Subject: Re: Sex on u.r.c Date: Fri, 22 Aug 1997 20:28:20 +1100 From: Rowland Croucher < Organization: John Mark Ministries Newsgroups: uk.religion.christian

Robert Billing wrote:

* I’m posting this with some trepidation, and would advise Nice Ladies and Others Of A Nervous Disposition to read no further.

* Right, for those who remain, my question is this: Why do debates about sex on this ng usually get bogged down in one or two relatively obvious subjects?

One possible reason for sex itself being about #1 on Usenet discussion groups is the relative anonymity of this medium. My female clients, for example, may talk about masturbation to this male counselor, but for many of them I’m the first _human_ of either gender they’ve talked with about such a private matter. And I’ve noted with interest where my little offering on ukr went on this subject…

More importantly, Hans Kung says there’ve been six (I think it was six) major paradigm shifts in the Western church’s history. We’re now in the middle of another one – on sexuality. So there’s a lot of ferment about it all. And when you’re in the middle of a paradigm shift it’s all confusing…

The mainline denominations’ reports on sexuality (I think the first was the British Quaker report) are pretty-well unanimous that ‘celibacy in singleness and faithfulness in marriage’ is too simplistic for our age – and may not reflect a biblical view on the broad subject anyway.

I’m reviewing Muriel Porter’s book ‘Sex, Marriage and the Church’ (Harper) at the moment: probably the best brief offering on this subject in the last couple of years. I’ll try to remember to post it to ukr. (It will be on our homepage)… Parousia-permitting, of course 🙂