Episode Details

Dr. Mark Yarhouse offers practical tools for discussing gender identity with “compassion, civility, and conviction.”

Dr. Yarhouse is a professor and the director of the Sexual & Gender Identity Institute at Wheaton College. He is also the author of multiple books, including his most recent, Talking to Kids about Gender Identity: A Roadmap for Christian Compassion, Civility, and Conviction.

In this episode of The Denison Forum Podcast, Dr. Yarhouse helps parents understand gender identity issues that their kids and teenagers may be facing and how to talk about these issues with them in a practical and helpful manner.

Topics

(02:10): Who is Dr. Mark Yarhouse?

(04:53): Why is gender identity suddenly a popular cultural topic? What gender-identity-related terms should people know (e.g., transgenderism, nonbinary, gender dysphoria)? How prevalent is transgenderism today?

(10:19): What does it mean to be a “cultural ambassador of compassion, civility, and conviction”?

(17:51): Can we say with confidence what causes transgenderism?

(21:05): How to reduce fear-based parenting

(26:25): How can the Bible help us today with gender-identity issues?

(30:21): Why should people understand the differences between issues like transgenderism and homosexuality?

(34:23): What role does “social contagion” play in increased gender-identity issues among children and teenagers?

(38:37): Defining social (e.g., pronoun usage), hormonal, and surgical transitioning

(43:19): Would you use preferred pronouns with a child or teenager?

(45:22): What’s your advice for the parent or church leader who wants to welcome a person wrestling with gender-identity issues?

(48:48): Is there a framework for talking to your kids in age-appropriate ways about sexuality, including gender identity?

(53:26): Where can people follow Dr. Yarhouse’s work?

Resources

Transcript (PDF)

Talking to Kids about Gender Identity: A Roadmap for Christian Compassion, Civility, and Conviction, Dr. Mark Yarhouse

The Sexual and Gender Identity Institute at Wheaton College

@MarkYarhouse on X (formerly Twitter)

How and When to Tell Your Kids about Sex: A Lifelong Approach to Shaping Your Child’s Sexual Character, Stan and Brenna Jones

Start Talking to Your Kids about Sex: A Practical Guide for Catholics, Julia Sadusky

What does the Bible say about transgenderism?, Denison Forum

Is cross-dressing a sin?, Denison Forum

The “transgender craze” seducing teenage girls and doing “Irreversible Damage”, Mark Legg

Related Denison Forum Podcast episodes

Listen Now