The Rev. Dr. Scott Stiegemeyer is Associate Professor of Theology and Bioethics at Concordia University Irvine; previously, he served as parish pastor of congregations near Pittsburgh, Pa., and Chicago, Ill. In this Kitchen Table Talk conversation, Dr. Stiegmeyer answers burning questions about gender identity and sexuality in biblical Lutheran perspective.

What is gender? Is it real? Who gets to define it? How do we define gender vs. Sexuality (or is it even “versus” situation)? What does the Bible teach us about gender and sexuality? What makes our current cultural moment so panic-inducing for biblical Christians? How can Lutherans guard young people from false teaching about gender identity — and lovingly speak God’s truth about the beauty of his plan for sexuality to those around them?

“The male / female binary within humanity is beautiful, it's good, and it's true,” says Dr. Steigemeyer. “We should marvel at how God has created us to be and that [our marriage relationships] can be fruitful and ... self-giving.”

Resources referenced in this episode include the following:

• Wonderfully Made: A Protestant Theology of the Body by the Rev. Dr. John Kleinig*
• Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters by Abigail Shrier
• “Learning about Sex” series from CPH
• Sexuality Mentality: Creating a Culture of Biblical Integrity by Heather Ruesch*
• Why Men Hate Going to Church by David Murrow
• The Genesis of Gender: A Christian Theory by Abigail Favale
• Friends for Life podcast season 2 (on Gender and Sexuality)

*For further listening, check out our Lutheran Ladies’ Book Club discussion of Wonderfully Made and our One-Question Interview with Heather Ruesch.

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