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2022-2023 Student Handbook 65 responsibility for our actions, how one stewards sexuality so that humans can flourish and experience God's design. Nor does the category of the tragic alleviate personal responsibility or eclipse the moral character of decisions made in those circumstances. It does not negate the need for redemption. The existence of this theological category should shape how we interpret and respond to sexual brokenness, distortions, or struggles. Responsibility to follow God's creation design and plan exists for how a person lives in one's life circumstance. Identity is located in God's defining call on our lives (imago Dei) and not in the conditions of our lives or experiences over which we have no control. Additionally, the redeemed community serves as a vital context and vehicle of God's grace for living faithfully in tragic circumstances that could overwhelm a person's individual resources. Redemption involves not only forgiveness but also empowerment for godly choices, and the availability of God's grace to follow God's design for human sexuality. Christ's redemption provides grace to live faithfully "as unto the Lord," whether sexual brokenness is the result of personal choices, or the inexplicably tragic consequences of the Fall, or an inscrutable combination of the two. Experientially, this grace may lead to varying levels of healing and restoration or to the resources for living faithfully and joyfully in anticipation of full restoration. However, we recognize that an individual's ability to appropriate God's grace will vary in capacity and timing based on the nature and pervasiveness of their brokenness. Human Sexuality and Personal / Spiritual Formation Christian spiritual formation is predicated on specific assumptions about human identity, which encompass both who we are and who we are becoming. A biblical approach to spirituality addresses those two themes with reference to the image of God as the defining construct for who we are and the image of Christ as defining the trajectory and goal for who we are to become. Our experience of who we are is determined by a complex interaction of genetic, physiological, relational, cultural, and spiritual realities with various aspects of our personhood (e.g., physical, cognitive, affective, moral, social, spiritual, sexual, gender, and personal identity) continuing to develop throughout the lifespan. Two core principles arise from this perspective: 1) everyone is always in process of becoming, and 2) simple statements regarding human functioning are almost always inadequate. These principles must inform our understanding and practice of spiritual formation so that it is not disconnected from the realities of human experience, including sexuality. How individuals understand and experience their own sexuality is an important aspect of their growth in Christlikeness. It directly affects the trajectory and character of that growth. When considering sexuality in the context of personal and spiritual formation, there is a danger of making this aspect of humanity more than it is or less than it is. Sexuality is not all of who we are, but neither is it peripheral. Genuine Christian spiritual formation impacts every aspect of our lives, including sexuality. While radical, about-face changes in behavior are much rarer than we would like, and changes in sexual orientation are not always possible, the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the healing context of Christian community bring hope for change. Throughout the process, living with integrity, grace, truth, and love is of paramount importance. Difficult as it is, Christian spiritual formation requires that one must live in relationship with others while abstaining from biblically prohibited sexual behavior. Such sacrifices are part of the process of developing in Christlikeness. They focus our attention on things beyond our own needs and desires for the sake of Christ and the world. We must not underestimate the difficulty of maintaining sexual abstinence or the spiritual benefit of the self-control and discipline that abstinence demands. In like manner, we do not underestimate the struggle to align ourselves with God's design for human