Sexual Immorality

Our culture has thrown off all concepts of morality when it comes to sex. Sex now depends on consent. Whatever works for you as long as you do not force yourself on someone. Abstinence before marriage is not dead, but certainly takes the back seat to co-habitation without marriage. Sexual preference is now a civil right opposed only by those puritans who feel there really is a moral issue. As a pastor, it would be easy for me to just turn the other way and mention nothing about sexual morality. I would fit in better with the people that I am trying to reach, more accepting to their lifestyle, and appear to be non-judgmental. Compromise on this very popular social issue would make it easier for me to make friends and influence people. Or would it…

This post is adapted from How to Talk to a Skeptic by Don Johnson

Now for the big one. Of all the motivations and reasons for skepticism that I encounter, immorality is easily the most common. In particular, sexual sin seems to be the largest single factor driving disbelief in our culture. Brant Hanson calls sex “The Big But” because he so often hears this from unbelievers: “’I like Jesus, BUT…’ and the ‘but’ is usually followed, one way or the other, with an objection about the Bible and… sex. People think something’s deeply messed-up with a belief system that says two consenting, unmarried adults should refrain from sex.” In other words, people simply do not want to follow the Christian teaching that sexual intercourse should take place only between and man and woman who are married, so they throw the whole religion out.

The easiest way to justify sin is to deny that there is a creator to provide reality with a nature, thereby denying that there is any inherent order and purpose in the universe.