Dr. Abigail Favale shares why our bodies matter and how we can cultivate a deep and rich theology around sex and gender.
Sexuality & Culture
Q&A: How do you love people you disagree with?
What are practical ways to love people with whom you disagree?
Has God Changed His Mind About Sex?
Cultural ideals around sex and sexuality have shifted over the last 100 years, but does this mean God’s design for sex has shifted as well?
#297: Finding Freedom in the Midst of Brokenness
Laurence Koo, guest speaker at our upcoming Reclaim Conference, shares what freedom looks like when you experience same-sex attraction.
¿Debería ir a una boda gay?
Pocos temas en el mundo actual son más divisivos en la Iglesia cristiana que la sexualidad.
How We Become Angry People
As Christians, what is our anger supposed to look like? Juli shares some helpful ways to navigate anger and still glorify God.
#522 The Paradox of Hope and Brokenness: Jesus, Depression and SSA
Brenna Blain explains how coming to the end of herself led her to a place desperate enough to long for God Himself, not just His healing.
Superando la adicción a la pornografía: El elemento crucial que puede que te esté haciendo falta
Este artículo fue escrito por uno de nuestros invitados, Jonathan Daugherty, fundador y presidente de Be Broken Ministries.
#520 Sex, Cancel Culture and the Church: How to Pursue Unity When we Disagree
Hannah Nitz joins Juli for a conversation on why believers need to work to pursue both peace and righteousness within the body of Christ.
#519 Why we Need to be Better at Caring for Divorced People in the Church
Laura Petherbridge shares her experience as a divorcee and explains how to walk in love and empathy to those who have experienced divorce.
How To Fight For Integrity In A Hyper-Sexualized World
Juli suggests some steps Christians can take as they pursue Godly living and surrendered sexuality in our hypersexualized world.
#518 Single Sexuality and the Unique Challenges of Widowhood
Dr. Carol Tanksley delves into the complexities faced by widows and sheds light on the emotional and psychological hurdles they face.
#517 How to Beat Loneliness and Cultivate Deeper Friendships
Jeff Kemp joins Juli to talk about what we need to do to cultivate deep, long-lasting, and life-altering friendships.
Sexual Abuse: How the Church Should Respond
What is the Church’s responsibility in addressing sexual abuse and what steps should we take to prevent it?
#515 Is Attraction Sinful? Unpacking Attachment, Safety, Love and Desire
Hannah Nitz joins Juli for a conversation all about attraction and desire.
#513 A Child Psychiatrist On The Truth About Transgender Activism
Dr. Miriam Grossman, joins Juli to discuss what parents and kids need to be aware of when it comes to transgenderism.
#508 What Does Healthy Masculinity Actually Look Like?
What can we learn from the lives of the heroes of the faith?
#507 What You Need To Know About The Gender Conversation
John and Sarah Stonestreet explore some of the underlying beliefs surrounding sexuality in our culture.
Should I Go to a Gay Wedding?
Few topics in today’s world are more divisive in the Christian Church than sexuality.
Dios Dice Que El Sexo Es Para El Matrimonio: Aquí Veremos Porqué
Guardar el sexo para el matrimonio es tan raro que se vuelve noticia cuando una pareja declara públicamente que esta es su intención.
#499 How Vulnerability Can Help You Heal From Sexual Trauma
Podcaster Tim Ross tells Juli how honesty, vulnerability, and grace helped him overcome sexual trauma.
Q&A: Can Sexual Sin be Forgiven?
Are some sins less forgivable than others?
God Says Sex is For Marriage – Here’s Why
More and more Christians having sex outside of marriage, but is this in line with what God’s word says?
#496 Seeking Truth on Singleness, Married Sexuality and LGBTQ+ Issues – A 2023 Recap
Join Juli and Hannah as they revisit some common themes, topics and questions from this year’s most insightful Java with Juli episodes.
Q&A: How Do I Love My LGBTQ Friends Without Compromising Biblical Truth? (Part 2)
Is it possible to love your LGBTQ friends without compromising biblical truth?
