The noughties version of the devil made me do it? Paul Grimmond

yeah… Once again it’s true and evident that people know the truth(our corruption, Holy God’s existence….), but suppress the truth in various ways isn’t it? whether it’s DNA determinism or else!

Paul,

If I may make two comments:
1. I think the title is not a helpful one - Free for sex or living in bondage? I think replacing the word bondage for slavery is better.

2.

After all, I suspect that it is a good thing that people are able to be open and honest about sex.

I would be extremely cautious into buying into this thinking. I believe that sex is a private thing between married couples. Yes I would teach what the Bible says about it, but the world’s ‘openness and honesty’about sex is (in my opinion) very different to what I think our attitude should be regarding the subject. I heard someone say recently:

Modesty is all but gone from the evangelical movement. Not only have today’s evangelicals cast aside innocence as if it were something to be ashamed of; they are proud to have done so. They are keen to show a comfortable familiarity with the very things Scripture says it is shameful to speak of in public (Ephesians 5:12), and they would be embarrassed to be thought squeamish about such things.

Paul Grimmond22/08/2009 02:43 AM

Hi Joshua,

Thanks for your comments and I share your disappointment with where much of evangelicalism has gone with sexuality. I would be interested in thinking a little about what an appropriate modesty would look like.

It gets a little tricky I know, because if it’s shameful to speak about in public then we shouldn’t speak about it. But what exactly is the nature of appropriate modesty? I think my wife and I are much more open about sex with my kids than my parents were with me. (Which is not a criticism by the way, that was the nature of the whole culture I was brought up in).

An example is using anatomically correct names for the various parts of our bodies and explaining the basic mechanics of intercourse (which we have, unfortunately, done earlier than we might have done if we weren’t worried about them being led astray by friends at school).

I have a feeling that the key is in understanding innocence. Can you talk a little more about what appropriate innocence might look like?

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Paul is one of the Staff Editors at Matthias Media. He is married to Cathy and has three fantastic kids. He loves student ministry, reading, writing music and playing the saxophone, and is looking forward to meeting Jesus face to face.

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