Address Sexuality with Honor

Witness God’s work in our human experiences of sexuality, growing in your self-understanding and your empathy for others as you move forward in sexual discipleship.

  • Know how the Big Story of Jesus’ good news relates to human sexuality

  • Consider how that Big Story speaks to your own story

  • Grow in empathy for others in your community along their own journey of sexuality

  • Identify one next step you can take in your discipleship around sexuality

Play Your Way

Engage with the material in your context!

  • ~4 hour (self-paced)

    Though we anticipate this course to take around 4 hours to complete, please feel free to do it at your own pace. All your progress will be saved so you can hop back in a resume where you left off!

  • Course Quicksheet (pdf)

    This is a five-page summary of the material that you can print out as a quick refresher on the key takeaways.

  • Resource Toolbox

    All resources referenced from this course will be linked below for your convenience to view and download.

Meet Your Instructors

Jess and Greg will be your guides throughout this course. You'll get to know them more in the course, but here's a little bit about them.
Jessica Pafumi
Jessica serves as InterVarsity's first Human Sexuality Resource Specialist in the Discipleship and Leadership department and as an Area Ministry Director in Massachusetts. She has been on InterVarsity staff since 2012 and is finishing her master's degree in Global Leadership at Fuller Seminary. In her free time, Jess is always down for a hike, rock climbing trip or day on the mountain snowboarding. She loves adventuring cross-country in her van "VanillaIce" with her aussiedoodle Maple and friends.


Gregory Coles
Gregory is the author of Single, Gay, Christian and No Longer Strangers, both published by InterVarsity Press. He holds a PhD in English from Penn State and lives in Idaho's Treasure Valley, where he works as a writer and speaker. Greg also loves all things culinary and spent several years working at a bakery, where he once made 301 pounds of buttercream icing in a single day. 

Course Curriculum

  • 1

    Chapter 1: Walking Together

    • Lesson 1: Meet Your Guides

    • Lesson 2: Before we begin...

    • Lesson 3: Inviting You Along for a Journey
  • 2

    Chapter 2: The Big Story of Human Sexuality

    • Lesson: 1 What is God's Big Story?

    • Lesson 2: Defining Sexuality and Spirituality

    • Lesson 3: Looking at Sexuality through God's Big Story
  • 3

    Chapter 3: Designed for Desire (Circle 1)

    • Lesson 1: What Does It Mean to Be Designed for Desire?

    • Lesson 2: Made for Relationships

    • Lesson 3: Made for Intimacy
  • 4

    Chapter 4: Misdirected Desires (Circle 2)

    • Lesson 1: Warning Label

    • Lesson 2: What Does It Mean to Have Misdirected Desires in God's Big Story?

    • Lesson 3: Recognizing Misdirected Desires in Our Lives and around Us

    • Lesson 4: Application
  • 5

    Chapter 5: Restored Desires (Circle 3)

    • Lesson 1: What Is Jesus' Good News for Our Experience of Sexuality?

    • Lesson 2: Following Jesus' Way in Our Sexuality

    • Lesson 3: Stewarding Our Sexuality

    • Lesson 4: Our Response
  • 6

    Chapter 6: Desire Directed (Circle 4)

    • Lesson 1: How Can Our Desires Be Directed Towards God's Desires

    • Lesson 2: Missional Practice of Hospitality and Justice
  • 7

    Chapter 7: Now What?

    • Lesson 1: Devotion to God

    • Lesson 2: Course Review

    • Lesson 4: Concluding Remarks

    • Lesson 3: Before you go...

Resource Toolbox

All resources referenced from this course will be linked below for your convenience to view and download. Please use adapt these resources to what works for you in your ministry context.


Worksheets

Understanding Human Sexuality and God’s Big Story Quicksheet

(5-page pdf)

Summary of the course in a quick, 5-page format, perfect for a quick review on the go!

 

Guides

Building Trust with LGBTQ+ Students

(Ministry Library page)

If you want to take the next step in making your community more welcoming and inclusive towards the LGBTQ+/SSA community, this tool includes 3 things to know, 3 common mistakes to avoid, and 3 ideas to try.


Books

Redeeming Sex: Naked Conversations About Sexuality and Spirituality by Debra Hirsch
The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rolheiser
Redeemed Sexuality: 12 Sessions for Healing and Transformation in Community by Andrew A. Boa
Breaking the Marriage Idol by Kutter Callaway
The Case for Vocational Singleness by Pieter Valk
The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller
Single, Gay, Christian by Gregory Coles
The Wounded Healer by Henri Nouwen


Live Q&A with Jess

Wednesday, May 31 at 7pm EST (6pm CST/ 5pm MT/ 4pm PST/ 1pm HAST)

Join Jess for a live discussion and Q&A on Wednesday, May 31 at 7pm EST (6pm CST/ 5pm MT/ 4pm PST/ 1pm HAST). All are welcome to attend and bring their questions, be part of the discussion, or simply listen in. A link to the event will be shared with all enrolled in the course as the date approaches. We hope to see you there!

Enroll in the course to get access to the event link!