Melinda Tankard Reist interview from Centre for Public Christianity. Part 1:
Part 2 below:
Tag Archive - sex
JACOB’S STORY // Men must watch this
Click here if you can’t see the video.
(h/t derek)
Time for some nuance between the gay and the god-fearing
John Dickson has written a great article for ABC Unleashed arguing for a more nuanced discussion about homosexuality. It’s reasonable, intelligent and well-argued.
I think this is an important issue to be discussing and appreciate Dickson’s input. Christians have to work hard at not being jerks in how we speak.
Here’s another recent article from Michael Jensen on the issue.
EDIT: Here’s a great quote from Dickson:
There is a failure of ethical imagination here, an inability to utilise two mental muscles at the same time: the muscle of strong conviction and the muscle of compassion for all. Jesus was the master of this ethical exploit. Open the Gospel of Luke at chapter 13 and you’ll hear him condemning certain behaviour and warning of coming judgment. Continue through to chapter 15 and you’ll find him wining and dining with ‘sinners’ – those you might have thought were first in line for judgment – and illustrating the point with a parable about a father’s love for his prodigal son. Keep reading to the end of the story and the point is made with disturbing clarity: so seriously did Jesus take sin that he thought he had to die for it; so seriously did he love sinners, a category in which he placed us all, that he thought he had to die for them. He was able to be morally exacting and deeply compassionate toward the same people at the same time – though it is a sad and undeniable fact that many in the church since have had difficulty emulating the feat.
God, Marriage, and Family | Andreas J. Kostenberger
Crossway have recently launched the 2nd Edition of God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation by Andreas J. Kostenberger. You can find out about the book here. It comprehensively deals with the Old Testament, the New Testament and current topical issues. I’m currently studying Christian Ethics at college and it’s a useful text for a theological college student, but I think it’s not beyond the average reader. I know of a number of churches that use this as required reading for couples before they get married. Marriage is currently under attack in our world… there’s no better time to be acquainted with God’s good plans for relationships than now!
Here’s a blurb from the product website:
The release of the landmark first edition of God, Marriage, and Family provided an integrated, biblical treatment of God’s purposes for the home. Since then, explain authors Andreas Köstenberger and David Jones, the crisis confronting modern households has only intensified, and yet the solution remains the same: obedience to and application of God’s Word.
In the second edition of God, Marriage, and Family, Köstenberger and Jones explore the latest controversies, cultural shifts, and teachings within both the church and society and further apply Scripture’s timeless principles to contemporary issues. This new edition includes an assessment of the family-integrated church movement; discussion of recent debates on corporal punishment, singleness, homosexuality, and divorce and remarriage; new sections on the theology of sex and the parenting of teens; and updated bibliographies. This book will prove to be a valuable resource for personal and group study, Christian counseling, and marriage and family courses.
Get your hands on a copy:
I’m Sorry Anna Nicole
“Men must have the political courage to work to end all forms of violence against women, especially the commercial sexual exploitation that is fueling sex trafficking. Male leaders have an enormous task, because their work will be done in a cultural context that has constructed their manhood around the pornification of human sexuality. Click on the link at YouTube [below] to watch an example of this leadership: Jonathan Walton reading his poem, “I’m Sorry Anna Nicole”, at a recent CATW event in New York on December 2, 2009.”
Find out more about the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW)
(h/t ben via twitter)
Tiger Woods, Sexual Sin and Choosing Heroes
Tiger Woods has fallen. I have no intention of having a pot shot at him or removing my sponsorship dollars. Here are two things I’ve been reflecting on amidst the media storm:
- Sexual sin is costly. Do you travel* alone for sport, business, preaching, holidays or the like? Count the cost of sexual sin, don’t put yourself in stupid situations and establish accountable relationships. (*This applies even if you’ve never left your home town).
- Choose your heroes carefully. Don’t put too much hope in people. Even heroes fall. I remember as a teenager being crushed when some of my heroes were exposed for their shadiness. I’m no longer surprised when a public figure or even a personal friend is exposed. My hope is in the One Man who will never be exposed for corruption or deceit. Trust Jesus – he won’t let you down.
Counting the Cost of Sexual Immorality
I’m scared of sexual immorality. Am I planning on committing adultery? No!! I love my wife, she is more precious to me than anyone or anything else on this earth. I also know that God’s plans for sex are within marriage and that this is good. So why am I scared? Because I know the deceitfulness of my own heart and that I’m capable of great sin given the opportunity. My prayer is that God would keep me (and you) from impurity.
Randy Alcorn and Alan Hlavka have thought through specific consequences resulting from the immorality of a pastor. This really is essential reading. Here’s my plan:
- Re-read Proverbs 6 (see below) and God’s wisdom on fleeing from adultery;
- Re-read Alcorn’s blog post;
- Copy it and customise it for me;
- Print it out and put it in some prominent places;
- Pray.
It might be wise to do the same!
Proverbs 6:20-35 is below…
Purity vs Porn
This page will be filled with a bunch of resources for fighting to be pure in a porn-riddled online world. Stay tuned… Get here via porn.davemiers.com or purity.davemiers.com
While you wait – here’s a couple of quick links…
Continue Reading…
Love more than one
Here’s an ad from a jeans store window. It reminded me of a certain rugby league scandal. Which came first: rugby league players engaging in group sex? Group sex being used to sell products? Or group sex by ‘consenting’ adults being generally accepted?
Is sex more like a Porsche than a Datsun?
John Dickson has 3 books that every teenagers needs to read: Hell Of A Life; A Sneaking Suspicion; and Hanging In There. The following is a famous illustration (I recently used in a talk) of John’s from A Sneaking Suspicion about how we should view sex…
“My first car was an orange Datsun 1200. It got me from A to B, but it really was a rust bucket. It only cost me a thousand bucks, so I didn’t treat it too well and had no problem lending it out to any of my friends. I figured that if they crashed it, it was no big deal. Suppose though, I owned a Porsche 968. I can assure you, I’d care for it with my life and certainly wouldn’t lend it out. In my mind, such a valuable machine deserves the utmost care. But what’s this got to do with sex and relationships?
Temptation to be Loved
“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is to love and be loved in return”. We all just want to be loved. But sometimes, we look for love in the wrong places. Often our world equates love with sex. In order to be really loved, you’ve got to be doing it as often as possible! 25% of Australian teenagers have had sexual intercourse by the time they turn 16 and 40% of 16 year old boys have deliberately looked for sex websites. This means that there is a great temptation for Christian teenagers to look for love in the wrong place.
Is God against sex? No not at all, he invented it! But God is against sex being done the wrong way, outside of His plans for it. The Bible calls this sexual immorality. In Corinth there was a church 2000 years ago that had people known for bizarre, Jerry-Springer style sexual immorality: A man hooked up with his dad’s wife.
Sex and Worship
Overcoming Sexual Sin, is a sermon by Mark Driscoll. It’s not just for young single Christian guys. It’s for old or young, male or female, Christian or non-Christian. In it Driscoll does more than just deal with the question of how to deal with sexual temptation. He helpfully shows how people are idolaters when they replace worship of the creator for worship of his creation. He then argues that sex is one of the key things that people worship. Check his notes or the sermon for more.
He finished with 11 points on how the Christian can replace the desire to worship sex with a deeper passion to worship the Creator: Jesus.
flickr pics
