Overview

Foreword Reviews' INDIEFAB Honorable Mention Few topics are more contested today than gender identity. In the fog of the culture war, complex issues like gender dysphoria are reduced to slogans and sound bites. And while the war rages over language, institutions and political allegiances, transgender individuals are the ones who end up being the casualties. Mark Yarhouse, an expert in sexual identity and therapy, challenges the church to rise above the political hostilities and listen to people's stories. In Understanding Gender Dysphoria, Yarhouse offers a Christian perspective on transgender issues that eschews simplistic answers and appreciates the psychological and theological complexity. The result is a book that engages the latest research while remaining pastorally sensitive to the experiences of each person. In the midst of a tense political climate, Yarhouse calls Christians to come alongside those on the margins and stand with them as they resolve their questions and concerns about gender identity. Understanding Gender Dysphoria is the book we need to navigate these stormy cultural waters. Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) Books explore how Christianity relates to mental health and behavioral sciences including psychology, counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy in order to equip Christian clinicians to support the well-being of their clients.

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"""Understanding Gender Dysphoria is a good introduction to a complex issue, approached through both scientific and theological lenses. . . . It would be an excellent reference for pastors and parents seeking to understand the complex decisions those with gender dysphoria must navigate."" --Ty Grigg, Covenant Quarterly ""Understanding Gender Dysphoria is a valuable work for those wishing to engage with transgender issues. It doesn't answer every question that might come up, but it does give readers the tools to come up with their own answers while doing so in a loving and Christian way."" --J. W. Wartick, Always Have a Reason, July 29, 2015 ""Could the timing be better for a book to be released on the topic of gender dysphoria? Were you aware of this term a year ago and what it means? Whatever you knew or didn't know then, now you have an excellent resource in Mark Yarhouse's most recent work on the topic. He has written extensively on sexuality and gender, and in this book her offers a scholarly look at the issue of gender dysphoria. . . . From the first to the final page, Mark Yarhouse writes to inform, educate and challenge readers to be aware and sensitive to this demographic. . . . I cannot think of a more important time than the present to be gathering information on this topic, to help shape your position, refine it or perhaps change it. . . . Yarhouse has presented a thoughtful, scholarly work on this current cultural issue. I cannot stress strongly enough that this book should be read and available to every ministering person what has opportunity to work with people--the church!"" --Kent Miller, YouthWorker Journal, November/December 2015 ""Mark Yarhouse is knowledgeable, instructive and compassionate. These attributes are helpful for those working through the topic of gender dysphoria and also to those of us who are new to this conversation. We may not all agree with his final suggestions, but it is worth taking the time to consider the content of this text."" --Stephen T. Beers, Advance, Fall 2015 ""Mark Yarhouse's Understanding Gender Dysphoria: Navigating Transgender Issues in a Changing Culture is a book that has the potential to change the conversation surrounding transgender, genderqueer and gender non-conforming people and our role in the church. Mark writes from a fairly conservative evangelical perspective, but there is one critical difference between his approach and the approach I usually see from conservative writers: Mark has actually listened to trans people with a view to understanding, and his goal is to help churches provide pastoral care to a group that has traditionally been stigmatized and marginalized."" --Melinda Selmys, Patheos, July 3, 2015 ""Never losing touch with the human stories that underlie any scientific or clinical discussion of the issue of gender identity, Yarhouse (psychology, Regent Univ.) has written a timely, often trenchant account of the complex cultural and psychological terrain in which the issues of gender dysphoria and transgender circulate. . . . Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers."" --M. Uebel, CHOICE, November 2015"

Mark Yarhouse has written yet another important contribution to the church's discussion about LGBTQ issues, this time focusing specifically on questions related to transgender people. This book is informed by studious attention to the Bible, sound theological reasoning and deep psychological wisdom, all of which is sifted through a compassionate heart that wants to see people experience the deep love of Christ. This book is a must read for any Christian who wants to think Christianly about what it means to be transgender. Mark's pastoral posture and commitment to biblical truth is a model for every evangelical Christian. --Preston M. Sprinkle, vice president, Eternity Bible College Boise extension

This work is a tour de force. With his unique combination of Christian evangelical theological sophistication, clinical sensitivity and compassion, and scientific acumen and mastery, Yarhouse establishes in this compelling book why he is the most important voice reflecting on the complex challenges of sexuality today. --Stanton L. Jones, provost and professor of psychology, Wheaton College

Author Information

Mark A. Yarhouse (Psy.D., Wheaton College) is professor of psychology and Hughes Chair of Christian Thought in Mental Health Practice at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is also a licensed clinical psychologist. His other books include Sexual Identity Synthesis: A Guide to Living in the Time Between the Times, coauthored with Lori A. Burkett, and Sexuality and Sex Therapy: A Comprehensive Christian Appraisal, coauthored with Erica S. N. Tan.

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