This was a refreshing message from a candid Christian. We need more people like her. First off, she's bringing sex into the open. It needs to be talked about in the Christian community. It's saturating the media. The world is talking about it and it's time the church does to. Otherwise, young people will have no choice but to get their information about sex from the world and the media. Scary! The church needs to take an active role.
We broke into groups for a few minutes and discussed what message the media sends about sex. These were some of our conclusions:
- Most sex acts on prime-time TV are outside of marriage.
- It's fun and cool
- It's without consequences or after-effects
- Instant gratification is good
- Different partners is no big deal, even "cool" for guys
- The pain it causes outside of marriage is rarely addressed
We also talked about what we have learned from church about sex. These were some of our conclusions:
- Don't do it until you're married - with no mention of "why"
- God created it to be beautiful in the context of marriage
- Sexual sin outside of marriage doesn't just affect the person involved - sin permeates through the body of Christ.
Lauren Winner is an authentic speaker. Her message is powerful and believable because she is real. She tells it how it is and talks openly about sexual sin from her past. An important conclusion she made is that sexual sin is not beyond the forgiveness of God. Christ paid the price on the cross. Even though there are consequences to sin, it is forgivable. After accepting this free gift, the key is repentance and restoration!
Here is a link to Lauren's latest book.
G- my favorite subject! Well, at least following Lauren's talk. :} I know, i know...Christians aren't supposed to speak of such matters in public, what can I say, I'm a quick-study. I love that you chose to blog about the evening. It was awesome to be in a sea of 20-somethings renewing our minds to the sacredness of this spiritual phenomenon. My fav part was her explanation of self-deception. She also presented an outstanding point about chastity, that is, it's not so much about saving the body for a future event, but a means of disciplining the body to be used by the Holy Spirit in the present. woot! I believe your last point on "things we learned from the Church" was actually presented by Mrs. Winner. Good point, indeed. Our group had some great feedback, but none near as poignant as those presented by the students. Perhaps, our efforts are more labored. Thanks for going with!
ReplyDeleteBrother of mine,
ReplyDeleteYou are well on your way to becoming the person you were meant to be. I'm proud of you and happy for you.
Sis