#495 Why Narratives About Sex Matter
Author Jennifer L Holberg explains why we need to challenge the narratives we’re given and see how the stories we believe shape our faith.
Purity Culture Failed Men Too
A male perspective on some of the negative fallout of purity culture.
#494 Purity Culture, Men and Sexual Entitlement
The purity narrative failed men too. Noah Filipiak unpacks some of the harmful ideas passed on to men in an effort to protect purity.
Q&A: What Does God Say About Divorce?
What does God say about divorce? Juli unpacks this layered topic.
#493 How the Bible’s Teachings About Sex Reveal God’s Goodness
“Is God good?” Sam Allberry answers this in light of same-sex attraction, the heart of marriage, singleness, and the cost of discipleship.
Why Sexual Maturity Matters More Than Sexual Experience
What if the key to understanding sexual matters begins with knowing God’s word, trusting Him, and growing in self-control?
#492 How Human Trafficking Causes Us to Rethink What We Believe About God
Author Charles Martin unpacks some of the realities of human trafficking, what it means to be broken, and what it takes to find freedom.
Q&A: Is It OK to Call a Transgender Friend by Their Preferred Pronouns?
Is It OK to call a transgender friend by their preferred pronouns?
How The American Church Reinforces Isolation and Why That Needs to Change
What if one of the most important things about church is not what happens at meetings but what happens between them?
#363: Why Are Christians Afraid Of the LGBT+ Conversation?
Rachel Gilson discusses why it’s more important than ever to maintain a high view of scripture and know what the Bible says about our sexuality.
3 Subconscious Beliefs You May Hold About Living With Same-Sex Attraction
Scripture reveals that the way we think shapes our actions, but have you given thought to what and how you think about our sexuality?
#488 What Does the Bible Really Say About Same-Sex Marriage?
What is the Biblical essence of marriage and who is it for? Preston Sprinkle discusses his new book “Does the Bible Support Same-Sex Marriage?”
4 Lies the Movies Told Us About Sex and The Truths You Need to Know
Have you learned and adopted more beliefs about sex from the movies than you realize?
#483 Why You Need a New Theology of Singleness, Even if You’re Married
Join Juli and guest Dr. Danielle Treweek as we kick off week two of our 7-week series exploring various themes around God, sex and intimacy.
Why You Still Need Boundaries As You Pursue Sexual Integrity
While we do need to reject the legalism of purity culture, Juli explains that boundaries still help us embrace godliness with our sexuality.
#481 Learning, Leading, and Growing: A Reflection on 10 Years of Java with Juli
In this celebratory episode, Hannah and Juli discuss the heart of the podcast, what Juli has learned, and plans for the next decade.
If I’m Free, Why Can’t I Do What I Want? And Other Ways We Misunderstand Freedom
There are significant differences between the way the Bible and the world talk about freedom, so what does it really mean to live freely?
Sexual Discipleship®: What Is It, and Why Is It Important?
What is sexual discipleship, why is it the heart and mission of Authentic Intimacy, and how do we live it out?
Help! I Know I Need to Talk to My Teenager About Sex, but How Do I Do It?
Want to share the good news about God’s design for sexuality with your teen? Start with creating a strong relational connection.
#476 When God Ran: How God’s Love Found a Woman Lost In Shame
What does it look and feel like to live in the tension of the weakness of your flesh when you have lengthy and ongoing struggles?
#474 A Rebel’s Manifesto: How to Live Holy Different with Sean McDowell
What does it look like to live life as a Christian counter-culturally? How are we called to be in the world but not of the world when it comes to engaging with others, sharing the gospel, and addressing our own sin?
In this interview, Juli hosts author and professor Sean McDowell as they discuss his new book, “A Rebel’s Manifesto.” The book serves as a call and challenge to today’s Christians, urging them to revisit God’s Word and rethink what it means to be salt and light.
#470 Why Did We Start Hating Men? The Toxic War on Masculinity with Nancy Pearcey
When did it become normal for us as a culture not to like men? In this episode Juli’s guest is Nancy Pearcey, esteemed scholar, and author of “The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes”. She joins Juli to discuss the roots of toxic masculinity, what it means to be a good man, and how to combat the negativity around what it really means to be a man.
#469 Porn, Rape Culture, and Why The Battle Against Sexual Assault Starts at Home
Did you know that on average, each year, around 463,634 Americans are victims of sexual assault? That’s a heartbreaking statistic, and it reveals a very real source of pain and trauma in contemporary American culture. What causes people to commit sexual assault? Is there a way to stop it? Dr. John Foubert joins Juli to discuss some of the reasons these numbers are so high, and what can and needs to be done to prevent sexual assault from happening.
Talking to Your Kids About Sex: Why, When, and How
My husband had just returned home with our youngest son after a weekend away for the sex talk. Christian, eleven at the time, sheepishly told me, “Mom, I feel like I’m too young to know all these things about sex.” I reassured him, “I know how you feel, but Dad and I...
#463 (Bonus) The Need for Grace in Church-Based Conversations About Sex and Gender
When it comes to discussions around sex, historically the church has stayed quiet. As more and more pastors, authors, and psychologists within the church begin writing and talking about sex, the challenge becomes how to make these discussions accessible, nuanced, grace-filled, and Bible-based. In this episode, Juli speaks again with author and pastor Joshua Butler, as together they examine the challenges surrounding talking about sex from within the church.
Q&A: How Can I Overcome the Shame I Experienced as a Result of Purity Culture?
How do you overcome any shame you’ve experienced from purity culture?
#461 Pride, Lust, and Why We Do Things We Don’t Want To Do
Juli Slattery and Jonathan Pokluda tackle tough questions about how to find freedom from the sin that we hate, the difference between regret and self condemnation, and how the gospel is good news for all of us.
Q&A: How Do I Love My LGBTQ Friends Without Compromising Biblical Truth?
Is it possible to love your LGBTQ friends without compromising biblical truth?
#455 How God Changed My Heart (Even After I Changed My Gender) with Laura Smalts
For most of her childhood, Laura wanted to be a boy. In her 20s, she began hormone therapy, had surgery and lived as Jake for nine years. But she could never quite shake the feeling that none of it was real. “I remember looking at the photo on my driver’s license and saying, ‘I’m not as happy as I think I am.'” In this episode, Laura shares her remarkable story of desperation, hope and transformation.
Q&A: What Is the Difference Between Sexual Integrity and Purity?
What is the difference between sexual integrity and purity?
¿Qué hace que una relación sea íntima?
¿Qué hace que una relación sea íntima? Hace unos años, estaba hablando en un campus universitario sobre el diseño de Dios para la sexualidad. Durante un descanso, una joven se me acercó con una pregunta. “Dijiste que Dios me creó para la intimidad. ¿No es la intimidad...
What Defines an Intimate Relationship?
A few years ago, I was speaking at a college campus about God’s design for sexuality. During a break, a young woman approached me with a question, “You said that God created me for intimacy. Isn’t intimacy the same thing as having sex?” (Presione aquí para leer en...
#449 How to Guide Your Kids Through Confusing Messages About Gender
Juli and her guest share wisdom and encouragement to help you give clear answers to your kids’ questions about their gender and the way God created them.
#448: When Did Sexual Identity Become a Thing? (and Why Are We Obsessed With It?)
Sexual identity has become a common phrase, a personal choice, a political cause and, for many, the way we introduce ourselves to others (used even by tweens and teens who’ve never had a sexual experience)—and it feels like it all happened overnight. Do you ever wonder how we got here?
#440: Why Don’t Christians Like to Talk About the Real, Hard Stuff in Life?
Are Christians a prickly audience when it comes to sharing our brokenness and pain? Let's change that. Join Juli and...
#436: Friendship Trends Gone Wrong? (How to Keep Your Friendships Healthy)
Boundaries are a tricky part of friendship. Friends help us meet legitimate needs for companionship, spiritual growth,...
#435: What’s the Most Important Thing the Bible Says About Your Identity?
