Yagel)
“In such a world, it would be easy to take the path of least resistance and minimize the biblical teaching of God’s design for male and female. After all, why create a stumbling block for the gospel? Such a response, though, misunderstands today’s millennials. Radical feminists who seek to eliminate male/female distinctions are a small minority of the millennial population. The vast majority recognize that male/female differences are real and want help knowing how to make masculinity and femininity work in their own lives. How tragic for us to miss the cry in the #MeToo movement for a form of manhood that can only be found through the redemptive power of Jesus!”
The Harlot, the Virgin, and the Bride, Desiring God (Scott Hubbard)
“The prophet Hosea gives us a story to grip our imaginations: God’s justifying grace turns a harlot into a virgin, and his sanctifying grace turns the virgin into a faithful bride.”
3 Things to Tell Your Children About Gender, The Gospel Coalition (Dan Doriani)
“This short article cannot address every transgender issue, but I seek to equip parents to talk to their children about gender. It is vital to offer compassion and care to all who experience body dysphoria—the sense that they inhabit the wrong body.”
Marriage bolsters family life, survey shows, The Irish Catholic
“The Global Family and Gender Survey looked at family trends in 11 countries including Ireland. It found while 18% of married couples have had ‘serious doubts’ in the past year that their relationship would last, compared to 34% of cohabiting couples, who were also less likely than married couples to be ‘very satisfied’ with their family life.”
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