This Pre-Forum Conference will practise the art of ‘double listening’ as we relate the Bible to the world around us. We will examine the strange new world of gender fluidity, gender self-identification, and gender transition from a cultural and medical perspective, attend to the experience of gender-diverse individuals and ‘de-transitioners’, and explore a biblical perspective on gender, sex, identity, and our physical bodies. We will consider how to respond to this ‘strange new world of gender’ with wisdom, grace and truth; how to help parents, children, and young people navigate this confusing new world; and how to be faithful disciples in this challenging context and promote constructive conversations with people around us.
Session 1 - Understanding the ‘Strange New World of Gender’
The first session will lay the groundwork for developing a Christian response and map the challenges we face. To do so, we will examine the ‘strange new world of gender’ from a cultural perspective (its key ideas, rapid rise, and significant impact) and from a medical perspective (considering types of gender dysphoria, their prevalence and underlying causes, and competing approaches to medical treatment).
Session 2 - Bodies, Sex, Gender and Identity: Forming a Biblical Perspective
In this session, we will unpack the framework the Bible offers for understanding the human body, sex as male and female, and our true identity as the basis for our gender. We will – crucially – consider identity formation and gender struggles in a fallen world and God’s pathway to salvation through struggle, possibilities for healing, and our future hope.
Session 3 - Helping the Next Generation Navigate Issues of Gender and Identity
In this session, we will explore how we can help children and young people to grow up well in this confusing environment and grow into a healthy relationship with their bodies, gender expression, and sense of identity – rooted in God’s love in creation and in Christ. For those children and teenagers who are ‘gender-questioning’, we will consider ways to respond well. In all this, we will look at ways churches can support and help parents.
Session 4 - Christians in Society: Addressing Challenges and Opportunities
This session will explore how we can live wisely and faithfully as Christians in this ‘strange new world’ of gender and what principles should inform godly living in the workplace and in society in this controversial arena (for example, with respect to using ‘preferred pronouns’, facing criticism for being transphobic, or speaking up for those who are at risk of harm).
