Faith and Sexuality

Faith and Sexuality included topics of same-sex attraction, adolescence, temptation, and sexual identity.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

Monday, February 22, 2010

• Dr. Mark Yarhouse – Chapel, 10 a.m. – “Sexual Identity & the Christian: Creating a Campus Climate of Care”
• Panel Discussion – Grille, 7 p.m. – “And God Created…Sex”
  • Dr. Mark Yarhouse
  • Dr. Marilyn Elliott
  • Dr. Chris Kiesling
  • Moderator – Rev. Greg Haseloff

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

• Dr. Mark Yarhouse – Asbury Theological Seminary Presentation – Geared towards professional counselors & caregivers
  • 5 p.m., Cordelia Cafeteria, Asbury Seminary
• Coffee House with Dr. Yarhouse – “So, Let’s Talk about Sex”
  • Quinn Gervel & Kristin Paulus, moderators

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

• Dr. Mark Yarhouse – Chapel, 10 a.m. – “Sexual Identity & the Christian: Creating a Climate of Praise”
• Popcorn Sessions:
  • Paul Stephens, “Being a Man: Living Above Temptation” (men only) – Trustees Basement Lounge
  • Kristin Paulus, “Mending the Soul: Hope for Victims of Sexual Abuse” (women only) – Aldersgate Lounge

GUEST SPEAKERS:

Mark A. Yarhouse, Psy.D.

Mark A. Yarhouse, Psy.D., is the Hughes Chair of Christian Thought in Mental Health Practice and Professor of Psychology at Regent University, where he also directs the Institute for the Study of Sexual Identity (www.sexualidentityinstitute.org). Dr. Yarhouse has spent several years promoting dialogue between people who view the topic of sexual identity differently. In 2000 he chaired a groundbreaking symposium at the American Psychological Association’s annual convention that brought together gay psychologists and conventionally religious psychologists to discuss common ground in treatment options for persons sorting out sexual and religious identity conflicts. He chaired similar symposia at the APA on the many meanings of marriage among different religions and among various groups within the gay community, services for adolescents experiencing sexual identity confusion, and a recently proposed sexual identity therapy framework. Dr. Yarhouse is author or co-author of several books, including Sexual Identity: A Guide to Living in the Time Between the Times (with Lori Burkett) and Homosexuality and the Christian: A Guide for Parents, Pastors, and Friends (from Bethany House Publishers).

Marilyn Elliott, D.Min.

Dr. Marilyn Elliott is Chaplain of Students and Student Families at Asbury Theological Seminary. Dr. Elliott has 30 years of pastoral experience extending ministry to unwed mothers, persons in marriage crisis, and those struggling with sexual issues of single life. In the 90s, Dr. Elliott delved into historical Christian attitudes toward sex, women, and evil in a study of the development of sacerdotal (vowed) celibacy as requirement of the clergy. Issues of gender, sexual identity, and sexual expression have been more than a theoretical interest, however. Herself an unwed mother at sixteen and in a family that includes two gay marriages, Dr. Elliott lives with a constant ear to the stories and meaning of human sexuality. She feels a keen sense of responsibility to the upcoming generation of young women who struggle daily with issues of self-acceptance, longings for love and affirmation, confusion about what it means to be a Christian woman, and acceptance of bodily life. Dr. Elliott received her Doctor of Ministry from Asbury Seminary and has recently completed post-graduate work at Epiphany Institute in Pittsburgh in the field of formative spirituality. She is currently a primary architect of the Marriage Incubator study and program being launched at Asbury Seminary.

Chris Kiesling, Ph.D.

Chris Kiesling, Ph.D. is Professor of Christian Education and Human Development at Asbury Theological Seminary. His areas of expertise include development and discipleship with young and middle-aged adults, moral development, identity and faith formation across the lifespan, and development and discipleship in marriage and family. Prior to teaching at Asbury Seminary, he was the pastor at Manchester United Methodist Church in Arkansas from 1989 to 1993, and associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Lubbock, Texas from 1993 to 1998. He also served as campus minister at Henderson State/Ouachita Baptist Universities from 1989 to 1993, and served as an adjunct professor in the philosophy department at Henderson State. As a pastor and campus minister, Dr. Kiesling has addressed issues of sexuality, faith, and identity both in his research and his teaching.