Sex and pietism
It seems Viagra has added a new twist to its advertising: in several new ads, the featured "middle-aged man" has his head strategically positioned in front of the "V" of the medicine's name, giving the man the appearance of horns coming out of his head. "Return to the mischief" (or something to that effect) the caption reads. Sex, it seems, at least to the Viagra people (and also to the ad's assumed audience) is equated with sin in general and Satan in particular. At least if you're going to enjoy it.
An interesting phenomenon of this age is the open acknowledgement by the world that sexual promiscuity is indeed sin. Las Vegas calls itself "Sin City", referring blatantly to that town's affinity for lasciviousness; "What happens here stays here," the slogan says, as the commercial reporting what happens there goes out to all parts of the country. The world, it seems, is proud of the equation of promiscuous sex with sin.
We, as Christians, should be happy to concede this point, as it is one that we've been making for thousands of years. However, we should also be quick to explain ourselves. A middle-aged or elderly man enjoying sex with the "wife of his youth" is most certainly not sinning, and should not accept his equation (at least in the mind of the Viagra folks) with Satan. Enjoyment of sex within the boundaries set by the Lord is a vital aspect of the Christian life--just ask Solomon or St. Paul. Once again, we see that the law is gracious--it presents to us the boundaries wherein we may enjoy our fellowship with Yahweh and one-another. Is God being miserly in confining our sexual activities to marriage between a man and a woman? Of course not--he's being good to us. We need to remind ourselves of this constantly.
The temptation to concede the whole point to the world, however, places us in danger of giving in to the evils of pietism. Think for a moment about alcohol--should we all do without wine and beer because some use it irresponsibly? Obviously not, but that hasn't stopped us from substituting grape juice for the element the Lord gave us to represent his blood in the Supper. What about sex? Until we as Christians decide to think and act like Christians, the world will take its point and we will remain pietists.
An interesting phenomenon of this age is the open acknowledgement by the world that sexual promiscuity is indeed sin. Las Vegas calls itself "Sin City", referring blatantly to that town's affinity for lasciviousness; "What happens here stays here," the slogan says, as the commercial reporting what happens there goes out to all parts of the country. The world, it seems, is proud of the equation of promiscuous sex with sin.
We, as Christians, should be happy to concede this point, as it is one that we've been making for thousands of years. However, we should also be quick to explain ourselves. A middle-aged or elderly man enjoying sex with the "wife of his youth" is most certainly not sinning, and should not accept his equation (at least in the mind of the Viagra folks) with Satan. Enjoyment of sex within the boundaries set by the Lord is a vital aspect of the Christian life--just ask Solomon or St. Paul. Once again, we see that the law is gracious--it presents to us the boundaries wherein we may enjoy our fellowship with Yahweh and one-another. Is God being miserly in confining our sexual activities to marriage between a man and a woman? Of course not--he's being good to us. We need to remind ourselves of this constantly.
The temptation to concede the whole point to the world, however, places us in danger of giving in to the evils of pietism. Think for a moment about alcohol--should we all do without wine and beer because some use it irresponsibly? Obviously not, but that hasn't stopped us from substituting grape juice for the element the Lord gave us to represent his blood in the Supper. What about sex? Until we as Christians decide to think and act like Christians, the world will take its point and we will remain pietists.
posted by Baumbach at 8:52 AM
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