22 March 2008

The Reality of Sex

John Stackhouse writes a nice presentation of where I think I'd got to with thinking about a Christian approach to sex. The Reality of Sex � Prof. John Stackhouse’s Weblog:
"Sex, therefore, is a particular kind of something, not whatever we prefer it to be. And the definition of mental health is dealing with reality properly as it is, not as we wish it were.
God tells us that sex is good and we are free to engage in it. God also tells us, however, that full-on, naked, total sex is reserved for the one relationship that is full-on, naked, and total: marriage. That’s the only context in which the mystical unitive power of sex can do its work without damage, namely, in the one relationship that is all about lifelong union.
Having sexual intercourse outside marriage, therefore, is like misusing Crazy Glue. You’re not supposed to pull apart what you’ve bonded together, and when you do, damage inevitably results.
The “sex only in marriage” rule isn’t, therefore, some weird, totally arbitrary rule God made up just so we’d have something to practice self-control on. No, it’s a frank statement of the way things are: the way we are and the way sex is. We ignore it or flout it in the same stupid way in which we ignore our car’s owner’s manual or flout our physician’s advice. We’re free to do it, of course, and we’re free to suffer the consequences."

Of course, the interesting thing in this is that it could apply to homophile relationships too. Some would see that as and advantage, some would see that as damning. Just at the moment I find that intriguing.

It's also worth checking out the comments; particularly #7, 13,

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