SEX AND THE SUBURBS

Yesterday morning we concluded a seven week journey into the depths of our being as males and females created in the image of God. It's been an amazing process, draining yet energizing. A number of people questioned my sanity - "seven weeks on sex, what are you going to talk about for all those weeks?" Believe me, I just scratched the surface. If you would like to listen to any of the messages, check out our podcast site, Thinking Out Loud.

Special thanks to Rob Bell for turning me on to a great book, "The Holy Longing" by Ronald Rolheiser. These words served as a center piece for our series:

"Sexuality is the energy inside of us that works incessantly against our being along…Sexuality is a beautiful, good, extremely powerful, sacred energy, given us by God and experienced in every cell of our being as an irrepressible urge to overcome our incompleteness, to move toward unity and consummation with that which is beyond us. "

Here are the six books I leveraged in my study and preparation. If you are interested in delving deeper into the topic, I would encourage you to take a look at any of them. You'll be glad you did.

Real Sex: The Naked Truth about Chastity (Laureen Winner, 2005, Brazos Press)

Winner writes not as a theologian or a Biblical scholar, but as a female follower of Jesus (read her journey through Judaism to Christianity in her book, Girl Meets God) living in the midst of a sexually saturated society.
Sexual Ethics: An Evangelical Perspective (Stanley Grenz, 1990, Westminster John Know Press)

Stan is one of the most important theological voices in the missional and emerging church movement. While his earthly work was completed with his unexpected death last year, his writings continue to shape the mind and heart of the community of faith. Stan was my theological mentor during my doctoral studies and his pursuit of sound theology was always to the glory of God and in service to the Church.

The Unauthorized Guide to Sex and Church (Carmen Renee Barry, 2005, W Publishing Group)

Barry’s book includes a historical sketch of the development of the community of faith’s perspective on sexuality from Old Testament times, through Jesus’ ministry and the evolution of the Church in Western civilization. As she discusses issues that at times have divided the church she writes, “Our responsibility as maturing Christians is to learn, to think, to ponder, to pray…and to allow the Holy Spirit to change us into more exact likenesses of Christ through the process.”

The Holy Longing (Ronald Rolheiser, 1999, Doubleday)

What can a single, celibate, Catholic priest teach Protestants about sexuality? Quite a bit actually. The primary purpose behind the book isn’t really about sexuality but rather the search for an authentic Christian spirituality. There is a great chapter on sexuality and spirituality near the end of the book but I would encourage you to read it all!

Sex for Christians (Lewis Smedes)

A classic book written in 1970’s in the midst of the sexual revolution by an evangelical psychologist, ethicist, and theological thinker (who was also one of John Ortberg’s primary mentors). While you may not agree with all of Smedes’ conclusions (and the language is a bit dated), this is an important contribution to the literature.

Sexual Character: Beyond Technique to Intimacy (Marva Dawn,1993, William Eerdmans Publishing)

Dawn is a reformed theologian with a Ph.D in ethics and the Scriptures from Notre Dame. She is a prolific author and her journey includes numerous physical challenges. In this book, Dawn explains the difference between social sexuality and genital sexuality and discusses the forces in our technological society that jeopardize true intimacy. Thoroughly biblical and yet very practical - the book raises questions that apply to issues like friendship, marriage, divorce, dating, homosexuality, and abortion.

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