I really wanted to know what "gender" was actually about. I was tired of hearing people in the Church uphold or elevate what felt to me like ancient or unfair gender norms. And I was tired of deconstructionists tear down gender all the way to the point where it no longer exists.

But mostly, I was tired of people saying, "gender is not this" or "gender is not what they say it is"... with no one clearly articulating what it is. I could only find critiques, no maps. Only rebuttals, no beautiful ways forward.

So I studied and studied and studied. And I met with person after person. And I prayed. A lot. And while I still don't have all the answers, I do have a robustly missional, Jesus-shaped framework for affirming truth, holding tensions, and placing others above ourselves.

This is my thesis for my Masters of Theology on Mission degree from Northern Seminary. I'm releasing this as both an audiobook (I'm reading it to you) and a podcast (a cadence of releasing episodes so we can thoughtfully engage along the way).

If you have thoughtful reflections or want to go deeper, you can get the eBook (with footnotes!) at brianmenzie.com. You can also @ me on Threads.

Here's to the journey of Truly Us: Jesus, Gender, and How to be Human... Together.

Background music is "Newport Nights" by LNDÖ licensed through Soundstripe.