I am one of those whose just sold out on Jesus. And I love the church. That being said allows you to know where I come from.

I truly believe that a topic on intimacy and sex should be taught -in another setting-not on Sunday morning from the pulpit.

Sunday should be that one day-one hour where we are totaly focused on Him. Then after we have truly worshiped, enjoyed fellowship with other believers, and learned from the word then we can attend another study on personal topics.

Yes we do need a better understanding of God's designs for sex, but He should always come first.

Bless you.

The stories you've sighted here strike me as a bit over the top, BUT it's just because the church has missed this whole topic. Gordon Dalbey provides the best, accurate explanation I've ever read: Quickly: God makes man in His image - total and complete. He sees man shouldn't be alone, takes a part of man and creates Eve. Two things are now true: God's image is now split into two forms of humanity - male and female. AND, there's only one way that human, physical representation of God can be manifested - sex. Sex is not a "topping" on our existence or married life, it is the most spiritual act we do with out bodies.

If we taught that, people would abstain before marriage and enjoy the rich, abundant, spiritual AND physical aspects of sex.

Thanks for tackling such a critically important topic Amy and thank Cheryl Smith for the link to here.
Steve

It must have been excruciating for singles in those churches --especially older adults who are not married (for whatever reason) and struggling with celibacy. The church doesn't often help them any further than either, "just say no" or "don't ask, don't tell." The culture around us is sex-obsessed (whether gay, hetero, or some combination). The church needs to step up and help people deal with it. Who wants to be "The 40 year-old Virgin"? And yet, scripture tells us to reserve sex for marriage. What's a grown up single, Christian to do?

We were driving along one day and saw a huge billboard that had nude legs intertwined (male & female) and sticking out from under bed covers. The huge words said something like "The Best Sex of Your Life!" My eyes (as I'm sure was true for all drivers on that road...and all children in the back seat) were drawn right to it. It was sultry, sexy, hot and steamy advertising at its best.

In slightly smaller print below the manicured red toenails were the promotional details for a local church's series on sexuality.

I think the church has a strong message for the world--and for its members--concerning sexuality. And I'm glad the pendulum is swinging away from Augustinian-sex-is-evil-or-something-to-be-
embarrassed-about prudishness. BUT...

It really bothered me that this church was using SEX to "sell" their Sunday service. I understand it was for outreach, but they were mimicking the culture a bit too much and were preying on our worst instincts: voyeurism, lust, etc.

Further, I was embarrassed when I thought of what most non-Christians would think or feel when seeing this advert. I doubt it truly had the appeal the church was going for. It felt more like a dorky kid trying to impress the "cool kids" by being as "cool" as them. Most of the non-Christians I know feel they've got a good handle on their sexuality...they are hardly looking for advice during a sermon.

And last, I am sure that this advert likely caused car accidents (or many many near-misses). That's not good evangelism, plain and simple.

I'm just commenting for the sake of trial. I was curious what the requirements were for a comment to go live

This is what happens when the power of Christ is denied in churches all over this country. No power means we need to offer something else to get the attention of the masses. Don't get me wrong I think the Lord is honored when we have a great sex life in marriage but it shouldn't be the hook to get the lost & lukewarm in the pew. The power of the blood will draw more that will last thru the fire than the power of sex.

Thanks for discussing this major topic! This is one of the leading causes for the breakdown of our families, especially our Christian marriages. My husband and I have written our story and why we believe that God directed Relevant Church to do a 30 day sex challenge. For those who really want to know the facts check it out at paulwirth.org
Susie Wirth

Teaching and encouraging married couples to enjoy God's gifts in marriage is great. But it should be wholistic, with sex as a part of other blessings emotional and spiritual. Teaching on why God created us as sexual and why it reflects God's oneness is valuable, and is often glossed over. The teaching should point us to how intimacy with God is the aim of marriage, through sex and other ways. However, single people are not worse off - they too can be intimate with God, and others - in emotional and spiritual ways.
There is no need to focus on the act of sex - advice and questions, from the pulpit, or to advertise church using sex. Sex sells... so what! The body of Christ should be beyond that!

People are always interested in sex. When the Church doesn't address the issue, curiousity and questions draw people to whatever answers are out there. If it's only the world giving answers, they will be the only answers available.

