As I look at the United States moral issues involving a sexual nature have always been forefront in the secular and Christian culture wars, I see some interesting things on the immediate horizon:
1. Public Nudity: Particularly the fight by women to have equal rights as men to be bare chested in public. The whole breastfeeding thing on Facebook and the current court cases in the last few years indicate that things are changing quickly. Currently there are six states which have 'topfree' laws of a various nature: California, Hawaii, Maine, New York (where a woman can now go topfree in any place a man can), Ohio and Texas. Other states are currently embroiled in battle about this: Pennsylvania and New Jersey come to mind. In many cases local communities define the laws here but in many cases these local laws are changing. It's like I said in my series on Nudity, Morality and Culture, it is something we as Christians are going to have to get used to seeing more and more. Literally.
2. Homosexual Marriage: I do not think this is going to leave the issue of States rights for a while but who will control it is debatable. I hat e to says this we are going to lose in the end and my own issue on this is that I retain as a minister to both not perform or acknowledge homosexual marriage. Just like I feel about common law marriage, neither the church or any minister should have to be forced perform or acknowledge such marriages if they choose not to.
3. Friends with Fringe Benefits: How common is this now and the one thing no Christian is saying is an intelligent response to casual sex. We decry it and we speak against it but this is not a response that people are going to accept. This is largely a continued failure to deal with the results of the sexual revolution.
4. Pornography: Has anyone else notice how common porn has become and it is not the world who has the problem that concerns me, but it is the number of church people caught in it. In fact we seem to have more problems with addiction to porn than anyone else -- I think in large part it is the poor way we sexually educate youth in the church that is the problem.
There are many others but these are the one that seem in front right now. What do you think?
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I agree with most everything you've said. As for the porn thing and its "commonality" - I just think it's one more chink in our chain of desensitazion. Nothing shocks anyone anymore, coupled with how easily accessible porn is now equals one big mess.
ReplyDeletePaula,
ReplyDeleteYeah and I wonder how we are going to respond -- moral police or proctitioners of the cure -- the gospel.
Blessings,
I vote for the cure! It's the only choice that will stick.
ReplyDelete