Emerging Gender Identities

Understanding the Diverse Experiences of Today's Youth

By: Mark Yarhouse, Julia Sadusky

Narrated by: Bob Souer

This book offers a measured Christian response to the diverse gender identities that are being embraced by an increasing number of adolescents. Mark Yarhouse and Julia Sadusky offer an honest, scientifically informed, compassionate, and nuanced treatment for all listeners who care about or work with gender-diverse youth: pastors, church leaders, parents, family members, youth workers, and counselors.

Yarhouse and Sadusky help listeners distinguish between current mental-health concerns, such as gender dysphoria, and the emerging gender identities that some young people turn to for a sense of identity and community. Based on the authors' significant clinical and ministry experience, this book casts a vision for practically engaging and ministering to teens navigating diverse gender-identity concerns. It also equips listeners to critically engage gender theory based on a Christian view of sex and gender.

©2020 Mark A. Yarhouse and Julia Sadusky (P)2020 eChristian

Extremely Helpful!

I love how this book approaches an extremely difficult topic. Many Christians think that simply correcting those who struggle with gender identity issues is the answer. However, the authors wisely recognize that that approach often damages relationship. Christians should be speaking well into this issue in a way that shows God’s love to those who need it most. A marvelous book with lots of wisdom and practical insight.

A welcome and needed perspective

This book was not only informative, but inspiring. I've been wrestling with how to find a balance between truth and love for the sake of someone who I love very dearly and is struggling with gender questions. I appreciate that this book addresses the many nuances and always points back to what's most important: connecting with the individual person in a way that shows God's love and makes them feel valued.

Solid advice for Christians facing gender incongruence

There is so very much to absorb. I’ve listened to this book twice and I’m now working through the paper version.

Excellent resource for every parent,pastor, and youth minister when relating to people who are different l.

This book is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to have a renewing of your mind without a compromise of Faith. In our culture there can be a sense of animosity especially amongst Christians toward people struggling with gender identity. This un-said body language or verbalization to people who have gender dysphoria, can ostracize them from the church and even cause them to doubt their faith and reject Christ. Sometimes we as believers need to look at people with the eyes of Jesus, and allow them to navigate this difficulty that they experience without the extra biblical Inferences christians tend to impose on each other and especially toward gender dysphoric people. How do we respond as Christians without compromising our faith or endorsing potentially inappropriate sexualized behavior to show love and compassion and empathy for people with gender dysphoria? This book addresses these issues and more. It is my belief that this book could serve as a relationship builder between those who hold to orthodox Christian beliefs and people who are trying to navigate their personhood and their faith. I believe this book should be a must read for every youth pastor, pastor, parents of children who struggle to fit into gender norms, and ultimately any person who needs guidance on how to navigate their own personal judgmental biases or temptations to compromise scripture for the sake of love. This book provides excellent balance and has challenged me to think and behave in a more Christlike way. Highly recommend!

Needed for every Christian

I’m 60 but not naïve. However, I couldn’t fathom how our culture got from defining male and female in a biological binary to how gender is defined today. These authors give a clear history of this without getting into the weeds.
The authors also bring a compassionate, Christ-like view as to how to work with and walk along side youth who wrestle with these issues. Youth are looking for a community and place of belonging. Will we walk with them in their struggles or take the easy way out and shun them? Where will youth find their belonging in Christ? Where will they find their sense of community; in the Church or in the culture?

Boring and Unnecessary

I am a Christian interested in the debate surrounding gender ideology and this book just wasn’t for me. It starts off interesting, introducing an actual case of parents dealing with a child who is questioning her identity, then without any resolution of conclusion it drops that account and goes into a loooong and dry dialogue about the history of gender ideology.
No offense but most of the people I know who subscribe to “gender-fluid” ideas probably don’t even know (or care) about this.
I was hoping it would give me a way to navigate this current issue as a Christian (who is also Gen-Z and has seen many of my own friends completely buy into this ideology).
That’s not the type of book this is. Not entirely sure what type of book this is. I couldn’t keep going after 3 hours, which I think is a fair chance to give any book.
Also (this may just be me) but I would’ve preferred a female narrator. Idk why. The male voice just didn’t help.