We're just about to start a 4-sermon mini-series on Sunday Mornings entitled 'Culture Shock' - tackling 4 issues where biblical Christianity and secular culture collide.
This Sunday I'm going to asking the question: 'Is God Anti-Sex?' You'll be able to listen to the sermon when it's uploaded on our Church website HERE later in the week.
Sex is a subject you don't hear much about in church generally. Considering how obsessed our culture is with sex and how we are bombarded every day with 'teaching' about it - from advertisers, Hollywood producers, pop stars and novelists, that's nothing short of an abdication of responsibility. God invented sex, so it's scandalous that Christians have let the sex-agenda be hijacked by others. As the one who created sex and gave it to us as a gift, God has a lot to say about it - and his only concern is for our good.
Philip Yancey wrote this in an article in the magazine Christianity Today:
‘I know of no greater failure among Christians than in presenting a persuasive approach to sexuality. Outside the church, people think of God as the great spoilsport of human sexuality, not its inventor… few people look to the church for perspective on the true meaning of human sexuality, since they view the church as an implacable enemy of sex.'However, nothing could be further from the truth, as we're going to see.
Have you ever read a Christian book or article on sex? Have you ever heard a sermon on sex? If you were at Woodgreen 6 years ago I did a sermon series on the Song of Songs, which is an erotic love poem. Christians may be uncomfortable when sex is discussed in church, but God has no qualms: he included a whole book on the subject!
As part of my preparation for speaking on the Christian 'take' on sex I've come across some really helpful books. I won't have time to go into any great detail about them on Sunday morning, so here are the best I've come across. I'm sure there are other ones, but these are the ones I've read (or dipped into enough to know they're good).
If you're married, can I encourage you to read one of these - ideally with your spouse? God isn't coy about sex - so there's no reason for you to be! He gave sex as a marriage gift to be enjoyed - but like everything else in life - a good sex life needs a bit of investment!
What every Christian husband needs to know
C.J.Mahaney
Practical, direct, down to earth wisdom. Hugely challenging and profoundly helpful. Rooted in the Songs of Songs, it's a book every Christian should read. Mahaney's big idea: 'You must touch the heart and mind of your wife before you touch her body.' With a concluding chapter for wives as well.
Available as a book HERE and an e-book HERE
Living Porn Free
Tim Chester
In a recent church survey in the UK 50% of Christian men and 20% of Christian women admitted to being addicted to porn. Pornography has reached epidemic proportions, not just in secular culture but also in the church as well. In this liberating book Tim Chester exposes the lies and deceptions of porn, inviting us to be fully free, and showing positively and practically how this can be possible in daily life.
Available as a book HERE and an e-book HERE
A Guide for the Single Guy
Tim Challies
The subtitle is misleading - this FREE pdf e-book is suitable for all Christians: male, female, single or married. Originally a series of posts on Tim's blog, the chapters in this mini-book are a helpful corrective to the contemporary 'teaching' on sex we're bombarded with every day from secular culture. The chapter on the 'theology of sex' is worth the download alone.
Download HERE
A practical guide to honeymoon sex and beyond
Amelia and Greg Clarke
When Carolyn and I do marriage preparation with soon-to-be marrieds, this is what we give them to read on the 's' subject. Very practical, incredibly honest and above all Christian in outlook, this is great. It's also a great refresher for long-marrieds as well!
Available as a book HERE
Maybe what you need isn't here. 10ofthose have a stack of other excellent looking titles on this subject that I haven't read yet, including short books on specific issues to do with sex such as abuse, rejection and talking to children about sex.
Go HERE for the full list.
