A few years ago, the Church decided to start talking about sex–particularly, married sex. The Church wasn’t doing enough to address it. The sexual revolution had occurred, and the Church had suddenly acquired a reputation for being stuffy and avoidant on the topic. Young people wanted to know about God’s design for sex. Couples wanted to know that sex within marriage was wholesome and healthy, not shameful or dirty. So, the Church has been talking about sex. A lot.
What it hasn’t been talking about, though, is sexual empowerment.
Those words may seem foreign, even unthinkable, in a Christian context. But I believe embracing sexual empowerment is absolutely vital to having a healthy, thriving marriage.
First, it helps to define what sexual empowerment
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Unfortunately, not much. But there are some lessons we can garner from the Bible’s book of erotic poetry, the Song of Songs. Check out these words from Solomon’s Shulamite lover:
I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers.
Thus I have become in his eyes like one bringing contentment.
–Song of Songs 8:10
Notice what she is saying: “My breasts are awesome! They can satisfy my man!” Ladies, when was the last time you looked in the mirror and said, “My breasts are awesome!” Or when did you think of your body as offering “choice fruits” to your husband? Much of our consumeristic culture shames women’s bodies, making us think that we’re inadequate or inferior. But the truth is, our bodies–no matter how they look–have much to offer. They are a part of a glorious package that was designed by God–a package that your husband loves and wants to explore.
The lover in Song of Songs simply oozes with confidence and assertiveness. She knows what she wants and asks for it. She is enthusiastic about being intimate with her beloved. She says, “Let him kiss me. Let him come into my garden. Let him taste what I have to offer.” That is a sexually empowered woman!
I’m glad that the Church is talking about sex. But until it begins sexually empowering both men and women, I’m afraid it won’t do much
The poem “The Beginning of the Song that Diverts the Heart” has an ancient origin and was translated by Michael Fox who has practical experience in literature and thought about the Hebrew Bible. He likewise works in Egyptian writings, which are similar to the origin of the poem "The Beginning of the Song that Diverts the Heart." Moreover, he got a Ph.D. in Egyptology, Semitics, and Bible from the Hebrew University. Additionally, he is right now a Professor of Hebrew at the University of Wisconsin. Originally, the poem has a basis of painting depicted on the walls by the early Egyptian artisans. From the works of art on the walls inside the old tombs, we can set up that essentially nude women
This makes Shelby’s battle for a comprehensive sex education program difficult because Lubbock is a community that strongly believes in Christianity. Within a community like hers, majority of the people are bound to strongly believe in God’s words which impacts their decisions because their views are shaped and molded in the context of the bible and refer to it as a source of what is right and wrong. They essentially pick and choose what they want the younger generation to hear so that they can steer them in a certain
The film looks at both the understanding of the church, that is portrayed within the film, and the suggestion that there can only be one sexuality, heterosexuality, and that all others are sins in the eye of God. Christians understood sex and sexuality to be between a man and a woman and for the purpose of procreation. The film challenges this by giving other examples of things the Bible sees as sins because of the prevention of procreation, such as ejaculating outside of the body and contraceptives. Both of these are also strongly condoned by today’s society to prevent unplanned pregnancy and STI’s. This is directly related to Irvine’s article “Victims, Villains.. And Neighbours” about Comprehensive sex Ed. vs. abstinence sex Ed, and the debate between teaching kids about safe sex and how to use things such as condoms or birth control, or not teaching theme these things at all because this would be telling them that sex is okay as long as it’s safe, when abstinence sex Ed’s goal is to avoid sex all together until marriage because the reason we were created to have sex is to procreate and having sex outside of marriage is wrong and using any kind of contraception that could prevent procreation is...
The use of erotica can be seen very clearly in the "Song of Solomon". First of all, one must keep in mind that it comes from the bible so one will not here vulgar things or even words that you know are directly talking about sex. However, if you read closely, you can here the implicit remarks that these young lovers seems to be making, not only about each others body, but also about what each would like to do with the other.
