Sexuality & gender
Sex, sexuality and the purity culture: What would Jesus deconstruct (WWJD)?
Preston Ulmer, author of Deconstruct Faith, Discover Jesus: How Questioning Your Religion Can Lead You to a Healthy and Holy God, shares his thoughts on how our stance on sex may have caused people to lose their faith
Ask NT Wright Anything #194 Icons, praying to saints & dividing over sexuality (Replay)
From the archives: Tom answers listener questions around whether shrines are pagan, infant baptism is biblical and how we can live in unity with theological differences around sexuality.
Unapologetic #78 Amy Orr-Ewing: Why are women central to the Christian story?
Dr Amy Orr-Ewing, author of Mary’s Voice, explores the context of Mary, mother of Jesus, and looks at why women play such a significant role in Christianity. Plus, what is the Magnificat, why is it so revolutionary? And how is it relevant today?
Unbelievable? Gay Christians, God and the Church | David Bennett, Taylor Telford & Billy Hallowell
This week’s Unbelievable features an insightful discussion featuring two individuals with contrasting LGBTQI+ faith journeys as they delve into the intersection of faith, sexuality, and the Bible. The debate is between two Christians, one gay and one queer, who have arrived at distinctly different interpretations of the Bible’s teachings on sexual ethics, marriage, and human relationships.
Ask NT Wright #193 Should women preach and lead in church? What about marriage? (Replay)
From the archives: Tom answers listener questions around gender, women in leadership and the dynamics of family life.
Ask NT Wright Anything #191 Donald Trump, gay cakes and white privilege (Replay)
Tom answers listener questions on the upcoming US election, religious freedom in the case of Christian cake makers, and the concept of ‘white privilege’ in current debates on racial justice. For Tom’s full talk on ‘Undermining Racism’ For Esau McCaulley’s book ‘Reading While Black’
Matters of Life & Death: Women and Christianity: Purity culture, beyond complementarianism, baggy t-shirts over swimming costumes, and recovering Tamar’s voice
Christianity is sometimes described as ‘bad news for women’. Clearly we would all disagree with this epithet, but why does it have cultural currency right now for a growing number of particularly younger women?
Is Western culture eroding Christianity?
Sam Reimer, professor of sociology and author of Caught in the Current, explores how authority, belief and behaviour have changed over the years and the impact this has had on faith
The CS Lewis Podcast #125 Perelandra: Pleasure, gender and sex
We continue our conversation on Perelandra, with Alister McGrath reflecting on questions around pleasure, gender and sex. What is gender? Is pleasure always erotic? What did Lewis mean by “transsexual” in this novel?
The CS Lewis Podcast #122 Out of the Silent Planet: Love, sex and intuition
Alister McGrath continues to explore Out of the Silent Planet, looking at some of CS Lewis’ language around love and sex. He also looks at the different life forms on Malacandra and the distinction between rational and non-rational life forms.
The CS Lewis Podcast #120 Out of the Silent Planet: Weston, Devine and JRR Tolkien
As we delve into the first book of the trilogy, Out of the Silent Planet, Professor Alister McGrath looks at some of its key themes. He explores the characters of Weston and Devine, looking at whether they represent particular ideologies and how Lewis exposes issues with their worldviews. Plus, why was JRR Tolkien such a fan of the book?
The CS Lewis Podcast #119 Has The Space Trilogy stood the test of time?
Alister McGrath concludes his introduction to Lewis’ Space Trilogy by exploring parallels with The Chronicles of Narnia. He offers tips for getting into these three books, speculates why they haven’t been turned into films and shares his favourite moment in the trilogy.
The CS Lewis Podcast #118 Evil, evolution and theological reflection in The Space Trilogy
Alister McGrath explores some of the theological themes within Lewis’ trilogy, such as incarnation, atonement and the problem of evil. How did Lewis view the relationship between science and religion? What did he think about evolution? How did he critique certain worldviews through his fiction?
Remembering Tim Keller: How our daily work has an eternal value
Entrepreneur Max Anderson reflects on his New York pastor and friend’s teaching on work
Remembering Tim Keller: The purpose of marriage
Entrepreneur Max Anderson reflects on his New York pastor and friend’s teaching on marriage
Remembering Tim Keller: The heart is an idol factory
Entrepreneur Max Anderson reflects on his New York pastor and friend’s teaching on idolatry
Remembering Tim Keller: Jesus’ teachings only matter if the resurrection is real
Entrepreneur Max Anderson reflects on his New York pastor and friend’s apologetic teaching
Remembering Tim Keller: Religious people may be just as lost as the irreligious (maybe more)
Entrepreneur Max Anderson reflects on his New York pastor and friend’s teaching on the Prodigal Son
Remembering Tim Keller
Entrepreneur Max Anderson reflects on the many things he’s learnt from his New York pastor and friend
The CS Lewis Podcast #117 Vivisection, mental health, racism and sexism
We dive into some of the important issues explored in Lewis’ Space Trilogy. Why was he so vehemently opposed to animal experimentation? What would Lewis say to those experiencing mental health struggles today? Plus, Alister McGrath responds to the accusation that CS Lewis was sexist and racist.
Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll: Why CS Lewis’ Space Trilogy is still relevant
The CS Lewis podcast recently launched a new series focussing on one of Lewis’ lesser known works of fiction, his Space Trilogy. Here, Ruth Jackson shares why she and Professor Alister McGrath think the books are worth a read, despite their length and difficulty
Women in apologetics: Overcoming sexism, societal expectation and vicious online attacks
Former non-theist Mary Jo Sharp found answers to many of her questions through Christian apologetics. She is now passionate about sharing this with others, despite the great personal cost at times. She shares some of her story with Joel Furches here
Was CS Lewis a sadomasochist?
CS Lewis expert Professor Alister McGrath shares some of Lewis’ thoughts on sadomasochism, homosexuality and friendship
Unbelievable? I lost nine years of my life: Transgender to Transformed | Laura Perry Smalts shares her life-changing story with Billy Hallowell
Even in a time of culture wars and controversy about everything, there are few subjects as difficult to discuss as transgender rights. In less than a decade the number of young people identifying as trans has exploded, and with it the number of arguments about the subject. In British schools nearly 80% of teachers report trans-identified or non-binary students in their classroom.
Matters of Life & Death: Trans children: Gender dysphoria, diagnostic overshadowing, boy Lego versus girl Lego, and the non-replicated Dutch Protocol
Perhaps the most contentious political, medical and social issue of the day is how to treat and care for young people who are questioning or experiencing distress around their sex and gender.
Unapologetic #55 Collin Hansen: Tim Keller (1950-2023) on women, family life and homosexuality
We continue our conversation with Collin Hansen, author of ’Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation’, who highlights some of the key women in Keller’s life, particularly his wife Kathy. Hansen explains why Tim Keller was a complementarian and speaks about Keller’s brother, Billy, who died from AIDS in the 1990s.
Why feminist Louise Perry is arguing for the restoration of traditional marriage and Christian sexual ethics
Journalist Heather Tomlinson shares her thoughts on the sexual revolution and sexual ethics following a recent episode of The Big Conversation
Women in apologetics: How a biology major who struggled to share her faith became an apologist
Jane Pantig, who works for Ratio Christi, loves her unique platform as a Filipino-American woman. Apologist Joel Furches shares some of her story here
Unbelievable? Rod Dreher & Louise Perry • Christianity, the Sexual Revolution and the future of the West
The Big Conversation - Episode 2 | Season 5
Unbelievable? Celebrating 17 years - Justin Brierley, Ruth Jackson, and Vince Vitale
The Unbelievable? show has been broadcasting for over 17 years. Justin Brierley and Ruth Jackson take a retrospective tour through highlights from the show from day one to some of the most significant debates that have been hosted, before being joined by Dr. Vince Vitale for a special announcement by Justin.
Ask NT Wright Anything #162 Questions on sexuality and LGBT
In this replay podcast from 2019 Tom answered listener questions on how to have better conversations on sexuality in the church, co-habitation, whether the New Testament understanding of homosexuality was different to today and his thoughts on Transgender following a letter he wrote to The Times newspaper. First broadcast in 2019.
Why are we so obsessed with sex? LGBT, materialism and the revival of Epicureanism
Following the recent LGBT and the Church Unbelievable? show, author Mark Roques explores how Greek philosophy helps illuminate our understanding of sex
Unbelievable? Sexuality, Gender & Identity: 2 views on LGBT and the church - Andrew Bunt & Charlie Bell
Andrew Bunt, Emerging Generations director at Living Out and author of ‘Finding Your Best Identity’, is a same-sex attracted Christian who has chosen celibacy and believes marriage is male-female. Charlie Bell, a gay Anglican vicar who also works as a psychiatrist, is the author of ‘Queer Holiness’ and wants to see gay marriage accepted in the church.
Working for peace in our politically divided world is essential. But the Church needs to get its own house in order, too
Join journalist Heather Tomlinson as she navigates the topic of tribalism within the Church, a topic brought into focus during past discussions on sexuality within the Church of England.
