Many, many Christians have a problem about sex. Sex. Sex. Sex.
It’s the feast of St Valentine. Read about that here.
When was the last time you heard a sermon about how great sex is? Or how to have great sex? A course, run by a church, on having awesome sex?
Those “evangelicals” who don’t follow the lectionary because “it doesn’t preach through the whole bible” – when was the last time they did expository (go on – say it salaciously) expository preaching through the Song of Solomon? [a wonderful R18 book in the Bible that never mentions the word “God”]
Here’s the billboard:
Come to Church this Sunday – expository preaching on
“My beloved is to me a bag of myrrh
that lies between my breasts.
My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
in the vineyards of En-gedi.” (Song 1:13-14)
[Read the billboard. Aloud. Lasciviously.]
Nope. Christians have sex scandals; compulsory celibacy; sexual discrimination about church leadership; commissions about who can love whom; you can’t do this – you can’t do that (even if you are married!)…
And… no better marriage success than non-Christians; no better abortion statistics; no better…
St Valentine’s Day in Lent. Get the hint Christians: God wants Christians to give up going on and on and on about sex in this negative way – for a while. A good while. Nobody is listening any more.
Ps. Have you noticed – not only is Valentine in Lent, but Lent is in Valentine: VaLENTine!
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It’s all very well celebrating St Valentine’s Day, Bosco, but have you seen the cost of roses this year? Even non-evangelicals are baulking at the prices. 🙂
Non-evangelicals don’t have flowers in Lent, Peter 😉 Blessings.
Presumably St Valentine’s day doesn’t always fall in Lent, Bosco…!
And I think your comment: “And… no better marriage success than non-Christians; no better abortion statistics” has been disputed well and truly in Bradley Wright’s very thorough ‘Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites…and Other Lies You’ve Been Told: A Sociologist Shatters Myths From the Secular and Christian Media.’
Are you suggesting, Mike, for example in New Zealand, that statistically if the officiant at a wedding is an ordained minister there is a significantly higher chance of the marriage not breaking up? If you could provide that statistical evidence I would love to have it. Thanks in anticipation. And blessings.
Well said Bosco – the pagan festival of Beltane was I think the only one not incorporated into the Church’s festivals. Surprise surprise.
I have yet to hear anyone publicly talking about Jesus and sex. Fully human and all that.
And very few images of a pregnant Mary.
Thanks, Rosemary. The Beltane reference would be an interesting thread to explore. Images of Maria Lactans have also decreased. Blessings.
I have an English clerical brother-in-law who is in the throes of writing a commentary on the ‘Song of Songs’, Bosco, I will send him your article.
By the way, one of his collaborators is an Anglican Nun – a patristics scholar – who seems pretty clued up on the veracity of sexual themes in the Bible.
God looked on everything He had made, and actually said that it was ‘Very Good!’
Thanks, Fr Ron. Please can you let me know when the commentary is out. I will buy it. Blessings.
I applaud what you aresaying Bosco.
Re Mike’s reference to Bradley Wright’s book I would like to comment that it specifically addresses the US. In any case the investigation of his statistical logic would take more space than I would want to take here but I suggest a reading of “Christianity, Statistics and the misguided chuzpa of Bradley R.E. Wright’ at Crustylogic.com, otherwise Crusty Logic: Christianity & Liberty. It is a Christian site. I quote from near its conclusion:
“Divorce and living together: B Relatively low rates, and less among frequent attendees, but increasing over time.
Crusty: Really? Relatively low rates? By Wright’s own estimate, evangelical Christians who attend church weekly have a 38% divorce rate. And Wright’s number is low. Easily an F in my book. We have a major problem here that is having a huge negative impact on millions of people and on society”.
And:
“When it comes down to it, we don’t really know what the real numbers are. We can, at best, make educated guesstimates.”
I trained in statistics at University and have worked with them in research. i am well aware that there are lies, damned lies and statistics.
Thanks, Brian. What you write does not surprise me. My first degree is in Mathematics. Like you, I know a statistic when I see one 😉 Blessings.
Yes!! And love your link to “orthodox charismatic evangelical catholic”. That is worth a re-run.
I’m pleased you appreciated both, Mike. Blessings.
I know not statistically significant but I was best man at 3 weddings before I was 30. For 2 of them the bride and groom were both devout Christians. One divorced within a year. The other brought up 2 children to adulthood but then the wife sought a divorce which meant her husband, an ordained minister, had to relinquish his parish in the Diocese of Sydney.
The third embarrassed me at the time as neither ever went near a church but, being the 1970’s, the bride wanted a “church” wedding. They are still very much in love with 4 children and many grandchildren. And today only they are willing to acknowledge and welcome their best man who later came out as ‘Gay”.
Thanks for the link to the Crusty site. Interestingly different conclusions. Which begs the question…what stats did YOU use, Bosco, in your original post?
You can start with the census figures, Mike. But I suggest it better to look at church statistics of churches that actually keep accurate national statistics. Roman Catholics would be a good place to start. They are by far the largest-attending denomination, and have clear teachings about sex both within and outside of marriage. You could read up on their analysis, published extensively within the last year in the New Zealand Catholic newspaper, for example. I hope that helps. Blessings.
Bosco,
Hi. Reader in America. I wasn’t sure what to think about this. I thought maybe I had missed something (was he being ironic)? It seems like every megachurch in America is doing weekly sermon series on how to have better sex. There are loads of Christian “how to” books on sex, one recently released by the popular preacher Mark Driscoll. There are many blogs like this one: http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/
I can talk about sex pretty good myself although I would prefer that the preaching in the sermons focus on Christ: http://infanttheology.wordpress.com/2012/09/21/regarding-jesus-wife-his-real-wife-that-is/
+Nathan
Thanks, Bosco. Will do some looking into these.