Living Out Podcast

Ashleigh tells us about her favourite episode from our back catalogue. In the last of our series going through the missteps identified in The Plausibility Problem by Ed Shaw, we discussed whether suffering can and should be avoided. We shared our own painful experiences and examined why some argue that the suffering of celibate same-sex attracted Christians is a reason to abandon traditional biblical teaching on sexual ethics.
We went on to show that suffering is a normal part of following Jesus, whether you're gay or straight, single or married. We looked at some of the reasons why God allows us to suffer and the joys and benefits that we receive precisely because we suffer.
We also looked at practical things that help us when we're struggling and ways that we can use our pain to love and serve others.
Resources mentioned and related
The Plausibility Problem Ed Shaw
The Plausibility Problem: A Review Steve Ward
Support to Grieve Anne Witton
You Only Live Once. Really? Adam Curtis
Kitchen Floors and Gethsemane Andy Robinson
What's Good About Struggling With Same-sex Attraction? Anne Witton
Childlessness Anne Witton
Anne and Abby on Their Community House Anne Witton
Sharing Life Together Anne Witton
Confronting Christianity Rebecca McLaughlin
Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy Mark Vroegop

It can be so painful when we disagree with those we love about this. What do we do when a friend changes their mind on faith and sexuality, or when our church changes its position on same-sex marriage? Does 1 Corinthians 5 contain any wisdom that we can apply here? Ashleigh, Ed and Andrew talk it through.
Resources mentioned and related
Healthy Spirituality | Holiness and Church Discipline | James Lawrence | 1 Corinthians 5 
The Art of Disagreeing: How to Keep Calm and Stay Friends in Hard Conversations by Gavin Ortlund 
Does the Bible Really Condemn Loving Same-Sex Relationships? (Engaging Objections #2), Living Out Podcast 
Why Can't Christians Agree to Disagree?, Sam Allberry 
How Important Is All This? (Explore Questions #6), Living Out Podcast 
How Can We Have Good Discussions With Christians Who Disagree With Us on Sexuality?, Andrew Goddard

Can sexuality change? Should we seek to change it? Andrew, Ashleigh and Adam talk it through. Adam also shares his journey towards openness to dating a woman, despite his enduring experience of same-sex attraction.
Resources mentioned and related
Research relating to sexual fluidity: 
What Does Heterosexuality Mean? Same-Sex Attraction, Behaviors, and Discomfort Among Self-identified Heterosexual Young Adults from Spain, Archives of Sexual Behaviour 
Lisa Diamond on sexual fluidity of men and women, Cornell University 
Individual fluidity of sexual identity in Stockholm County, 2010 to 2021, European Journal of Public Health 
Sexual Orientation Identity Mobility in the United Kingdom: A Research Note, Duke University Press 
Population Trends and Individual Fluidity of Sexual Identity Among Stockholm County Residents, JAMA Network 
Who Counts as Sexually Fluid? Comparing Four Different Types of Sexual Fluidity in Women, Archives of Sexual Behaviour 
Sexual Identity Fluidity Among Sexual Minorities: Gender Differences in Determinants of Fluidity and Health-Related Outcomes, Journal of Homosexuality 
Stories of mixed-orientation marriage:
Sean’s story
Katherine: The Power and Beauty of Stories (Different Stories #3), Living Out Podcast
Paul: Responding to Our Desires (Different Stories #5), Living Out Podcast 
Nat and Matt: Mixed-Orientation Marriage (Different Stories #9), Living Out Podcast
Other resources:
Resources on Conversion Therapy
Is Same-sex Attraction Inherently Sinful? (Questions No One Wants To Answer #4), Living Out Podcast
Is Exorcism Ever An Appropriate Response to Same-Sex Attraction?, Andy Robinson
Born Again This Way by Rachel Gilson
Gay Girl, Good God by Jackie Hill Perry
An Impossible Marriage by Laurie & Matt Krieg
And if this series is raising more questions than it answers, ask us those questions here!

Ashleigh, Adam and Andy explore what real love is, and consider how we can align ourselves to Scripture’s truth in a world that preaches something different. 
We also think about the question, 'My friend is so much happier now that they’re in a same-sex relationship – isn't that a good thing?'
Resources mentioned and related 
Does the Bible Affirm Same-Sex Relationships?: Examining 10 Claims about Scripture and Sexuality by Rebecca McLaughlin – in particular Chapter 10, 'A God of Love Can’t Be Against Relationships of Love'
Friendship, Living Out Podcast series
What Is It Teaching You?, Ashleigh Hull 
A Better Love edited by Ed Shaw 
Misstep 5 - 'Sex is where true intimacy is found' (The Plausibility Problem #5), Living Out Podcast 
And if this series is raising more questions than it answers, ask us those questions here!

Is the Bible’s teaching unjust or unfair to same-sex attracted Christians like us? Andrew, Ed and Andy talk through the intellectual and the emotional sides of this, considering how this objection has looked for us personally as well as how we might respond to it.
Resources mentioned and related
Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind by Tom Holland 
The Air We Breathe: How We All Came to Believe in Freedom, Kindness, Progress, and Equality by Glen Scrivener 
Purposeful Sexuality by Ed Shaw 
Explore Questions: Isn’t God Being Unfair?
Isn’t God Being Unfair? (Explore Questions #4), Living Out Podcast 
Is Same-Sex Marriage An Issue of Equality?, Andrew Bunt 
And if this series is raising more questions than it answers, ask us those questions here!