Beginning this weekend we are starting a month long look at Christians and sexuality.  This should be fun and interesting as we have a very humble an honest community.  I’ve told our gang that we’re going to talk about some why’s, some what if’s and even a few how’s.

Every few days, I’m going to throw out some questions on my blog to help me prepare for the weekend.  I’d love your input.

Today: Has the church or a pastor helped or hurt your idea of sex, sexuality or even your sex life?

If you have rather not comment, please feel free to mail me at williamguice@gmail.com.

The Church at Spring Hill.

(keep your comments clean)

Roman Catholic couples are being encouraged to pray together before they have sex.

A book published by a prominent Church group invites those setting out on married life to recite the specially-composed Prayer Before Making Love.

It is aimed at ‘purifying their intentions’ so that the act is not about selfishness or hedonism.

The prayer, which appears in the Prayer Book for Spouses, implores God ‘to place within us love that truly gives, tenderness that truly unites, self-offering that tells the truth and does not deceive, forgiveness that truly receives, loving physical union that welcomes’.

It adds: ‘Open our hearts to you, to each other and to the goodness of your will.

‘Cover our poverty in the richness of your mercy and forgiveness. Clothe us in true dignity and take to yourself our shared aspirations, for your glory, for ever and ever.’

Read the Rest of the Article Here

Indeed, over 90 percent of American adults experience sexual intercourse before marrying. The percentage of evangelicals who do so is not much lower. In a nationally representative study of young adults, just under 80 percent of unmarried, church- going, conservative Protestants who are currently dating someone are having sex of some sort. I’m certainly not suggesting that they cannot abstain. I’m suggesting that in the domain of sex, most of them don’t and won’t.    

What to do? Intensify the abstinence message even more? No. It won’t work. The message must change, because our preoccupation with sex has unwittingly turned our attention away from the damage that Americans—including evangelicals—are doing to the institution of marriage by discouraging it and delaying it.

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Very interesting article about something that a number of us having been talking about lately. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

The Case for Early Marriage | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction.