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Sexuality Beyond Sex: An Unexpected Conversation on Embodiment, Identity, and Desire, By Gregory Coles and Julia Hejduk alt

Sexuality Beyond Sex

An Unexpected Conversation on Embodiment, Identity, and Desire

by Gregory Coles and Julia Dyson Hejduk

Sexuality Beyond Sex
Ebook
  • Length: 224 pages
  • Published: November 03, 2026
  • Imprint: IVP
  • ISBN: 9781514013571
Other Formats:

“We believe our sexuality reflects something deeply true—something significant, something divine—about all our human stories. And we believe sexuality does this whether or not we ever have sex.”

Two Perspectives on Sexuality’s Deeper Spiritual Purpose for All Christians

What if sexuality is about something much more important than sex?

For Christians navigating the complexities of sex and sexuality, Sexuality Beyond Sex offers a transformative perspective that seeks to reframe our understanding of God's design for human sexuality, whether you’re married or single, celibate or sexually active, straight or LGBTQ+.

Sex and sexuality can be sources of frustration and confusion. Some Christians idealize sex and marriage, only to be disappointed. Singles may question why God gave them sexual desires they aren't supposed to act on, while celibate gay and same-sex-attracted Christians may wonder, If sexuality is for marriage and procreation, what's its purpose for those who never marry?

Dr. Gregory Coles and Dr. Julia Hejduk believe our sexuality matters deeply—even for those who are not having sex. In Sexuality Beyond Sex, friends Greg and Julia explore what our capacity and desire for sex can teach us about being human and, even more importantly, what sexuality can teach us about God. Together they offer the rich gifts of honest dialogue across differences, writing from their unique perspectives as a straight married Catholic woman (Julia) and a gay celibate Protestant man (Greg).

What you'll find in Sexuality Beyond Sex:

  • A unique dual perspective offering a conversation across denominational, gender, and experiential lines.
  • An exploration of sexuality encompassing Scripture, church history, and contemporary insights.
  • A Christian vision of sexuality for everyone.

When God created our sexual bodies and called his creation "very good," he wasn't just talking about married people. He was talking about all of us. If you're a Christian seeking a deeper understanding of sexuality, join in on the conversation as Greg and Julia unpack the profoundly hopeful vision for human sexuality that Christianity offers—a vision that ultimately points us all toward Jesus, our heavenly Bridegroom.

REVIEWS

“Writing about sexuality is dangerous business—especially for Christians who dare to offer the ancient Christian vision in a prophetic posture of kindness and mercy. But, of course, risking the choppy waters is the only way we can move forward in our complex, painful, virulent world. In an age where some are tempted to hide their theological head in the sand, a book like this challenges us to believe what the ancient apostle John said: that the one who is in us is actually greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). This is a brave, punchy little book. And it deserves to be read.”A. J. Swoboda, associate professor of Bible and theology at Bushnell University, pastor of Faith Center, and author of A Teachable Spirit
“Sexuality Beyond Sex is that rare intervention into a controversial area that feels not only edifying but thrilling. Greg Coles and Julia Hejduk bring such warmth to a book that also pulses with scholarship, deep biblical learning, and intellectual curiosity. Sexuality Beyond Sex moves easily from medieval theology to everyday experience and back, illuminating the deepest meanings of marriage and celibacy. Whatever your orientation, whatever your past history or current challenges, this book can help you rediscover the beauty of your body and your longings.”Eve Tushnet, cofounder of Building Catholic Futures and author of Gay and Catholic and Tenderness
“Coauthors are often encouraged to mute their distinctiveness and write with one voice for the reader’s sake. What I love about Sexuality Beyond Sex is that Greg Coles and Julia Hejduk write together while fully maintaining their own distinctive thoughts, values, and perspectives—their own voice, if you will—and they do so in a way that enriches the reader’s experience. Their insights on sexuality are both numerous and substantive, and this book will help you think through sexuality in unexpected and delightful ways.”Mark A. Yarhouse, Dr. Arthur P. Rech and Mrs. Jean May Rech Professor of Psychology at Wheaton College
“As dating coaches, we see how easy it is to believe marriage is the ultimate goal and everything else is second best. This book gently but powerfully reframes that, showing that our sexuality was always meant to point us to something greater—intimacy with God."Kait and JJ Tomlin, dating coaches and founders of Heart of Dating
“A wholly surrendered Christian life entails both the reality that God calls us to difficult choices and that those choices are not the same for everyone. We may perceive this as unfair or as part of God’s unmerited favor—his grace alongside the promise of abundant life. While Greg Coles and Julia Hejduk explore this ancient tension through the lens of human sexuality, it is a question all Christians must face when our own walk seems so much more complex than that of others. This book stretched me to affirm the diversity of callings and bodies within the unity of the church, so that we might recognize one another as God’s beloved at the foot of the cross, where Christ’s incarnate life redeems our shared human brokenness in all its forms.”Margaret Diddams, editor of Christian Scholar’s Review and coauthor, with Shirley A. Mullens, of Tried and True
“Greg Coles and Julia Hejduk’s book Sexuality Beyond Sex is simply outstanding! Not only is it theologically profound and academically responsible, but it’s written with such thrilling prose that it’s nearly impossible to put down. It’s one of the most exciting books I’ve ever read on sexuality.”Preston Sprinkle, president of The Center for Faith, Sexuality and Gender
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CONTENTS

Introduction
Part 1: The Great Wedding
1. The Fruitfulness of Chastity
2. Behold the Bridegroom
3. The Bridegroom's Best Men
Part 2: Consummations
4. Reclaiming Celibacy
5. Sex–Reality or Substitute?
6. Mystical Marriage
Part 3: Surrendering Our Selves
7. Christ's Body, Our Bodies, and the Eucharist
8. Thorns and Roses
9. Gay Saints?
10. Mary's Fiat
Conclusion
Epilogue: Two Letters

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ABOUT Gregory Coles

Gregory Coles

Gregory Coles (PhD, Penn State) is a writer, speaker, and language scholar. He is the author of Single, Gay, Christian; No Longer Strangers; and The Limits of My World. Greg lives in Boise, Idaho, where he serves as senior research fellow at The Center for Faith, Sexuality and Gender.

ABOUT Julia Dyson Hejduk

Julia Hejduk

Julia D. Hejduk (PhD, Harvard) is the Reverend Jacob Beverly Stiteler Professor of Classics at Baylor University. She has written several books on Latin poetry, most recently The God of Rome: Jupiter in Augustan Poetry, and articles for journals such as Christian Scholar's Review and Church Life Journal. She and her husband live in Waco, Texas.

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