When the Church of England blesses gay marriage it signs its own death certificate
Social critic Bethel McGrew shares her thoughts on recent proposals by the House of Bishops to allow the blessing of same-sex marriages
The CS Lewis Podcast #89 Alister McGrath: CS Lewis and the Great War
In the third episode of our series focussing on McGrath’s book CS Lewis: A Life, we explore Lewis’ experience of the First World War and the significant relationships he formed during this time, such as with the Moore family. We also delve into Lewis’ interest in sadomasochism! Plus, a quick reminder of our competition to win a copy of McGrath’s seminal biography of Lewis.
Ask NT Wright Anything #152 - Can women lead in church? Why does 1 Timothy tell women to ‘be silent’?
Tom answers questions on what the New Testament says about the role of women in church leadership. Does 1 Tim 2:13-15 forbid women from preaching? What does he make of complementarian vs egalitarian theology? How does he treat passages such as Ephesians 5: 22 ‘wives submit to your husband’? First broadcast in 2019.
Unbelievable? How to overcome tribalism in politics and the church - Patrick Miller & Keith Simon
‘Truth Over Tribe: Pledging allegiance to the lamb, not the donkey or the elephant’ is the name of the new book by Patrick Miller and Keith Simon. They are both church pastors in the USA who started the Truth Over Tribe podcast to combat polarisation in politics, culture and Christianity.
Anything But God: Adrienne Johnson's unlikely conversion to Christianity
With tales of Santa, flying reindeer and magical elves, the Christmas period is often brimming with make believe - something Adrienne Johnson also equated with the Christian story. However, through a long period of discovery, she came to see there was truth behind these ancient beliefs
Unbelievable? Sean McDowell live Q&A on sexuality, transgender and culture war questions
Apologist and author Sean McDowell joined Justin along with hundreds of Unbelievable? listeners for a live show talking about Sean’s new book ‘A Rebel’s Manifesto’ and taking questions on LGBT, same-sex marriage, transgender, divorce, theology and more.
Unapologetic #28 Jon Tyson: Addressing objections, doubts and questions about the Christian faith
New York-based pastor Jon Tyson shares some of his thoughts about living as a Christian in a secular space.
Is Christianity sexist?
Apologist Joel Furches explores women’s place in the Church, both historically and today
Ask NT Wright Anything #140 Q&A on racial reconciliation and female leadership with Pastor Miles McPherson Pt 2
Tom speaks on the role of the church in racial reconcliation in the USA and why he believes the Bible affirms the leadership roles of both men and women. This is the second part of Tom’s on-stage interview with Pastor Miles McPherson, recorded at Rock Church, San Diego in 2019.
When Jesus becomes a trigger word in Woke theology
Is language violence? Are anecdotes replacing facts? Erik Strandess reviews a recent debate on the limits of ‘woke theology’.
Unbelievable? Has woke theology gone too far? Calvin Robinson & Robyn Henderson-Espinoza
Anti-woke Anglican ordinand Calvin Robinson engages with Transqueer Latinx theologian Dr Robyn Henderson-Espinoza on whether ‘woke’ theology is creating a more inclusive faith or a dangerous diversion from historic Christianity.
Did Christianity give us our belief in equality, compassion and consent? Bart Ehrman vs Glen Scrivener
Glen Scrivener’s book ‘The Air We Breathe: How We All Came to Believe in Freedom, Kindness, Progress & Equality’ makes the case that our belief in modern human rights & values are a direct product of the Christian story that shaped the West.
Unbelievable? Should ’Gay Conversion Therapy’ be banned? Jayne Ozanne vs Peter Lynas
The UK Government has published proposals to ban ‘gay conversion therapy’. Should such a law be welcomed by churches as a protection for LGBT+ people, or a cause for concern at the potential criminalisation of prayer? Peter Lynas of the UK Evangelical Alliance and Jayne Ozanne of the Ban Conversion Therapy coalition debate the proposed legislation.
Ask NT Wright Anything #93 Gendered language and God as ‘father’
Why does the Bible use gendered language? Can I trust God as father when I was abused by mine? Should we pray to Jesus the son or God the father? Tom tackles these and more Qs.
Unbelievable? Is toxic masculinity a problem in the church? Kyle Thompson and Martin Saunders
Kyle Thompson of men’s ministry Undaunted Life says we need to champion biblical masculinity in a church that is too feminised. Martin Saunders, author of ‘The Man You Were Made To Be’ says we need to leave behind gender stereotypes and help young Christian men make sense of masculinity in today’s world.
