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Revolution, Religion, and Sex
By daniel | March 13, 2005
Hey saints,
Here, at the beginning of our study of human sexuality and how to sanctify it, there are a couple ideas that are shaping the way I think about this topic, and I wanted to share them with you.
First, I am convinced this study is necessary. Necessary not only because of the perverse and confused context we live in, but necessary because one cannot be loyal to Jesus and silent on this matter at the same time. Jesus made us human, and human does not mean weak. It means human. And a significant part of being human is our sexuality ? our maleness or femaleness, the way we are arrayed to live in community in the world under God. The world Jesus and Paul spoke to was at least as messed up as ours is. The revolution Jesus started and Paul perpetuated treated human sexuality as a central issue. Not to do so undercuts much of the practical power of that revolution.
The primary emphasis of Jesus? teaching was not theoretical holiness, but practical human life with God. Paul seemed to understand this, and that?s why his letters are absolutely brimming with advice on how to handle our sexuality. Apparently, while our sexuality begins as a primary arena of weakness, it is intended to become a primary arena of strength and life and goodness in the world. Apparently, there is a way to go about being human in which the simple fact that you are a man or a woman can be very good news to the world because of what your sanctified sexuality brings to the table. And since that?s exactly what Jesus is after, I?m glad we?re after it, too.
The other idea knocking around in my head is the matter of belief. For six hundred years now Christians have identified ourselves by what we believe. While this is not in itself bad, six hundred years of attention to what we believe has obscured Whom we believe behind layers of dogma, tradition, preference and rationalizations for why we must be right. I submit to you that the Way of Jesus is not primarily about what you believe. It?s about whom you believe. Do you believe Jesus or do you believe someone else?
Let me explain this further. If we assume the Way is about what we believe, we will try, as fast as we can, to acquire exactly the right ideas about reality and then dig our heels in. But the problem is simple: we won?t get it exactly right. So now we have entrenched ideas that we identify as Christianity, and we can?t let them go because these things are precious, they?re “what we believe.” We have effectively become passionately, devotedly, wrong. And we wonder why people hesitate to trust our gospel.
But there?s another way. We can identify ourselves as those who believe Jesus. We trust Jesus, that he?s good and strong and right. We trust him to tell us the truth about all matters human and divine, and we give him the room to do so because we understand him to be our teacher and ourselves to be his students. Students in his new Way of human life. Now, if we have something wrong, it?s not hard to let it go and see it replaced with Jesus? ideas on the matter, because we are not holding to the dogma but to the teacher. What good is a textbook without a teacher, anyway? And this is exactly Jesus? point in Luke 6:39-49. He does not challenge us to choose a doctrinal stance, but to choose a teacher. Our teacher will determine everything else about who we are and what we can do.
This is especially true regarding our sexuality. Many of us have chosen to let the prevailing winds of culture teach us about who we are as men and women, about love and marriage and sex. Who taught you what?s pretty? Who taught you what strength looks like? Why do you flirt? Do you think Jesus taught you that? The way you behave toward your wife, and toward your wife?s pretty friend ? where did you learn that? Your doubts about your masculinity or femininity? Our culture is a mess. It has inarguably demonstrated utter incompetence on matters of sexuality, and to allow it to teach us any more, to leave the ideas it?s given us unchallenged, is not only wrong, it?s colossally stupid.
But others of us, sadly, have chosen to let religion teach us about sexuality, and that?s probably more destructive than the culture. Let me demonstrate. Religion usually puts too much power in the hands of the husband, instructing him to subjugate his wife, to make her into his own image, and then assures that man that such behavior is “the will of God.” Now, it?s what he believes, and the whole family inherits a terribly skewed view of gender. Further, religion tells us sex is dirty, bad, or (at best) taboo. So now guilt, shame and fear are the defining forces in our thinking about sex. With God apparently silent on the topic, we turn to culture to teach us its incompetence, but since we?re religious we just hide it. Even inside marriage, religion effectively ruins one of God?s finest gifts. Because sex and sexuality are taboo, some man?s wife or some woman?s husband is very uncomfortable discussing these things, even with his or her spouse. Without communication intimacy is severely limited, and yet another central part of human life is rendered unreachable by the good news of Jesus.
So, I?m excited about our study. Jesus is the Master of human life, and nothing?s more central to being human than our sexuality. Nothing?s more central to human wholeness than sanctifying it. Good news! The kingdom of the heavens is here now, presently available to your real life. Your entire life. Re-think your sexuality in light of this new Life. Welcome to the new humanity. You got lucky ? Jesus is teaching.
Your brother and friend,
Virgil
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