What's Wrong With the Idea of Sexual Orientation? [EPISODE 6]

“Shouldn’t people have the right to be who they are?”

It seems our culture now sees every aspect of how we view and relate to the world as a function of our inner sexual identity. Anything other than affirming and celebrating a persons’ self-declared sexual orientation or sexual identity is seen as “doing harm.”

How should Christians understand the idea of sexual orientation and respond to those experiencing same-sex attraction? 

In this episode, you’ll discover—

• What's the origin of “sexual orientation” and what roles did Sigmund Freud and Charles Darwin play?
• How does knowing the origin of sexual orientation help us understand the implications of sexual orientation on our culture and faith today?
• How has the cultural shift in relating sexual behaviour to identity influenced the church's attitude and response toward homosexuality and sexual sin in general?
• Are people living a homosexual lifestyle worse sinners than others?
• How should Christians respond to the argument that the church has caused harm to LGBTQ people?
• What's the danger of using the sexual orientation framework for understanding human nature and identity?
• How are we to understand same-sex attraction and respond in a biblical way? What hope does Jesus offer and how does faith in Jesus help us understand our true identity?

Takeaways

As a church, both our gospel and our witness are in jeopardy because we have adopted our culture’s sexual orientation framework for human nature and identity.

While not denying the very real experiences of same-sex attraction, nor dismissing the need for love and grace for any who have them, we need to realize that interpreting people’s experience through a constructed concept of sexual orientation does not help to lead them to an understanding of their sexuality and identity.

Only in understanding what God has accomplished for us in Christ can we embrace our true identity. And only through a biblical understanding of our true identity can we help others be set free from being bound to viewing their nature and identity according to the categories of fallen and sinful flesh and help them find true freedom, peace, and joy in Christ.