The Union Podcast

What is the self? What does it mean to be human? These are some of the major questions being asked in our cultural moment. The good news is that we can find creditable answers for them in the words of Jesus.

In this episode, Bryan & Bonnie Pue discuss what Jesus is talking about in Luke 9 where He says, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?”

We cover the topics of:

-The biblical view of the self compared to the secular psychological view.

-The human identity in creation, redemption and glorification

-Humanity being made in the image of God.

- The integration of body, soul and spirit.

- Gnosticism and modern gender theory

- The hope of redemption we have in Jesus

The topic of same-sex attraction and homosexuality can be difficult for some of us to discuss. With so many voices on the topic, terms like side A or B, mixed with changing definitions of words, make you wonder, have we lost touch with holiness?

In this episode, Dr. Christopher Yuan joins us as we seek to understand what it really means to live in holy sexuality from a Biblical perspective. He shares his powerful testimony of how he came to Christ and experienced a radical transformation.

We talk about:

The Gospel’s effect on our sexuality

The proper process for Biblical interpretation

Biblical anthropology and homosexuality

Jesus never mentioned homosexuality…right?

…and more!

Dr. Christopher Yuan is a highly sought-after expert whose book, Holy Sexuality and the Gospel, was named 2020 book of the year for social issues by Outreach Magazine. Dr. Yuan casts a compelling vision of not identifying with our sexuality, but embracing Christ and living out Holy Sexuality, which shatters the secular paradigms of gay and straight. 

Dr. Yuan graduated from Moody Bible Institute in 2005 and received a master’s degree in biblical exegesis in 2007 and a doctorate of ministry in 2014. He taught the Bible at Moody Bible Institute for 12 years and his speaking ministry on faith and sexuality has reached five continents. 

Christopher has also produced The Holy Sexuality Project video series for parents and their teens. It is a first-of-its-kind resource to help parents and grandparents to empower their teens to understand, embrace, and celebrate biblical sexuality.

For more from Dr. Yuan:

Dr. Yuans Books

Holy Sexuality Teen Curriculum

Jessica Harris has first-hand experience of what it is like as a woman to face the shame of porn addiction when it was assumed to be a man’s issue. Statistics show that there is a rising number of women who have sought out sexual content to view; this isn’t a fringe topic and ignoring it won’t make it go away.

That’s why Jessica Harris is committed to breaking the silence, and we are glad to be able to share this conversation with you. Bonnie and Jessica sat down to talk about:

- Jessica’s story of how she overcame the grip of pornography in her life

- Common symptoms of shame and what true freedom looks like

- How followers of Jesus can find true satisfaction for their souls

Jessica Harris is a writer, speaker, and creator of “Beggar’s Daughter”, a blog for Christian women struggling with pornography and sexual sin. She is recognized as a leading voice on the topic of female porn use and addiction in the church. She is author of the recently released book, “Quenched: Discovering God’s Abundant Grace for Women Struggling with Pornography and Sexual Shame”.

You can find more from Jessica at https://beggarsdaughter.com/ .

If you were not aware, Canada is one of the few countries in the world with no laws around abortion. That means that a baby's life can be taken at any stage up until complete birth, even at 38 weeks. This is exactly what happened at a Montreal hospital in early February of 2023.

In this podcast, Bonnie and Bryan discuss the heartbreaking realities of abortion and its effects on the nations of the earth.

We cover topics of:

Human beings are created in the image of God

Objective vs subjective moral reasoning & a two-tiered worldview

Abortions connection to sexual immorality

The Biblical history of human sacrifice in false god worship practices

Innocent bloodshed & demonic empowerment

A gospel response to the injustice of abortion.

You can stay up to speed with all of Joanna’s amazing content on her website- www.joannahyatt.com and follow her on IG & FB- @joannahyatt

Live Action

Joanna’s Right Now Media Page

There are lots of things that can keep leaders from talking about sexuality. Whether it’s intimidation from the masses or shame from their past, wading into these waters can seem daunting.

Here is Episode 72, Bryan finishes our two-part series on the 7 ways leaders can start talking about sexuality, by looking at some of the reasons why leaders don’t.

Covered in this episode:

4) Fear Of The Mob

5) Not Wanting To Cause Damage

6)Living A Double Life

7) Not Sure Where To Start

Start Your Free Sexual Health Evaluation

There are lots of things that can keep leaders from talking about sexuality. Whether it’s intimidation from the masses or shame from their past, wading into these waters can seem daunting.

Here is Episode 71, Bryan kicks off our two-part series on the 7 ways leaders can start talking about sexuality, by looking at some of the reasons why leaders don’t.

Covered in this episode:

1) Dodging The Need

2)Feeling Under-equipped

3)Shadows from the past.

How does one navigate sexual desires that are contrary to your faith? That is what we seek to discover here in Episode 70.

We were honoured to have Jonathan Bryden join us to share his story of same-sex attraction and how Jesus showed Him that trusting His design for sexuality was going to make all the difference.

Jonathan Bryden works in Vancouver Canada as a documentary filmmaker in the independent film industry. A Christian from a young age, Jonathan also has struggled with reconciling his same-sex attraction with his faith and is currently living a celibate life in pursuit of Jesus. Passionate to share the Gospel through film, Jonathan is producing a documentary series that aims to ask the question, “How does the church, in light of the Gospel, face homosexuality?”

Watch the first episode of his documentary and consider partnering with him through prayer and financial support to see this project come to light and minister to those in the church who are personally facing this struggle.

Episode #1 of Jonathan’s Documentary

Support Jonathan’s work here

It seems the word “obedience” has become a swear word today in Christian culture. We know that we are saved by grace and not works, so we assume that obedience is optional. This couldn’t be further from the truth. It is not optional but, it is also not a burden. It’s a joy to obey God’s instruction and His leadership in our everyday life.

In Episode 69, Bryan sits down with Rachelle Starr and discusses her new book, “Outrageous Obedience” and how we can grow in radical obedience that shows the amazing love of God in some dark and challenging areas of humanity.

Rachelle Starr (www.scarlethope.org) founded Scarlet Hope, a nonprofit dedicated to sharing the hope of Jesus with women in the adult entertainment industry. In 2015, Rachelle launched a social enterprise called Scarlet's Bakery, where women can receive employment and valuable job skills while producing and selling delicious baked goods. Rachelle and her husband, Josh, have two boys through adoption and reside in Louisville, Kentucky. Learn more at scarlethope.org and by following @rachellestarr.co on Instagram.

Get Your Copy Of Outrageous Obedience

Scarlethope.org

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the hyper-sexualization of our society. Often, we see what is happening as new when in actuality it is just re-packaged. Modern-day transgenderism and gender theory are actually ancient Gnosticism just wearing a new shirt.

The hope we have is that Jesus used His church of the first century to rescue lost people out of the folly of these ideas. If we are willing to do what they did we can see what they saw.

In this episode, we are highlighting a message Bryan preached at a recent MFI Canada Conference.

He covers:

-The template of Satan’s strategy found in the garden of Eden

-The re-occurring cycle of God’s judgment towards idolatry.

-The hope of the Gospel to bring people out of brokenness into wholeness.