"The journey of the Christian life is that God has increasingly more of me." - Dr. Juli Slattery Juli and Hannah talk about sexual...
#433: Can You Be Gay and Follow Jesus? with Greg Coles
Greg Coles shares why he doesn't love the controversy surrounding the title of his book Single, Gay, Christian, yet why he's...
#432: Unraveling the Threads of Racism & “Love Addiction” in My Story
Why did I have sex with him again? Why can't I stop this masturbation addiction? Why can't I get this fantasy out of my head? Are...
#426: How To Better Understand the Complexity Beneath Gender Dysphoria
What’s the difference between sexual identity and gender identity? Should parents use preferred pronouns? Or allow kids to dress in...
#425: Bonus! How To Build Community & Friendships with Intention and Grace
Feeling stuck in your friendships? You're not alone! As the seasons of life change, our friendships don't always keep up. If you're...
#424: A 54-Year Friendship That Broke Through Cross-Cultural Barriers
Their friendship defied the odds. In the late 60s, in the South, these men weren’t supposed to become friends. Yet, with Jesus as...
#423: How to “Rethink” Issues in Our Church Culture Around Sexuality & Abuse
We need to be asking some hard questions. In the wake of the SBC investigation, along with the growing tsunami of fallen pastors,...
#422: How to Care for Both Women and Children in the Wake of the Dobbs Decision
Do you know that God’s heart is for both women and their unborn children, and don’t know where you fit in the pro-life/pro-choice...
What’s the Most Important Thing the Bible Says About Your Sex Life?
What does the Bible say about sex? If you Google this question, you will find a series of articles discussing a dozen or so Bible passages that clearly address sexual issues like adultery, fornication, same-sex activity, and married sex. While those passages are...
Webinar: Making Sense of God & Sex, Live Q&A
How do I bring God my heartache over the fact that my daughter is living in a same-sex relationship? Why does God care if my husband and I are having sex or not? Does God really expect me to give up sex, even if I never marry? When you wrestle with sexual pain or...
#403: How Do I Reconcile God’s Goodness with Sexual Pain & Injustice?
How can we reconcile the pain of sexual abuse with faith in a loving God?
6 Thoughts To Help You Discern Truth and Give Grace
Over the past several months, many of you have messaged our team here at Authentic Intimacy asking for my opinion on a recent book or controversy within the Christian community. Most recently, people want my opinion on the new film adaptation of Redeeming Love. You...
#401: Why “Love Is Love” Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means
Black Lives Matter. Love is love. Hate has no home here. A thread of truth—truth deeply rooted in Christianity—runs through these...
#399: Why Questions About Sex Cause You to Question God
Juli and Hannah kick off the "Making Sense of God & Sex" series with a conversation about how questions around sex always lead...
Your Questions About Sex Point to Bigger Questions About God
Our sexuality is not an isolated part of who we are, but an integrated aspect of what it means to be created in God’s image and loved by Him. Our sexual questions and pain points connect with our deepest longings and fears. It’s impossible to grapple with our sexuality without also confronting our foundational beliefs about God. Is He good? Is He trustworthy? Does He see me?
#396: Diverse Gender Identities: How To See the People Behind the Issue
Why are so many teens suddenly coming out as trans or non binary? Juli welcomes Dr. Mark Yarhouse to help you understand the...
#382: Why We’re Not Afraid to Ask Hard Questions About Sex & Christianity
If you feel the pressure to believe that Christians are close-minded and a growing minority, you’re in for an encouraging surprise....
#381: “Show It Off” or “Cover It Up”: Messages That Shape Our Body Image
What messages have you been told about your body and your sexuality? At the coffee shop with Juli are two...
3 Things I Want You To Know as I Launch a Countercultural Book
A book release. Normally this would be an exciting event. It’s kind of like giving birth to a child that you have nurtured in your womb for nine months. As this one approaches, my excitement is honestly mixed with trepidation. Over twenty years ago, I wrote my first...
