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Recommended Books

Below are a whole host of different books covering different topics. We have kept these out of the sections above to avoid each section becoming too long.

General Sex and sexuality

Louise Hearn, Much a do about something- Sexuality and the Eternal Word (2023) This newly released book equips the reader with increased awareness of what the Bible says and doesn’t say about sexuality. Here is a precis to whet your appetite

Glynn Harrison, A Better Story: God, Sex & Human Flourishing A clear and concise book on why and ow the sexual revolution changed our thinking and a call to the Christians to tell a better story on sex and sexuality.

Jonathan Grant, Divine Sex This books looks at the current social imaginary around sex and offers a compelling vision for Christian relationships and discipleship in a hypersexualised age.

Debra Hirsch, Redeeming Sex This book offers a wholistic, biblical vision of sex and gender and seeks to offer Good News to the world.

Gabriele Kuby, The Global Sexual Revolution This is a more academic text surveying gender ideology, the LGBT movement, pornography, sex education etc from a conservative Catholic perspective.

Guy Brandon, Just Sex: Is it ever just sex? This book outlines a Christian worldview on sex and encourages readers to consider sexual relationships form the perspective of fairness and justice.

Sam Alberry, Why does God care who I sleep with? A biblical perspective on what sex is designed to be, to mean and to do for us.

Ed Shaw, Purposeful sexuality: A short Christian Introduction Ed explores what the bible has to say about appreciating and enjoying God’s purposeful gift of sexuality – whatever a person’s past history, current situation or sexual orientation might be.

Rachel Gardner, The Sex Thing: Reimagining conversations with young people about sex Rachel takes an orthodox position, but does recognise that others may not. It is very useful for those working with young people.

Darrin W. Snyder Belousek, Marriage, Scripture, and the Church: Theological Discernment on the Question of Same-Sex Union. Mark Warner has produced a helpful review of this book.

Same-sex Attraction

Andrew Goddard and Don Horrocks, Biblical and Pastoral Responses to Homosexuality This book includes EA’s affirmations on homosexuality and really helpful pastoral material. The Evangelical Alliance are working on a new shorter version for launch in the Autumn.

Sam Alberry, Is God Anti-Gay?: And Other Questions about Homosexuality, the Bible and Same-Sex Attraction. A great, short, accessible introductory book.

Jackie Hill Perry, Gay Girl, Good God A personal testimony of a poet/rapper Jackie Hill Perry who embraced lesbianism, but had a life changing encounter with God.

Rosaria Butterfield, The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert Butterfield was tenured professor lecturing in English Lit and Gender Studies and living with her partner. This is the story of her radical conversion, marriage to a reformed minister and home-schooling her kids.

David Bennett, A War of Loves The story of David’s racial conversion form a gay rights activist to leading apologist. This is a challenging read, with a forward from NT Wright and is great for young people or those close to the LGBT space.

Ed Shaw, The Plausibility Problem: The church and same-sex attraction Ed experiences same-sex attraction, and yet he is committed to what the Bible says and what the church has always taught about marriage and sex. He wrestles with the argument that biblical teaching is unfair or unrealistic.

General Relevance

John Kleinig, Wonderfully Made: A Protestant Theology of the Body Whilst academic, this is a very readable Lutheran perspective on the theological importance of our bodies.

Nancy Percy, Love Thy Body Percy looks to expose the dehumanising nature of the secular worldview and argue for the importance of a Christian perspective on a range of contested issues.

Preston Sprinkle, Embodied This book is mainly around the transgender conversation but makes a useful contribution to discussions on identity and the body.

Christopher West, Our Bodies tell God’s Story This is a great book unpacking John Paul II’s teaching on human life, love and sexuality in an accessible way. There isn’t yet a Protestant equivalent and in this area West and evangelicalism are in agreement.

Christopher West, Theology of the Body for Beginners Similar to above

Carl Trueman, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self A really helpful evaluation of modern western culture and how it gave rise to the sexual revolution, expressive individualism and the transgender movement.

Andrew Bunt, People not Pronouns (Grove pastoral, 2021) Short introduction to exploring transgender from a biblical pastoral perspective

Vaughan Roberts, Transgender, absolutely excellent short book revealing the heart of the transgender issue and how we should respond as gospel people. Brilliant on the issue of identity and finding our true identity in Christ.

Martin Davie. What Does the Bible Really Say? Addressing Revisionist Arguments on Sexuality and the Bible (The Latimer Trust, 2020)

Richard Hays,  The Moral Vision of the New Testament: A Contemporary Introduction To New Testament Ethics (1997) general exploration of NT ethics from an evangelical perspective

Gregory Coles, No Longer Strangers: Finding Belonging in a World of Alienation (IVP US, 2021)

John Mark Comer, Loveology: God. Love. Marriage. Sex. and the Never-Ending Story of Male and Female (2014)

Stephen McAlpine, Being the Bad Guy, brilliant book talking about the demonisation of Christian viewpoints in society and how the early church and the church now should respond by ‘being the good bad guys’.  Incisive analysis of current thinking and response to believers and biblically wise guidance on Godly response.

Gavin Ortland, Finding the right hills to die on, really helpful in discerning when and how we should divide or unite.  So helpful for leaders and for our congregations!