Now I have your attention. That’s all it took; an easy to read yet hard to understand three letter word. Our culture is infatuated with sex and the desire/lust for it. Everywhere you turn - from magazines to television to the internet - it is center-stage. I do not even have to provide a list of examples, just turn on the TV or make a few clicks with the mouse and my point will be proven. Every form of media sells sex as its marketing strategy. And why not – in our postmodern culture there is one truth – sex sells! The lust for sex has overcome our society so intensely that we have become enslaved to it. We have confused passion for lust. We have turned beauty into sex objects. We have traded in our God-given bodies for an emotional high.
The church needs to take a stand and fight this moral decay of society and misuse of God’s plan for us. Why does the church need to lead this fight? Because we know and have the ability to point others to the answer that unlocks the chains – Jesus Christ! In Youth Group the other night I mistakenly read the word organism, calling it an orgasm, in talking about the church. You can imagine the shock and laughter by everyone. But, from that point on, I had everyone’s undivided attention. Sex captivates our culture.
Pastor Ed Young at Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas is confronting this culture dilemma. Through sermons (including one in 2008 called “Seven Days of Sex”), to books to bible study series (Leaving Lust Vegas), Pastor Young is opening God’s Word and making a stand on sex and culture. By gaining a biblical understanding of sex/lust/temptation, we can be released of our chains and free to experience all that God has in store for us as sexual beings made in God’s image.
I find it interesting that the writters of the Bible also had to deal with issues of sexuality and the negative influences that it was having on their culture. And on the natinal news there were references to some cultures that mutilate female private parts in order to protect their cultural beliefs.
ReplyDeleteI do beleive that it is important that the church deals with any issue that can leads us astray from finding our main focus on God. The power of sex, need for love and acceptance and many other powerful emotions need to be spoken of so we can learn how to navigate these challenging waters of emotions and faith.
PaulaE
I think we talk about sex less than our Biblical counterparts. Our church tried to do a sexuality study for parents and older children this spring and couldn't get enough people signed up. YET 70% or 12 year olds have looked at porn on the internet. The Bible teaches us to embrace our sexuality as God-given and inherently good, yet our cultural norms keep it out of church. The internet has definitely shined a light on this issue.
ReplyDeleteNate,
ReplyDeleteYou've obviously just had a baby, and are having to think a lot about sex. Bah, dum, bum! Seriously, you are right to point out the dangers of our fascination with sex in today's world and today's media. It is an ever-present temptation and preoccupation for all of us. At the same time, sex has always been this way, and writers throughout history have predicted the end of civilisation because of their particular culture's debauchery and immoral behavior over the last several thousand years. This is not a new problem, but it is a continuing one, and probably will continue to be for many thousands of years to come. I cannot predict the future, but I can say that the earliest Christians were recognized for living differently from other people, and that generally meant high moral standards and better sexual behavior than most. We can only hope that that will continue. There is a healthy sense of holiness that one gets from following Jesus, and that includes appropriate loving relationships for people. I hope that Christianity can continue to be a force for good in the world by calling us to holiness and to relationships that truly commit us to one another and that cause us to work hard on our relationships and marital problems long before divorce becomes necessary. At the same time, we must love and care for those who must divorce, and help them in their search for new, healthier relationships.
Peace,
Arthur