#378: How One Church Learned To Embrace the Beauty of Broken
Imagine there is a sign on the door of your church that says, “Please leave your sexual brokenness on the steps...
When Cancel Culture Invades the Church
Your social media feed is probably filled with examples of the latest person who has been “cancelled” because of something they said years ago or an unpopular position they recently expressed. Being cancelled is a weapon powerful enough to prompt teens to take their...
#375: Juli & Jackie on How To Pursue Unity While Standing on Truth
The mics stayed on for more with Jackie Hill Perry. In this unique after-the-show episode, Juli and Jackie share how they’ve...
#367: Exchange Online Distractions for Real-Life Intimacy
“To be completely honest, the first two or three days, I was shocked by classic symptoms of withdrawal. I found...
#359: How To Help Women Speak Out Against Sexual Harassment
Tiffany Bluhm wishes this wasn’t her story to tell. Like most victims or bystanders of sexual harassment, she had everything to lose...
#358: Sexuality, Spirituality, and Why We Settle For Counterfeit Intimacy
Have you ever turned to Netflix instead of pursuing sex with your spouse? Have you turned to Instagram instead ending your day by...
#356: Sex & the City of God (What Life Looks Like When We Love God First)
That longing you have to be fully known? God put it there. It’s meant to draw you into intimacy with Him....
Purity Culture: Lose the Lies, Keep Your Faith
If you want to get “cancelled” in Christian culture, try using the phrase “sexual purity.” Even for many committed Christians, sexual purity has lost its luster. Women are writing dissertations and books about how the Church’s teaching on sex has not only harmed them...
#352: How Purity Culture and Ravi Zacharias’ Abuse of Power Challenge Our Faith
Juli Slattery and Asheritah Ciuciu sit down for a conversation about the shortcomings of purity culture, the recent...
#351: Why Our Churches Need To Do Better at Valuing the Voices of Women
The women of the Bible have a lot to teach us. Their voices often give us the story behind the story—take Ruth for example, or the...
#348: What You Need To Know About the “T” in LGBT, Pt 2
In this episode, Juli continues her conversation with Preston Sprinkle as they dive into biblical questions around...
#347: What You Need To Know About the “T” in LGBT, Pt 1
What was once a rare psychological diagnosis has quickly become an accepted cultural movement. While it's critical...
#345: What You Need to Know About Progressive Christianity
Compassionate. Inclusive. Nonjudgmental. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a church like this? It’s why...
La importancia del discipulado sexual
Durante los últimos años, he estado usando este término "discipulado sexual ™" para describir algo que verdaderamente nos apasiona en el ministerio de Intimidad Auténtica. Me he dado cuenta de que cuando las personas me escuchan unir esas dos palabras, se sienten...
#342: The Good Gift of Courage (And Why You Need It)
We talk often on Java with Juli about our culture’s confusing messages around sexuality. But today’s guest,...
Compassion That Doesn’t Compromise
I’m in my-mid forties, divorced, and lonely. I love God and want to follow His plan for sex and marriage, but I just can’t find a man who is willing to share that journey with me. I’m not the naive young woman “saving sex for marriage” like I was in my twenties. I’m...
#340: We Were Wrong About Modesty
The word “modesty” makes us cringe these days, and it’s easy to understand why: For years it’s...
#339: How to Have Hard Conversations with (Facebook) Friends
If you were standing in front of a crowd of 300 to speak, how carefully would you craft your words? Okay, so you’re actually at home...
ÀPuedo ser piadosa y gay?
Extraído de 25 Preguntas Que Tienes Miedo de Hacer Sobre el Amore, el Sexo, y la Intimidad de Dr. Juli Slattery. © 2015 en Unilit Publishers. Usado con permiso. Esta pregunta es un barril de pólvora; un asunto sensible...
Cómo tener conversaciones difíciles
Las personas que escuchan nuestro podcast, Java con Juli, saben que no me gusta hablar por hablar. Desde que era una niña, he sido capaz de sentir agudamente la tensión tácita en una habitación. Me pongo ansiosa cuando tengo un conflicto sin resolver con un amigo o...