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For all of us, the distortions brought on by the fall and personal sin distort both our knowledge of and conformity to the divine framework. 9

Why These Frameworks Fall Short Modern essentialism has struggled to produce evidence for the discrete biomarkers of sexual orientation they once sought. Social constructionism, especially its more radical branch, cannot fully explain gender differences insomuch as they are rooted in biological realities. They cannot fully account for the transcultural nature of homosexual practice—the fact that it emerges in different manifestations in different cultures. Personal constructionism more radically dismisses biological realities and limitations, relying on medical technologies (à la Foucault) to create the envisioned self. Its overemphasis on personal choice also overlooks the possibility that focusing on the ability to choose can itself be culturally conditioned. Towards a Christian Framework Some Christian thinkers have identified critical realism as an alternative to the essentialism/constructionism dilemma. Critical realism “affirms a real, objective world and historical facts that transcend cultural constructs of it. It also affirms that knowledge has a subjective dimension to it.” 5 Using this framework, sex and gender have real essences in addition to social and personal constructions. Applying critical realism to sexuality and gender, I have proposed that Christian critical essentialism serves as an organizing framework. The word Christian emphasizes the divine framework for sexuality and gender as knowable through the Christian Scriptures. The word critical underscores that human knowers are limited by their stage of development, noetic sin, and brokenness in perceiving the divine framework accurately. 6 To put it another way, maturation (both developmentally and spiritually), a transformed mind (see Romans 12:2), and healing from life in a fallen world help us see the divine framework for sexuality and gender more perfectly. Finally, the word essentialism indicates that maleness and femaleness are real universals enacted by humans in particular contexts. The narrative of Noah’s Ark illustrates how this principle works out in practice (Gen 6:9-22). The Lord commands Noah to build an ark and gives Noah the specifications. However, the instructions are general enough to allow personal agency—decisions about where to put each nail and where to assign each animal. Moreso, Noah and his family will do the work of actualizing the divine specifications. Creational maleness and femaleness are similar. The Lord provides the divine framework; maleness and femaleness are the balance of sameness and difference. 7 Couples are to be one male and one female committed to a lifetime together. Masculine and feminine expressions may vary from person to person without losing their essential integrity. 8 Sexuality and Gender: A Challenge for All Humans For all of us, the distortions brought on by the fall and personal sin distort both our knowledge of and conformity to the divine framework. 9 Many with same-sex-oriented desires interpret their desires as the framework rather than seeing the sinful distortion in them. A distorted form of essentialism may lead them to see their orientation as an essential category. Similarly, many experiencing incongruence between their biological sex and their social gender are

culturally influenced to interpret their intrapsychic experience as the defining framework. Seeing gender as an open-ended improvisation with no external framework leads to engendered chaos. Moreover, idolizing gender stereotypes may lead folks to throw less stereotypical maleness or femaleness out with the bath water. The excesses of heterosexuality (i.e., promiscuity and cohabitation) and the excesses of cisgenderism (i.e., aggression and vanity) are subject to ethical and spiritual evaluation as well. In fact, Christian ministry and counseling of these issues cannot flourish without a strong awareness of the widespread brokenness in these areas. How do these theoretical issues make a difference in practice? Secular theoretical frameworks often cultivate the core beliefs of LGBTQ+ people, leading some to say, “I was born gay.” The more radical iterations will say, “I chose this way of life to slough off heteronormativity and cisgendered norms.” A Christian psychology of these issues will evaluate the moral and spiritual dimensions of sexual and gendered practices. As Christians, these issues encourage all of us to mature, repent, and heal so the practices of our bodies and the expressions of our gender more perfectly align with the beauty of God’s design. C Endnotes 1 Burrus, L.E., III. (2021). Critiquing common themes in LGBT-affirming psychologies with orthodox Christian frameworks [Doctoral dissertation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary] https:// hdl.handle.net/10392/6595. The reader is referred to this work for the full documentation, source citations, and arguments generalized across this brief article. 2 Bohan, J.S. (1996). Psychology and sexual orientation: Coming to terms. Routledge. 3 Russell, G.M., & Bohan, J.S. (1999). Implications for clinical work. In J.S. Bohan & G.M. Russell (Eds.), Conversations about psychology and sexual orientation (pp. 31-56). New York University Press. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com. 4 Fassinger, R.E. (2017). Considering constructions: A new model of affirmative therapy. In K.A. DeBord, A.R. Fischer, K.J. Bieschke, & R.M. Perez (Eds.), Handbook of sexual orientation and gender diversity in counseling and psychotherapy (pp. 19-50). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/15959-002. 5 Hiebert, P.G. (2008). Transforming worldviews: An anthropological understanding of how people change. Baker Academic. 6 I am indebted to Jeremy Pierre for showing me that humans are designed to learn these matters developmentally. 7 Grenz, S.J. (1997). Sexual ethics: An evangelical perspective. Westminster John Knox Press. 8 For example, alto and tenor voices are no less feminine or masculine because they cannot sing the more extremes of female and male vocal ranges, respectively. 9 Cf. Butterfield, R.C. (2015). Openness unhindered: Further thoughts of an unlikely convert on sexual identity and union with Christ. Crown & Covenant Publications. While Butterfield does not make my point here, I deeply resonate with her notion that sin is a democratizing force. Thus, the universal nature of sin means that LGBTQ folks aren’t the only ones who miss the mark with their sexuality and gender. L. EUGENE BURRUS, PH.D., is the counseling minister for the Sienna campus of Houston’s First Baptist Church. He is married to his wife, Marie, and has two, fun-loving children. Dr. Burrus enjoys speaking on and researching issues related to same-sex attraction, gender incongruence, and LGBTQ+ identification from the perspective of historic Christianity.

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