Unless the Church takes responsibility to speak into this subject without shame and also without the 'nudge nudge, wink wink' approach that smears God given sexuality with the dirt and grime of the world, people can only be educated by the sexed up lifestyles of celebrities and the overwhelming sexual intrusions of their environment.

Gee, thank you, churches. Yes, there is a place for teaching on sexuality in church. No, not in the pulpit on Sunday morning.

As a widowed (and celibate) woman, I'm grateful that my pastor has not seen fit to jump on this bandwagon and torture me and my fellow singles during Sunday service.

I couldn't believe my eyes!
Yes, Christians should know that God wants us to enjoy each other in our marriage, but..
"Itching ears" want to hear, but I don't.

I'd really expect more than a bit of "hyper-sexuality," given much of the church's capitulation to psychiatry and IT'S bible, the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental illnesses (DSM IV).

The church can be seen as having played against sexual expression for a long, long time--and now the pendulum is swinging back.

We all probably deserve todays excesses, given that we seem to have said for centuries that we worship a "no fun God."

For myself, I'll continue to delight in the joys of God-given sexuality, even though I might find church billboards portraying soft porn a bit distasteful.

Sex is wonderful in marriage, but don't we have more important things to worry about now?

I think it's enough to say sex is God's design. I don't think we have to flaunt it with a "marketing" campaign. As others above have said, a holistic approach is to be desired. Plus you don't want to make life difficult for the singles.

In a sense, such a campaign speaks of giving more to those who already have, while flaunting it in the eyes of those who have not. If this were a matter of food or money, there would be no debate. We would all know what to do.

I think these passages from the word of God need to be addressed. These things that are happening should not surprise us, my brothers and sisters in Christ. Be aware that the kingdom of God is at hand and live a life of love by the grace of God. I exhort you to pray continually that the will of God be done in our lives and meditate on these and all words of God.

2 Peter 3:10-13
10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.[a]
11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.[a]That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

2 Timothy 3
1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

6They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. 8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
Paul's Charge to Timothy
10You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

As many others have said, the problem with these programs is that they're taking place in the main session of church. Naming a program "have grrrreat sex!" and presenting it to EVERYONE, including teens and unmarried adults, is plain awful.

Heck, I remember when I was a teen and reading CT, just the featured articles about sex on Marriage Partnership irked me. Now, as a married adult, I can see the value of these programs...but to present them to EVERYONE is ridiculous.

"All you married people, it's time to have lots of sex!! Yeeha! And to you singles ... well ... good luck with keeping your pants on. God loves you too!"

NOT a good idea on the part of these churches. If I were unmarried I'd leave the whole congregation in a heartbeat.

I wonder how these programs could possibly explain virtues like modesty and privacy with regard to this or any other topic.

I agree with the general concensus here - sex is awesome, it's not something to be ashamed of, it's a gift from God - however, the pulpit is not the place to be so open about it....talk about it, yes, but campaigns should be addressed in classes and special seminars where everyone is in the same boat - married.

While I believe that churches should talk about sex and sexuality (in a good light), they need to be careful about how they approach these topics. Talking about fantastic sex is great for married couples, but churches need to remember something: Couples who are dating/engaged, and (especially) singles of both genders and of all ages (whether previously married or not) are also sexual beings and, more importantly, are struggling with sexual desires and how to deal with sexuality when, Biblically, they can't be in a sexual relationship. As it stands now, single girls are told to "stay pure" and to "dress modestly", single guys are told to "abstain from lust" and to "stay away from pornography", and both sexes are told to "just say no". And that's about it.

If churches are going to talk openly about sex, they need to do it holistically; they need to talk about not just sex and the married person, but also sex and the unmarried person. I don't think that sex should be this forbidden topic that you are not allowed to even mention (let alone have a discussion about!)if you are not married; however, I don't think that "Great sex for married people! Have the best sex of your life!! Yippee!!!" should be dangled like a carrot on a stick in front of the unwed members of the congregation. Churches need to beware of becoming a stumbling block and/or completely cutting singles off from the rest of the church. They need to talk about sex in a way that will a) glorify God and preach/live the gospel in a way that does not use sex to "sell" their service, and b)unify, not divide, the congregation.