Ask NT Wright Anything #90 Galatians, Tom vs Luther and gender
Tom has recently had a major new commentary on Galatians published. Justin talks to him about it and poses question from listeners about aspects of Galatians, including the fruits of the Spirit, whether gender will exist in the new creation, and where he disagree with Martin Luther’s commentary on Galatians.
Unbelievable? Kristin Kobes Du Mez on masculinity, Mark Driscoll and the future for US evangelicals
Kristin Kobes Du Mez is the author of the bestselling book ‘Jesus and John Wayne: How white evangelicals corrupted a faith and fractured a nation’.
Unbelievable? Egalitarian and Complementarian views on Biblical Womanhood - Beth Allison Barr and Rachel Green Miller
What is the Biblical Womanhood movement and is it actually biblical?
Unbelievable? Jackie Hill Perry Q&A: Same sex attraction, transgender, racism and more
Jackie Hill Perry author of ‘Gay Girl, Good God’ and ‘Holier Than Thou’ talks to Justin about life, faith and why she turned her back on her lesbian identity when she became a Christian in this broadcast of a recent livestream in which she answered viewers questions too.
Ask NT Wright Anything #61 Could Jesus have been female? What about polygamy?
Tom tackles questions on whether Jesus could have been incarnated as a woman instead of a man, how you explain polygamy in scripture, and the question of Biblical commands about men and women speaking in church.
Unbelievable? Transgender people and the church – Preston Sprinkle and Christina Beardsley
Rev Christina Beardsley is a transgender priest in the Church of England and author of numerous resources on trans experience in the church. She engages with Preston Sprinkle, author of ‘Embodied: Transgender Identities, the Church, and What the Bible Has to Say’ who takes a grace-filled but traditional Christian approach to sexuality. They discuss how churches should engage with trans people, theological questions of ‘bodily’ and ‘gender’ identity, and the issue of Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria.
Ask NT Wright Anything #50 Icons, praying to saints & dividing over sexuality
Tom answers listener questions around whether shrines are pagan, infant baptism is biblical and how we can live in unity with theological differences around sexuality.
Ask NT Wright Anything #47 Should women preach and lead in church? What about marriage?
Tom answers listener questions around gender, women in leadership and the dynamics of family life.
Ask NT Wright Anything #44 Donald Trump, gay cakes and white privilege
Tom answers listener questions on the upcoming US election, religious freedom in the case of Christian cake makers, and the concept of ‘white privilege’ in current debates on racial justice.
How do I respond to Jean Vanier sex abuse revelations?
Tom Wright responds to a listener who feels let down and betrayed by L’Arche founder Jean Vanier after a report showed he had sexually abused women during his life.
Are science and theology in conflict with same-sex relationships?
Erik Strandness responds to a recent debate between ‘Side A and B’ gay Christians
Tom Holland is taking on the secular humanists. And he’s winning.
Are the intellectual stars of New Atheism out of arguments? Esther O’Reilly reviews historian Tom Holland’s clash with atheist philosopher AC Grayling on The Big Conversation
Ask NT Wright Anything #22 Am I unequally yoked? What about singleness? What’s the point? Puzzled and pastoral questions
Am I unequally yoked to my wife? What’s the biblical view of singleness? Was Jesus at my mother’s deathbed? What’s the point of it all? Tom answers the personal, pastoral and puzzled questions of listeners.
Ask NT Wright Anything #13 Christian sexual ethics, homosexuality and transgender
In this edition of the podcast Tom answers listener questions on how to have better conversations on sexuality in the church, co-habitation, whether the New Testament understanding of homosexuality was different to today and his thoughts on Transgender following a letter he wrote to The Times newspaper.
Glen Scrivener on biblical sex
Glen Scrivener gives his 90 second answer…
Ask NT Wright Anything #6 Female church leadership, complementarity and marriage
Tom answers questions on what the New Testament says about the role of women in church leadership. Does 1 Tim 2:13-15 forbid women from preaching? What does he make of complementarian vs egalitarian theology? How does he treat passages such as Ephesians 5: 22 ‘wives submit to your husband’?
Justin Welby • Thy Kingdom Come, tongues, Brexit, LGBT and church unity
Justin Welby the Archbishop of Canterbury speaks to Premier’s Justin Brierley about the evangelism and prayer initiative Thy Kingdom Come, praying in tongues, Brexit, politics, being the leader of the Anglican Church, and how he deals with controversy surrounding LGBT issues.
