As we continue our conversation about God’s gift of human sexuality, we will focus this week on the distortions of sex. When, how, and why does sex go awry? What can we do to stop sex and gender discrimination? How do we need to address sexual harassment and abuse in our church and in the broader community? What is our obligation as Christians to join conversations in the dominant culture when sex is the topic? In case I don’t fully answer these vital questions, I invite you to think them over too.
Most of us grew up with little training in how to safely and respectfully talk about sex. So instead we talk of it in whispers, jokes, ridicule, and sarcasm. We have permitted “locker talk” and gossip which are insufficient ways to address sensitive and sometimes painful subjects. The church has too often stood aside hoping to avoid uncomfortable topics altogether. I had a conversation this week with a parishioner who said she wished that she had grown up with frank sexuality education based in scripture and Christian teachings. I do too. And, I’d rather our teens hear more about sex at church than they do on social media. I’d like them to hear the term sex and ethics in the same sentence. I’d like them to be prepared when they are presented with a sexual decision and intense peer pressure.
Our United Methodist tradition allows us to view any topic through the lenses of scripture, reason, tradition, and experience. See if you can catch me referring to them on Sunday. And if you have missed a Sunday in the series, all four sermons are available in several formats at the church office.
See you in church,
Karen
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