Seeking a safe path in a world of sexual lies

Christopher Yuan was born in America to Chinese parents, and he grew up in a traditional—but not Christian—home. When Yuan chose to live as a gay man in early adulthood, his devastated mother turned to several Christians and Christian resources for help. Yuan fell further into a lifestyle of depravity, but his parents became Christians. They prayed for him and told him about the redemption found in Christ. Finally, during a six-year prison sentence related to illegal drug sales, Yuan found a Bible. That’s when he began his own journey following Jesus.

Yuan went on to write Holy Sexuality and the Gospel in 2018. The Holy Sexuality Project, a 12-lesson video curriculum (20-30 minutes each), grew out of that book. With Hollywood celebrities, social media influencers, and many educators targeting kids with un-Biblical sexual values, the Holy Sexuality Project aims to help parents equip teens to withstand the cultural onslaught and cling to God’s truth.

As of this summer, parents can purchase a reasonably priced two-year license to the video curriculum at Yuan’s website, ­holysexuality.com. While there, they can also download a 65-page Parent Guide.

Yuan kicks off his series by sharing the story of God’s saving love in his own life. Parents should know that the difficult details of the first episode (and future episodes) are reported matter-of-factly—but never graphically. That doesn’t mean viewers won’t ever feel uncomfortable. After all, it is a challenging subject. But Yuan’s words are well chosen to engage young adults with godly ­wisdom on this topic.

The rest of the series isn’t as autobio­graphical, but both here and in later ­episodes, he focuses on Jesus as our source of hope: “‘Deny yourself and take up your cross’ may seem overwhelming and ­difficult, but I can say without any hesitation, following Jesus is worth it.”

Christopher Yuan Handout

Because Yuan sticks closely to the main and plain interpretations of Biblical texts, Christians of many conservative denominational stripes will feel welcome. Furthermore, in the Parent Guide, he addresses at least three different kinds of readers, linking to gospel presentations by Cru, Got Questions, and Ligonier Ministries.

In early sections Yuan covers three aspects of human sexuality—identity, attraction, and actions. As he teases out those distinctions, Yuan helps families see through some common deceptions of our culture, such as the idea that all desires are good. He also highlights such foundational doctrines as Creation, the Fall, and our sin nature, as well as God’s redemptive plan through faith in Christ.

Later sections go deeper on topics like marriage and singleness, transgender ideology, and how to minister to those who struggle. Yuan takes on ­popular questions like “Is God really concerned about what goes on in my bedroom?” And he helps families reject worldly, me-centered views of our ­bodies and sexual desires. In contrast, he says Bible verses like 1 Thessalonians 4:3 offer a view of sex that glorifies God: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality.”

In terms of production quality, the series holds up well. Yuan delivers short, conversational talks punctuated by stylized graphics and Bible verses, highlighting his main points. Yuan also models many good qualities, leading viewers to pray before each session and generally interpreting the Bible soundly. Episode 8 is especially helpful on this point, teaching families to debunk myths about the Bible (e.g., the erroneous claim that David and Jonathan were lovers) using literary, historical, and canonical analytical tools.

Because this series targets families—not entertainment-based youth groups—much of the content of the Holy Sexuality Project will be a stretch for both teens and parents. It includes challenging topics and terminology that may take quite a bit of discussion and prayer to begin to apply to all of life. For instance, a section on the influence of secular philosophers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau may be particularly challenging. Still, Yuan’s rich Biblical content and thoughtful analysis make his series worth the time and effort to engage.

One slightly confusing element: In the Parent Guide, Yuan states that “past secular philosophies have distorted ­sexuality to be who we are when in fact, sexuality is what we feel and do.” Yuan states later that our being “male and female” is “essential to being human,” but it’s unclear whether he sees those elements as part of our identity.

For greater clarity on that topic, families might complement their study with resources like the Nashville Statement—which Yuan signed and which states, “Our true identity, as male and female persons, is given by God.”

Today’s parents know a one-and-done talk with our kids on the birds and bees doesn’t cut it anymore—if it ever did. The Holy Sexuality Project by Christopher Yuan and his ministry team can equip Christian families to seek God’s wisdom on the topic together.