Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

Wheaton Chapel Christian Colleges - know before you go Wheaton College was in the news because statements by a professor were questioned. The communication became public. Since then I've heard that professors are being cautious or have been cautioned about what they may say. Conservative Christian colleges declare their beliefs and values. Freedom of speech is restricted as is the freedom to pursue some lines of research. That's why I say, "know before you go." Know what you are committing to as a student, faculty member, or staff member; however, my focus here is on students. And for traditional students who share decisions with parents--this post is for parents too. Seven Facts About Conservative Christian Campus Cultures 1. The Statement of Faith is taken seriously. Read the statement of faith and decide if you believe the words. Life's too short to put on an act. If possible, it's obviously best to learn or work at...

 Sexual  Attraction In my previous post, I wrote about sexual orientation . This week I take a look at factors that influence sexual attraction. I'll take a look at recent research and consider how the findings might relate to the concerns of people working to integrate their religious faith with beliefs about sexuality. Over the years I have consulted with organizations. Not surprisingly, Christians who supervise housing (e.g., colleges, group homes, residential treatment programs) express concern about appropriate sexuality. They focus most on keeping men and women apart. Despite a common occurrence, it is rare for a Christian organization to discuss same sex activity within their residences or among coworkers. It does not seem to occur to many that two persons of the same sex may find each other sexually attractive. The leaders would not think of assigning a man and a woman to the same room but they do not consider the assignment of two same-sex oriented persons...

Sexual Orientation Sexual Identity Sexual Attraction Christians in the United States continue to write and speak about sexual orientation and same-sex relationships as if condoning or condemning same-sex relationships were the keys to Christian identity. The terms referring to human sexuality can interfere with communication when people use the terms inconsistently or imprecisely. In addition, new research changes our understanding of human sexuality such that older terms may carry meanings that are no longer substantiated by evidence. I take a look at some terms and cite a study to illustrate the complexity of sexuality. Given the confusion and misinformation, I hope to return to the topic. Sex  In the context of identity, sex refers to a person’s biological status as male, female, or intersex. Intersex is a biological state that includes an infrequent set of features linked to being male or female. The common indicators of biological sex include external gen...

SEX   in   the  BIBLE  A few decades ago, discussions about biblical perspectives on sexuality were few and far between—at least as far as popular books are concerned. Mark and Grace Driscoll authored a New York Times best seller, Real Marriage , which contains frank discussions about sex from a conservative American Evangelical perspective. A 7 March 2014 report by Christianity Today , describes its rise to become a best seller as controversial. Religious scholars (e.g., Michael Coogan, Jennifer Knust, Teresa Hornsby) have also produced recent works offering alternatives to conservative perspectives on the Bible’s sex texts. In this post I look at some of the biblical euphemisms for sex and note some reasons why people reach different conclusions about the Bible and sex. TRANSLATION PLEASE Some Christians take pride in doing personal Bible study and trusting God to guide them into truth. Insights are often shared in study groups. But which ...