Denver Seminary to talk about 'church and human

Virtual conference using laptop (Credit: Via Unsplash: Chris Montgomery)

The Gospel Initiative and Denver Seminary will host a free conference by the end of the month. It will focus on the sensitive topic of church and human sexuality.

Based on Denver Seminary's event page, the seminar will be on Friday, Oct. 29. It will be held at the Denver Seminary building located at 6399 South Santa Fe Drive, Littleton.

The conference is entitled "Compelling and Credible Witness: The Church and Human Sexuality."

It is open for both in-person and virtual attendees. The in-person event is scheduled from 8:30 a.m to 12:30 p.m, while the virtual participants can watch online by 10:45 a.m.

Biblical View of Human Sexuality

As mentioned, the conference will focus on how the church can biblically discuss human sexuality.

Participants could learn the difference between the view of human sexuality in the religious and broader culture.

It will also tackle how public sexuality discourse enhances or hinders the credibility of gospel witnesses. Also, how Christians could have a healthy understanding of sexuality within church congregations.

Denver Seminary President Dr. Mark Young said: "How we engage the controversial and difficult issues in our polarized society greatly affects how people hear the gospel."

"The Gospel Initiative at Denver Seminary exists to help God's people engage those issues in a way that enhances the credibility of our gospel witness."

Keynote Speakers

Denver Seminary also invited Dr. Mark Yarhouse to be the conference's guest speaker. He is the director of the Sexual and Gender Identity Institute at Wheaton College.

In a news release, the non-denominational graduate school of theology said that Yarhouse explores the link between the gospel and human sexuality.

Aside from discussions, participants will also get the chance to ask him questions.

Based on his experiences, Yarhouse claimed to be the person to talk about sensitive topics during the conference.

According to Denver Seminary, the director is also a clinical psychologist. He specialized in conflict relating to sexual, gender, and religious identity.

His main job is to help people with the complex relationship between gender or sexual identity and Christian faith.

Yarhouse is currently teaching at Wheaton College. He also serves as the school's Chairman in Psychology.

During his career, the director has published more than 80 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. Some of his works include the following:

- Understanding Sexual Identity: A Resource for Youth Ministers

- Understanding Gender Dysphoria: Navigating Transgender Issues in a Changing Culture.

- Sexual Identity & Faith and Costly Obedience: Listening to and Learning from Celibate Gay Christians

As reported, Yarhouse once served at the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities. At that time, he conducted a study on Christian students going through identity concerns.

He was also a consultant to the National Institute of Corrections. There he addressed the concerns faced by sexual minorities behind bars.

During the conference, a set of panelists will also join Yarhouse. It includes Denver Seminary president emeritus Dr. Dennis Hollinger. He is a renowned professor of Christian Ethics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Assistant Counseling professor Dr. Elizabeth Norris will also join the panel.