Thanks to the research of Mark Regnerus and others, there is an emerging awareness that the greatest impediment to Christian discipleship and church growth in the 21st century is a disordered view of human sexuality that began with the so-called “sexual revolution” of the 60’s.
The Bible explicitly declares, and historic Christianity has affirmed, three fundamental principles regarding human sexuality. The vast aggregate of research in medicine, neuroscience, and social science over the last 3 decades now affirms these principles:
- First, that gender differences are innate. Differences between male and female are much more than social constructs, but are biologically based. This is now an established conclusion of 21st century neuroscience.
- Second, that humans designed for lifelong monogamy, and celibacy apart from marriage. This paradigm uniquely contributes to human flourishing, benefiting men, women, and especially children. The overwhelming preponderance of psychological and social research over many decades affirms this basic truth.
- Third, that because of corrupted human nature the first two principles are often violated, resulting in devastating harm to men, women, and [again] especially children.
The attached video is a recorded presentation I gave on this topic for Hugh Ross’s “Paradoxes” class at Christ Church Sierra Madre on May 16, 2021. I hope you enjoy it.
Please stay tuned for next week’s followup on human cognition, the reasons underlying our susceptibility to false narratives, and some thoughts on how the Church out to respond.