#MeToo and the Church: Egalitarian vs Complementarian • Natalie Collins & Phil Moore
Does egalitarian and complementarian theology help or harm men and women in the church? Natalie Collins a gender justice specialist and author of ‘Out Of Control: Couples, conflict and the capacity for change’ supports an egalitarian approach to male and female roles. For the Out Of Control conference https://www.nataliecollins.info/outof…
Steve Chalke and Ed Shaw ∕∕ Is church silence failing gay Christians?
Steve Chalke of Oasis Trust explains why he believes evangelical churches need to start a conversation on changing their theology on homosexuality to avoid tragic consequences for young, gay Christians.
Ed Shaw of Living Out is a same-sex attracted Christian whose Biblical convictions have led him to remain celibate. He says evangelical churches needs to talk about homosexuality but shouldn’t change their theology.
Bible Debate #4 : Steve Chalke & Andrew Wilson
Are same-sex relationships allowed?
Rob Bell debates Andrew Wilson
Rob Bell debates Andrew Wilson on gay marriage.
3 Same-Sex Attracted Church leaders speak out - Unbelievable?
A special radio feature titled “A Different Kind of Coming Out” sees Justin meet three evangelical church leaders who talk about their struggle with same-sex attraction and why they’ve decided to choose celibacy, or being ‘post-gay’.
Rob Bell debates God, Salvation & Homosexuality - Unbelievable?
For more information about Rob Bell’s new book, click here
Is the religious right wrong? Brian McLaren, Andy Walton, Bryan Fischer, Alan Craig - Unbelievable?
The religious right wing primarily campaigns on abortion and homosexuality - but is this the way Christians should be involved in politics?
Steve Chalke on his new gay affirming stance - Unbelievable?
Leading UK evangelical Steve Chalke has written an article for Christianity magazine on why he now affirms committed, faithful gay relationships.
Egalitarian vs Complementarian views on men and women - Unbelievable?
A controversial blog post by Jared Wilson, quoting pastor Doug Wilson on the role of men and women in sex, recently reignited the debate between complementarians and egalitarians. Rachel Held Evans is a popular US author, blogger and speaker who believes the New Testament supports the equality of men and ...
Pornography show 2: Is it harmful to the women involved? Unbelievable?
For a second week running we address the question of whether pornography is harmful, this time from the perspective of those in the porn industry. Former porn actress Danielle Williams explains why she feels the industry is abusive and detrimental to the women involved. Current adult entertainer Sophie Hirschfeld speaks ...
Is pornography harmful to those who view it? Unbelievable?
In the first of two episodes, we ask the question “is pornography harmful?” This week focusses on the effect upon users of pornography. Peter Watts is from Living Waters, a Christian ministry helping those affected by sexual issues. He argues that pornography is a form of false intimacy which negatively ...
Podcast special - Gay Marriage Debate - David Robertson vs Adrian Trett - Unbelievable? 17 May 2012
This podcast only recording is a debate held at Gunnersbury Baptist Church on the question “Should marriage be redefined to include same-sex unions?”.
The Gay Marriage Debate - Tatchell vs Williams Unbelievable? 21 Apr 2012
Peter Tatchell is a lifelong gay rights campaigner who has staged controversial protests campaigning for equal rights. He believes that the proposed legislation to introduce same-sex marriage in the UK is long overdue. Peter D Williams of Catholic Voices believes that putting gay marriage on an equal footing with heterosexual ...
The Mark Driscoll interview - special podcast
Justin Brierley interviews Grace & Mark Driscoll on their book Real Marriage and on Mark’s ministry as pastor of Mars Hill Church Seattle.
Unbelievable? 6 Nov 2010 - Ex-Gay and Gay-Affirming approaches to homosexuality
Both guests on today’s show are Christians, both are gay, and both run ministries supporting Christians of homosexual orientation.
Unbelievable? 5 Jun 2010 - Homosexuality and the church
In response to listener requests Justin hosts two shows dealing with Homosexuality and Christian faith.
Unbelievable? 29 May 2010 - Homosexuality and the Bible
In response to listener requests Justin hosts two shows dealing with Homosexuality and Christian faith.
Unbelievable? 22 May 2010 - Sex outside Marriage debate
Evangelical Christians hold that sexual relations outside of marriage are against Biblical mandate and have negative moral and social consequences.
Unbelievable? 30 Jun 2007 - Is evangelical Christianity exclusivist?
Sean Brickell, a lapsed Catholic, has come into contact with evangelical Christians and disagrees with their attitude to being “born again” and sex before marriage. So, are evangelicals too straight-jacketed? Matt Frost leads a church of young, single evangelicals and chats with Sean about the different way they view things.
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