Southern Baptists Perpetuate Myths About Genders, Sex, and Adult Singles at 2014 ERLC Summit – All Women Are harlots, men cannot control themselves
Here’s the link with excerpt with observations by me below all this; please pay attention on the portion in bold face type:
(Link): Southern Baptist conference grapples with questions of sexuality for first time by Amanda Holpuch in New York, 22 April 2014
Excerpts:
- … During his talk, he [Russell Moore] spoke about how transgender people, same-sex marriage and pre-marital sex relate to the church.
… Regnerus spoke about trends in sexuality based on new research he has collected that will be part of a book due for release. He said pornography and the pill have made sex “cheap” because they make it more accessible.
…. Tuesday is the longest day of the conference, with several breakout sessions scheduled in between keynote addresses, including discussions geared specifically to each gender, such as: “Biblical Womanhood: June Cleaver, Clair Huxtable, or the Proverbs 31 Woman.”
…. On Monday, speakers on a panel called “The Gospel and the Pastor’s Purity” discussed ways for pastors to be sexually pure.
“In the business world, people are having lunches and private dinners with the opposite sex,” said Kie Bowman, a pastor in Austin, Texas, according to The Tennessean. “I just would say, forget it. Don’t go to lunch with another woman besides your wife or your daughter unless there’s another dozen people there.”
(Link): Southern Baptist summit has frank talk on sex
There is nothing biblical about telling the genders to stay away from each other, or to always make sure a third party is around if a man and woman meet, because sex might happen.
Notice in the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife, recounted in the book of Genesis, that the Bible records Joseph reasoning with the wife several times over a period of days, telling her he will not have sex with her, before using the “flee” method later on in the story, after days of her coming on to him (also note she was married, not single).
Too often, Christians tell believers to “flee first” in those sorts of situations, and some evangelicals and Baptists today jump ahead to say “don’t even meet with a woman alone.”
Why does all this matter?
Instead of teaching Christians that they have sexual self control – which they do, via the Holy Spirit, as the Bible teaches – such teaching which is frequently promoted by preachers, Christian authors, and Christian speakers, effectively tells the genders to stay away from each other, which leads to the isolation of adult singles.
People, married couples in particular, tend to view any and all adult singles, even church going Christian celibate adults, as being potential threats to their marriages. Preachers and Christian talking heads perpetuate their thinking on this topic in their books, sermons, blogs, podcasts and conferences.
Such Christians keep telling married couples that all adult singles, and women in general, but particularly single ones, are sexual temptresses who are eager to bed married men.
This leads to some adult, single Christians leading very lonely lives.
Unmarried, Christian women in particular seem to bear the brunt of such teaching, which is also very sexist, as it assumes all women are “easy.” I am a female and a virgin at age 40.
Yet, many Christians would assume that because of my singleness alone, I am more prone to sleep with a married man. I find this assumption or suspicion extremely sexist and insulting.
The hypocrisy is something else, too: hordes of married Christian men are screwing around on their wives (see this list of some examples), but here I am, a single past age 40, who is still a virgin, yet I get treated like a whore anyway.
This view also increases the amount of fornication and extra-marital affairs in the end scheme of things because it teaches men they are powerless over their sexual desires.
This view paints all males as being hormonal 15 year old boys or rapists. The men are given little reason to reign in and control their desires. They believe they have no choice but to give in and fornicate, so hey, they fornicate. They are not expected to “hold out” and control themselves – Christians set the expectations bar very low, which contributes to sexual sin.
The Bible does not share any of these views, that all men are too hormonal and cannot control their libido.
Teaching the genders to be suspicious of each other means dating does not happen, either, which means singles, even ones who desire marriage, stay single forever or into late middle age or longer.
From another source:
(Link): Southern Baptist summit has frank talk on sex by Heidi Hall, April 2014
- A panel led by Bethancourt offered suggestions to help pastors stay sexually pure, including leaning on Jesus and putting a glass door on the office so others can see in.
Some watching the conference online criticized the idea that women were sexually misleading their pastors and that few women were represented in the audience or on the panels.
Glass doors to prevent affairs and fornication? Seriously? How about just keeping your freaking pants zipped and on?
I can see that policy being beneficial or necessary to children’s ministries in this day and age of so many pedophiles working in churches, but for adult- on- adult counseling?
Please see my previous posts on these issues:
(Link): When Women Wanted Sex Much More Than Men – and how the stereotype flipped
(Link): Southern Baptists (who don’t TRULY support sexual purity) Announce 2014 Sex Summit
This 2014 ERLC Sex Summit by the Southern Baptists is a failure.
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More Related posts this blog:
(Link): Southern Baptists (who don’t TRULY support sexual purity) Announce 2014 Sex Summit
(Link): Topics: Friendship is Possible / Sexualization By Culture Of All Relationships
(Link): How Christians Keep Christians Single (part 3) – Restrictive Gender Roles Taught as Biblical
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