In recent weeks, I’ve been engaging with Josh Butler’s book “Beautiful Union” which seems to try and set out a kind of theology of sex. I’ve argued that whilst Butler’s aims might be lofty and whilst some of the criticism of him may be unfair, that he ends up falling seriously short and in a… Continue reading The New Testament on Sex, marriage and intimacy
Tag: sexual ethics
Can we talk about sex? Is a theology of sex possible?
I’ve recently engaged significantly with Josh Butler’s new book “Beautiful Union: How God’s Vision for Sex Points Us to the Good, Unlocks the True, and (Sort of) Explains Everything”, culminating with this review. The title of Butler’s book suggests that it wasn’t aimed so much at being a pastoral book on relationships -though some pastoral… Continue reading Can we talk about sex? Is a theology of sex possible?
Free from anxieties
In 1 Corinthians 7:29, Paul says “From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none.” What does he mean by this? Well, we know from the rest of the chapter that he cannot mean either that they should separate from and divorce their wives or that they should commit to… Continue reading Free from anxieties
Why getting our theology around sex and marriage is important but difficult
A few weeks back, controversy erupted around The Gospel Coalition publishing an extract from Josh Butler’s up and coming book, Beautiful Union. Recently, Preston Sprinkle hosted Josh along with Sandy Richter, an OT scholar and Brenna Blain, an advocate for abuse victims on his podcast to discuss the book and the controversy. You can watch… Continue reading Why getting our theology around sex and marriage is important but difficult
Who were the legalists? 1 Corinthians 7 and ascetism
In response to my little series of articles on 1 Corinthians 7 and sexual ethics, I’ve been asked about why I suggest that the Corinthians may have been attempting to take an ascetic route of self denial and abstention which Paul might have had to correct. Surely, the problem in Corinth was the opposite. The… Continue reading Who were the legalists? 1 Corinthians 7 and ascetism
Does conservative theology and practice put off younger people from church?
One of the points of discussion arising from the articles about aging church demographics was whether conservative evangelical theology acted as a barrier, putting off young people especially where it clashed with their social values. One claim is that people might be drawn into evangelical churches because of the passionate focus on the Gospel or… Continue reading Does conservative theology and practice put off younger people from church?
When did you last hear a pastor talk about heterosexual ethics?
In my survey about what pastors talk about I asked when was the last time you heard a pastor address the matter of sexual ethics. I divided that into ethics concerning heterosexual relationships and same-sex relationships. The results are interesting because among those taking part, sexual ethics were highly likely to have been addressed in… Continue reading When did you last hear a pastor talk about heterosexual ethics?
Sexual ethics and consent
I was struck by a helpful comment made by the preacher at church recently. Their text was 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 with the focus on verse 3 which says “3 God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.” The helpful comment they made was that Christians who care about sexual… Continue reading Sexual ethics and consent
Contraception, Homosexuality and Christian Ethics
I want to pick up on a twitter thread I looked at recently. The basis of the thread is that Christians strongly insist that same-sex attracted people should comply with traditional Christian ethics. However, the traditional Christian ethic was until the 20th century that contraception was also sinful. I have a couple of concerns with… Continue reading Contraception, Homosexuality and Christian Ethics
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