Since the sexual revolution and the emergence of modern gender theories, there has been a bewildering proliferation of gender identities and types of sexual orientations.
Major categories of gender identities apart from the binary man-and-woman include trans man, trans woman, genderqueer, genderfluid, agender, demiboy, demigirl, neutrois, pangender—to name just a few.
The same applies to sexual orientation, which apart from old heterosexual and homosexual distinctions now also include pansexual, asexual, aromantic, greysexual, polysexual, skoliosexual and many others.
To this mystifying list of genders and sexual orientations is the recently added abrosexuality—a term first introduced in 2015, which describes a kind of fluid sexuality and orientation.
In a 2024 article published by New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV), Ritu Singh describes this form of sexuality thus:
Abrosexuality, a relatively new and lesser-known sexual identity, describes a kind of sexual fluidity. It refers to the experience of having fluctuating levels of sexual or romantic attraction throughout one’s life.
“Abrosexual people,” she continues, “may change who they’re attracted to weekly, yearly, or every few years, but generally, they find their sexual attraction shifts often.”1
The abrosexual person is often distinguished from someone who is sexually fluid. The latter experiences a particular sexual orientation for a longer period whereas the former shifts from one orientation to another very frequently—sometimes within the same day.
How should the Christian respond to the phenomenon of abrosexuality?
The Christian response to this phenomenon must have as its point de départ the fundamental teachings of Scripture. Biblical anthropology, as it is laid out in the first chapters of Genesis, makes clear that human sexuality and sexual identity are part of creation.
The Christian response to this phenomenon must have as its point de départ the fundamental teachings of Scripture. Biblical anthropology, as it is laid out in the first chapters of Genesis, makes clear that human sexuality and sexual identity are part of creation.
The Bible unapologetically presents human sexuality in binary terms. Human beings are created as male and female (Genesis 1:27), and this serves as the stable basis for human personhood and relationality (Matthew 19:4–6; Ephesians 5:31–33).
Human rebellion and their fall have introduced serious distortions about human sexuality. This has resulted in sexual acts that transgress the laws of nature or the order of creation such as same-sex sexual relations (Romans 1:18–32).
The Bible does not address the question of sexual orientation because that idea only emerged in the 19th century. However, Scripture’s heterosexual framework implies that human beings would naturally be attracted to and desire the opposite sex.
The primordial fall resulting from human rebellion and which seriously fractured the relationship between human beings and God has had profound cultural and social ramifications as well. One of the consequences of the fall may well be the utter confusion that we have witnessed in the past century in the area of sexuality and gender identity.
The pathologies of modern culture have been explored by philosophers such as Charles Taylor and theologians such as Carl Trueman.
In The Ethics of Authenticity, Taylor examines how the objective ground for authenticity has been dismissed thereby plunging authenticity into pure subjectivism, which says that “[m]y truth is mine; no one can judge me.”2 This is manifested in the recent ideologies of gender which emphasise the subjective states and preferences of individuals.
Theologian Carl Trueman is in broad agreement with the fundamental observations of Taylor. In The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, Trueman discusses the phenomenon of expressive individualism which privileges the inner feelings of the individual as the ultimate source of identity.3
It is this philosophy and cultural ethos that has allowed the proliferation of so many different sexual orientations and gender identities—numbering more than 100—to spawn! This has even led some commentators to assert that there is no limit to the number of gender types and identities.
Studies have shown that young people— especially Gen Z (born roughly between 1997 and 2012)—are particularly susceptible to the idea that gender identity is fluid. For example, according to a global survey conducted in 2023, Gen Zers are significantly more likely than Millennials, Gen Xers and Boomers to identify as bisexual, pansexual or omnisexual or asexual.4
The reasons why abrosexual persons experience intense fluidity in their sexualorientations can be complex, often involving psycho-social factors—biological causations are not scientifically established at this point. The role that ideological factors, such as the rejection of the concept of heteronormativity and the prevailing ethos of individualism and subjectivism, play must never be underestimated.
Given the complexities of people (especially Christians) who identify as abrosexual, ministering to them requires both doctrinal clarity as well as pastoral sensitivity.
This involves an uncompromising presentation of biblical teachings concerning sexuality. But it also requires attentive and respectfull listening on the part of Christian pastors and counsellors—in order that the genuine struggles of individuals who experience orientation fluidity are not hastily dismissed.
Many who identify as abrosexual are not seeking to make ideological statements or pushing a particular agenda. They are merely expressing their internal experience and struggles, the sources of which could be the philosophies and ethos into which they have socialised.
Pastoral ministry to people who identify as abrosexual—and indeed to all who generally struggle with gender issues—must always be gentle and patient even as it must also always be guided by biblical truth.
Pastoral ministry to people who identify as abrosexual—and indeed to all who generally struggle with gender issues—must always be gentle and patient even as it must also always be guided by biblical truth.
Its aim is to help Christians who wrestle with gender issues to live their lives in ever greater conformity to the Word of God and for the glory of God.
Dr Roland Chia is Chew Hock Hin Professor of Christian Doctrine at Trinity Theological College and Theological and Research Advisor at the Ethos Institute for Public Christianity.
1 Ritu Singh, “Abrosexuality: The Emerging Sexual Identity That’s Taking Internet By Storm,” www.ndtv.com, September 8, 2024, https://www.ndtv.com/feature/abrosexuality-the-emerging-sexual-identity-thats-taking-internet-by-storm-6519230.
2 Charles Taylor, The Ethics of Authenticity (Harvard University Press, 1991).
3 Carl Trueman, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution (Crossway Books, 2020).
4 “LGBT+ PRIDE 2023,” Ipsos, 2023, https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2023-05/Ipsos%20LGBT+%20Pride%202023%20Global%20Survey%20Report%20-%20rev.pdf.
