Men are from Brooklyn, Women are from Queens (Open Forum)
Tim Keller | September 28, 1997
Overview
Open Forums are specifically designed for skeptics or those wrestling with the claims of Christianity. Each Open Forum included a brief concert by guest artists followed by a talk and open mic Q&A with Timothy Keller. This audio recording includes the talk only.
Outline
1. The real deal
We can often find it hard to understand why boys and girls behave so differently and why it’s sometimes tough to get along. Two popular ideas, one saying we’re just products of our surroundings and the other blaming evolution, don’t fully cover it. But the Christian view does. It helps us grasp why we’re different and why relationships can be messy. It also helps us deal with the mix of emotions, like disappointment, confusion, and even anger, that we might feel about all this.
2. The root cause
Christianity gives a special insight into boy-girl differences. It says God made us different, and that’s a good thing. But it also tells us sin has twisted these differences, causing misunderstandings and feelings of emptiness. The Bible doesn’t say certain traits are only for boys or girls. It teaches that things like love, joy, and peace aren’t tied to our gender. And it tells us that the emptiness we often try to fill with a boyfriend or girlfriend can only be filled by God.
3. The right response
To break free from fear and the belief that we need a boyfriend or girlfriend to be complete, we must realize our true partner is Jesus. He loves us like a groom loves his bride, no matter if we’re a boy or a girl. This relationship with Jesus frees us from what society expects and from the idea that we need a romantic partner to be whole. It lets us live without fear or feeling chained. To truly understand our faith, our experiences, and even our own gender, we need to see it all from a Christian perspective. This points us to the only One who can truly satisfy us.
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