The church is long overdue in opening up conversations surrounding sex. We need to talk about the importance of creating a great sex life in marriage. But equally important, we need to help singles navigate a world saturated in porn and hook up sex. We also need to answer questions about raising kids in a world where LGBT fills the news. The church can no longer remain silent while the world continues to scream at us about sex. We have to start talking about sex in the church.
Awaken-Love Classes
Women in Awaken-Love classes often share the impact messages from church played in their sexuality. For some, strong purity messages and “Don’t do it” drilled into their head left them feeling like sex was dirty, even in marriage. For others, failure to hold the lines, left them feeling like ruined goods. Even silence about the subject of sex tells us something. If we can’t talk about sex openly, then there must something wrong with it.
Every once in a while a woman shares positive messages about sex from church. A youth pastor that communicated kids should look forward to sex in marriage. A message about God’s redemption and new beginnings. Or maybe even someone that shared the reasons to avoid sexual baggage. The woman leaves little doubt how much it impacted her.
Messages from church must both speak God’s truth and extend God’s grace. Positive, open communication about sex does make a difference.
One of the outcomes of taking an Awaken-Love class is getting comfortable talking about sex. When we start talking about sex with our kids, our husband, our friends and our church, then transformation moves beyond us. We start changing the world one person at a time.
Rethinking Sexuality
This July, Dr. Juli Slattery’s new book Rethinking Sexuality will be published and below is an excerpt from the description.
It provides a framework from which to understand the big picture of sexual challenges and wholeness and helps you recognize that every sexual question is ultimately a spiritual one. It shifts the paradigm from combating sexual problems to confidently proclaiming and modeling the road to sacred sexuality.
Instead of arguing with the world about what’s right and wrong about sexual choices, this practical resource equips you to share the love and grace of Jesus as you encounter the pain of sexual brokenness–your own or someone else’s.
Authentic Intimacy will also offer a video curriculum to go along with the book, for small groups to study God’s truth & design on sexuality. I am so excited to read Rethinking Sexuality and this weekend I will attend the filming of Juli’s teaching that will go along with her book. I look forward to sharing more about this amazing tool to help us start talking about sex in the church.
The Author