One other concept that goes against this authentic religion notion is modern day sex-ed. I can’t even begin to count the number of times I have heard a pastor make an analogy about how a person, in particular women, are deemed less valuable because they have had sex. They are likened to a chewed piece of bubblegum that nobody wants. Sexual repression also makes people feel terrible for having completely normal and healthy thoughts. This completely flies in the face of the described pursuit of human dignity. It actively makes a person feel a sense of shame about themselves. Sexual repression also does not help in forming “compassionate, constructive relationships” (Kimball 139). Speaking from personal experience, the sexual repression that was enforced upon my current girlfriend and I in our Baptist upbringings has not helped foster a loving relationship. All it has done is hold us back and make us feel awful about loving each other in a physical manner. This isn’t just my story though. Even one of my friends that I used to go to church with still runs into problems with his girlfriend with this very same issue. This kind of doctrine does not bring people closer together. It pushes people away and makes them resent themselves for being a normal human being, and as soon as one party begins to fall into those sexual, completely normal urges, then they are taught to remove those people from their
The Episcopal Church of the United States is one of the most debatable when it comes to the subject of homosexuality and creating equal rights amongst its members. The church embraces a new kind of transitioning belief that sets them aside from other denominations. The Episcopal Church stems from the Church of England, dating to at least the second century. The Church was founded from the very beginnings on the Christian beliefs and is customary to regard the St. Augustine of Canterbury's mission to England. This was the official beginning of the church under papal authority. In time, these churches branched away from their mother church and gained their individuality without raising and eyebrow retaining important connections with Anglican Communion by abiding by their religious laws (Episcopal Church 1999). Subsequently, the topic of homosexuality has placed a huge amount of stress and turmoil on the denomination, with conflicting views in the church community and with the Angelic communion who does not support the strides made by the Episcopalians. This isn’t the first time, certainly not the last for the Episcopal Church they have made great steps in including the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community and encompassed a new kind of dedication to their members. The Episcopal Church throughout history and in today’s society are very well known for their unstandardized laws, ever changing structure and futuristic traditions.
The Erotic is one thing that is always on all living human minds just like eating is when one is hungry or sleeping when one is tired. There are beliefs that some people agree with and some that don’t for example; men and women may not have the same opinion on how the erotic affects both of their genders. Many men believe that it makes them sit in a more powerful position, a position where women need them to fill this erotic feeling. Although, women needing men for such a thing is an argument worth fighting because, women are just as capable of taking care of themselves just as men do. Individualism is a trait that women all over the world have started to increasingly embrace, thriving with the amazing feeling that it allows them to feel. “Uses of the Erotic” encourages individualism.
In 1961, Evangelist and pastor Tim LaHaye worked on informing and ridding public schools of sex education programs. In a letter that he wrote to parents at a school he said; “ As a parent, taxpayer, and a Christian, you need to be informed on the devastating Radical Sex Education Program now being advocated by some educators across America”(72). In this letter, LaHaye uses the word “devastating” to show how truly upset he was about this program. He went on to quote the bible in saying that sex was accepted in Christian beliefs and that that was not the problem. The problem was that the context, in which the education was coming from, was not coming from the Bible. LaHaye believed that because God create...
"Sex Education in Christian & Catholic Schools." The Premier Online Debate Website. 8 Mar. 2013. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. .
A study done has proven a direct relationship between religiosity and sexual attitudes in college students, but to what extent are their spiritual values influential in their sexual beliefs and what are the reasons behind this (Beckwith, n.pg.). Either way, there is to some extent an influence on sexual behavior, whether it is by gender, ethnicity, or religion. After extensive research and several interviews, I’m determined to find the truth about gender and its importance in religious cultures, its effects on spirituality, and the roles it plays in religion. BACKGROUND In the first few readings of the Bible, we are introduced to God, a spiritual being, that made sex a core unit of humanity.
The Song of Solomon, also known as the Song of Songs, is quite erotic in the Bible. It was included in the Hebrew Bible despite significant opposition. Some have regarded the book as a dramatic poem, while others see it basically as love lyrics. Solomon carefully cultivated ties of friendship, which existed between Israel and the kingdom of Tyre. This has great economic advantages.
The Church teaches people the moral truth, which contains the truth about sexuality. The church could connect with other churches, denominations and religious groups in teaching and fostering this morality.
...or God will have significant implications for the human marriage relationship. Though out the book of Song of Songs, the relationship between the Lord and Israel is illustrated through the poem of two human lovers. This book should be interpreted as an allegory because it shows the God’s covenant, sexual purity how people should properly enjoy the intimacy. It also shows the image for God’s relationship with his people throughout the Bible and explains the marriage is a gift of God.
I had the opportunity to watch the movie “Kinsey.” In the process of watching this movie, I had different reactions when some scenes were presented. First of all, in the movie it showed that Kinsey’s father who was the preacher of a church was close minded about the topic of sex. However, I felt that this movie generalized that all pastors or preachers are close minded to talk about topics that refer to sex. In my experience, my pastor is very open to talk about sex, he would teach teenagers about what sex is about and he would talk to couple about that topic openly. However, it is true that keeping teenagers from sexual encounters before marriage is one of the goals preachers have.
These questions arise from our own desires as Christians to reflect a biblically sound attitude towards sexuality and relationships. That same desire to act according to biblical scriptures is subject to opposition from today’s culture and views about sexual relationships, gender, and roles. A new definition of marriage, sexual orientation, and sexual practices is challenging our relationship with God and our view of human sexuality. Bishop John Spong defines sex and its impact on relationships: “Sex can be called at once the greatest gift to humanity and the greatest enigma of our lives. It is a gift in that is a singular joy for all beings and enigma in its destructive potential for people and their relationships.” (Spong, 1988)