In my teaching series "Relationships - It's Complicated" (September, 2011) I spoke on sexuality.  Sexuality, of course, is a major component of relationships.  In fact I believe that our sexuality affects all of our relationships.  Most obvious is our relationships with the opposite gender, and in any romantic or sexual interaction.  But our sexuality affects our relationship with those who we may have no sexual interest in, or are merely friends, co-workers or relatives.  Sexuality is a major aspect of life and it affects every aspect of life.  How I relate to another man is affected by the fact that we are both men.  How I relate to a woman, regardless of any sexual issue, is still affected by the very fact that they are female.  To ignore or even to diminish the significance of this is not "equality" it is ignorance, and in my opinion a belittling or diminishing of each individual's worth and significance.  It is an honor not a dishonor to see the whole person and to treat each individual accordingly.

Of coarse this is abused and can be the basis for discrimination in many forms.  Nevertheless, as the saying goes: "the proper response to abuse is not disuse, but proper use."  Just because some people use gender differences and sexuality to discriminate, is not a reason to ignore or overlook one's sexuality.  Our sexuality is a gift, a significant part of our person-hood and something to be celebrated!

In my teaching I go into detail on Genesis 1:26-28 NKJV  Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."  (27)  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  (28)  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

In this passage we see that originally "man" or humankind was the combination of male and female.  "He created him; male and female He created them."  In this way we share or reflect many of the attributes of God, or we are "in is image."  Particularly we are created to be in unity and to have dominion.  God dwells in eternal unity as the Trinity.  Three distinct persons in a oneness of infinite love and agreement.  Humankind is created to also live in unity.  In marriage, the union of a male and female, this unity and the ideal of being one is displayed most completely.  But when God created Eve for Adam he not only provided a wife - an equal partner, but through that relationship came all of humankind.  So this unity and shared dominion is to be seen within marriage but also within all of our relationships.

Several people approached me afterward and asked about those who are "intersex" also called Hermaphrodites.  This condition is a very rare described in the Wikipedia as, "This is usually understood to be congenital, involving chromosomal, morphologic, genital and/or gonadal anomalies, such as diversion from typical XX-female or XY-male presentations, e.g., sex reversal (XY-female, XX-male), genital ambiguity, or sex developmental differences."

The fact that this is an anomaly, and a rare one, is not evidence for gender-confusion or homosexual behavior as being "natural" or normal.  This as many other genetic and developmental disorders actual demonstrate that our bodies are complex and vulnerable to dysfunction and disability.  

I was asked what I would say to someone who was born "intersex" or to the parents of someone born with this condition.  My response was that I thought that they should proceed with caution, carefully and prayerfully.  That this as well as many other genetic anomalies would make life difficult and challenging for their child or themselves -- but that it is not something for which to be ashamed.  In my comment about Australia providing three options on their passport - male, female and ambiguous, I was not intending to be critical or make fun of those born with this congenital anomaly.  Nor, as I understand it, was the Australian government addressing the issue of being inter-sexed, but rather accommodating those who choose to live contrary to the sexuality that they were born with by living as a homosexual, transgender, bi-sexual, gay or lesbian.  

For those who feel that even though they have a normal male or female physiology but "inside" they are different, or that they are the opposite sex trapped in the wrong body.  Or for those who struggle with same-sex attraction, I have the utmost compassion.  I do not want to minimize in any way the significance of such a condition.  I do not claim to understand it.  I certainly do not comprehend what combination of issues might combine to prevail upon an individual to live in such a way as to deny what is a physiological reality (the presence of either male or female anatomy) in favor of a "preference" or desire, or psychological sexual attraction that is contrary to their male or female anatomy.  

I do recommend these resources for those who want to understand a balanced non-condemning but certainly confronting discussion about homosexuality.  These books are written by people who have lived through personal struggles with these issues.  Hopefully they will be helpful in understanding the Biblical position on this delicate and sensitive topic.