Understanding Human Sexuality and God’s Big Story

Learn how human sexuality fits into God’s Big Story, preparing you not just to talk fearlessly with peers but also to face the complexities of your own story.

Take the Course

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)

All your progress will be saved so you can resume where you left off.
Course Quicksheet (pdf)

This is a quick summary of the material that you can use as a preview of the course or as a refresher once you’ve taken it.
Resource Toolbox

See a list of the resources referenced in this course, all collected in one spot for your convenience.

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 3: Concluding Remarks
- Lesson 4: Before you go...

Resource Toolbox

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

This is a quick summary of the material that you can use as a preview of the course or as a refresher once you've taken it!

Download

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Leader's Guide

Understanding Human Sexuality and God's Big Story Leaders Guide

(pdf)

Interested in guiding discussions on 'Understanding Human Sexuality and God's Big Story'? Access our detailed leader's guide with session breakdowns and pastoral guidance.

Download

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Articles & Guides

Building Trust with LGBTQ+ Students

(Ministry Library page)

These tips are designed to help you take the next step in making your community more welcoming and inclusive towards the LGBTQ+/SSA community. Here are 3 important things to know, 3 common mistakes to avoid, and 3 ideas to try.

Open

The Case for Vocational Singleness

(Christianity Today Article) by Pieter Valk

This article discusses the idea of vocational singleness as a calling for Christians to focus on kingdom work and heal societal brokenness.

Open

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Books

Redeeming Sex: Naked Conversations About Sexuality and Spirituality by Debra Hirsch When you consider the world from the perspective of God's kingdom mission, it turns out the smoke clears and a redemptive imagination takes root. Discover a holistic, biblical vision of sex and gender that honors God and offers good news to the world. Open
The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rolheiser Channeling the deep, mysterious desires of our hearts, Ronald Rolheiser leads readers from restlessness to peace, showing a contemporary path to authentic and healthy spiritual life—now featuring a new reader’s guide! Open
Redeemed Sexuality: 12 Sessions for Healing and Transformation in Community by Andrew A. Boa Redeemed Sexuality invites emerging adults to seek sexual maturity and discipleship in the context of community. Open
Breaking the Marriage Idol by Kutter Callaway Theologian and husband Kutter Callaway considers why marriage, which is a blessing from God, shouldn't be expected or required of all Christians. Open
The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller This book shows everyone—Christians, skeptics, singles, longtime married couples, and those about to be engaged—the vision of what marriage should be according to the Bible. Open
Single, Gay, Christian by Gregory Coles In an age where neither society nor the church knows what to do with gay Christians, Greg Coles tells his own story. Open
The Wounded Healer by Henri Nouwen In an age where neither society nor the church knows what to do with gay Christians, Greg Coles tells his own story. Open

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