About the Authors

In brief, Stan (Stanton) Jones is a clinical psychologist who served as a professor and Provost (Academic Vice President) at Wheaton College for over 35 years. Now retired, he continues as an active scholar and teacher. Brenna Jones, after raising our children while serving as a Bible study leader, now focuses on discipleship and prayer ministry for women.  Married for over 40 years, they enjoy their relationships with their three adult children, their spouses and grandchildren.  More details:

Dr. Stan and Brenna Jones

Stan (Stanton L.) Jones, PhD, is a Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Psychology and Provost Emeritus at Wheaton College. He served for twenty years as Wheaton’s Provost (Chief Academic Officer). During his term as Provost, he oversaw the hiring and continuing development of Wheaton’s full-time faculty including the continual strengthening of the institution’s Faculty Faith and Learning Faculty Development Program and the establishment of over a dozen new endowed faculty Chairs; he also championed the establishment of Wheaton’s second doctoral program: the Ph.D. in Biblical and Theological Studies. Earlier, he led in establishing Wheaton’s PsyD program in Clinical Psychology. He has been a Research Fellow of the Pew Evangelical Scholars Program, and a Visiting Scholar at the University of Chicago and the University of Cambridge.  He previously served a three-year term as a member of the Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association, the central governing body of the APA. Stan has published many articles in journals such as American Psychologist, The General Psychologist, First Things, and Christianity Today. Beyond the God’s Design for Sex series, his books include Psychology: A Student’s Guide, Modern Psychotherapies: A Comprehensive Christian Appraisal (2nd ed.; with Richard E. Butman), Ex-Gays?: A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation (with Mark A. Yarhouse), and Homosexuality: The Use of Scientific Research in the Church’s Moral Debate (with Mark A. Yarhouse).

Dr. Jones’ scholarly work has focused on conceptual approaches to the relationship of psychology and religious faith, Christian perspectives on psychotherapy theories, and human sexuality.  He has published about a dozen books and over 85 scholarly and popular articles and book chapters. His most recent book, a Christian overview of the field of psychology published by Crossway, is entitled Psychology: A Student Guide. He also wrote four books published by InterVarsity Press: Ex-Gays? A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation (with Mark Yarhouse), Homosexuality:  The use of scientific research in the Church’s moral debate (with Mark Yarhouse), Psychology and Christianity:  Four views (with Eric Johnson), and Modern Psychotherapies: A Comprehensive Christian Appraisal (with Richard E. Butman). His article, “A constructive relationship for religion with the science and cooperation with religion by secular psychologists and appeared in the March, 1994, issue of the American Psychologist, the flagship journal of the discipline of psychology with a distribution of over 100,000.

Among Dr. Jones’s authored works, the following may be of particular interest to readers on this website:

• Stan served on the board of experts who advised the National Association of Evangelicals on the development of their resource booklet Theology of Sex
• His article “How to teach sex: Seven realities Christians in every congregation need to know” in Christianity Today
• His article for pastors in Leadership entitled “Help, I’m Gay”
• His article “Same-Sex Science” documenting the growing acceptance of false beliefs about homosexuality promulgated in the name of science, and also its longer, original version “Sexual Orientation and Reason: Implications of False Beliefs about Homosexuality.”
• His booklet “Study guide and response to Mel White’s What the Bible says—and doesn’t say—about homosexuality” refuting the gay-affirming teaching of an influential gay activist

Brenna Jones studied Landscape Architecture at Texas A&M University, then completed her undergraduate studies at Northern Illinois University. She has taken graduate coursework in Christian Formation and in Biblical Studies at Wheaton College Graduate School.  Her principal energies for several decades, however, were devoted to parenting and church ministry. She served as a leader in a respected parachurch Bible teaching ministry for women for many years.

It was during the intense years when our children were at home and of involvement in Bible study ministry that Brenna and Stan authored the first editions of the God’s Design for Sex book series. Brenna and Stan together maintained an active speaking and teaching ministry for a number of years related to sex education in the Christian family. In recent years, Brenna has focused her energies on discipleship and prayer ministry for women, and serves in leadership of women’s ministries and spiritual formation in our local church.  Brenna and Stan recently celebrated their 44^th wedding anniversary; they enjoy their relationships with their three adult children, their spouses and grandchildren.