The Gospel Coalition Says – in Sex Won’t Save You Essay – that (Married) Sex is a “Salvation Icon” that Supposedly “Points People to God” – TGC Making Christianity Irrelevant to Single, Celibate Adults

The Gospel Coalition Says – in Sex Won’t Save You Essay – that (Married) Sex is a “Salvation Icon” that Supposedly “Points People to God” -TGC Making Christianity Irrelevant to Single, Celibate Adults

I first began composing this on or around March 1 (or 2?), I have it set to be auto-published on March 4, and as of today, March 3, there’s been a lot more commentary on Twitter about this awful TGC marital sex article, to the point, TGC removed the original tweet linking to it, and I learned that one guy I quote-tweeted about it, a Brent McCracken, deleted his tweet that I quote tweeted (but I have a screen capture of it), and I was informed McCracken is head editor of TGC.

NOTE: I will edit this post after publication to add any more links or new content pertinent, so you may want to periodically re-visit this page and scroll down and skim over to find new links / videos, etc

I may be writing a follow up to this post later – a part two, if you will.

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Un-freaking-believable. I’ve been blogging here for over ten years, and during that time, have I not been pointing out that not only do most Christians now, even the conservatives, attack sexual purity, sexual abstinence, virginity-until-marriage, but they have also turned sex (and marriage, parenthood, the nuclear family) into idols that they worship, to the point they act distressed when they hear that fornication among singles has declined? (I have a few examples under “Related Posts” towards the bottom of this page.)

There’s more of this nonsense, courtesy of The Gospel Coalition.

It starts off well enough by recognizing that many in secular society have turned sex and relationships into idols, and seek to find love and purpose in romance and sex, but then it goes on to make the very distasteful point that sex can, or does, point people to God.

Also… if such a book begins by acknowledging that singleness is fine in a page or two (or paragraph or two) but then never-the-less 99% of the book remains focused on a Jesus-marriage-sex analogy, it’s undercutting any “it’s okay to be single” or “you don’t have to be married and having sex to have a relationship with God” message.

This is no different from the idiot pastors who make every other sermon in church about “how to have smokin’ hot sex with your spouse” but who thinks it’s okay to overly focus on marriage constantly, if they merely toss in the token, “Hey, you may be single, but this marital sermon can be applicable to you too.”

I’m sorry, but evangelical Protestants or Baptists making the majority of the non-stop deluge of comments, sermons, or books about marriage and married sex, while only offering passing lip service, to adult singleness and celibacy, is still elevating marriage (and sex) to an unhealthy, bizarre, un-Biblical degree that still marginalizes singleness.

Screen Cap of Gospel Coalition Tweet

While it is true for a long time that many in American culture have turned sex and romantic relationships into idols, or seek to find identity or purpose in such, it’s also true that for the past several years, many news headlines and studies have been published showing that a larger number of adults are declining to have sex, date, and/or marry.

If you’re trying to titillate a secular public into giving Jesus a try by using sex-God analogies or metaphors, in a society where having sex, dating, or marrying are no longer the norm and not very popular, it’s not going to work.

I mean, while Butler is writing his book comparing knowing the Trinity to marital sexual intercourse and pro-creation, other conservative outlets have been in pearl-clutching, severe worry mode, that marriage is on the decline, and they’re shaming women for not choosing motherhood, and some conservatives are even upset that single adults are not having as much sex prior to marriage as they used to.

(Link): Sex Won’t Save You (But It Points to the One Who Will)

Excerpts (citing free use):

by Josh Butler
March 1, 2023

…Our culture looks to sex for salvation too. We want romance to free us from solitary confinement, to deliver us into a welcome embrace. But idolizing sex results in slavery.

Sex wasn’t designed to be your salvation but to point you to the One who is.

Union with Christ
Sex is an icon of Christ and the church.  …

[The author then goes on to refer to a Bible verses which seem to refer to marriage, such as a man leaving his family and cleaving to his wife, etc]

… A husband and wife’s life of faithful love is designed to point to greater things, but so is their sexual union! This is a gospel bombshell: sex is an icon of salvation.

RadioShack Twitter account takes a walk on WILD, SEX-CRAZED side in new marketing strategy

RadioShack Twitter Account Takes A Walk on Wild, Sex-Crazed Side in New Marketing Strategy

Oh good grief. Everything in our culture is sexualized now. Everything. It’s so tiresome.

The end scheme of this is that a guy bought RadioShack years ago, and he’s now using the name to sell CryptoCurrency, and supposedly, most people who buy CryptoCurrency are sexy and edgy – so this doofus thinks the way to sell more to this group is to include a lot of sexualized puns and content on the RadioShack Twitter account.

(Link): RadioShack Twitter account takes a walk on WILD, SEX-CRAZED side in new marketing strategy

July 3, 2022

The 100+ year old retailer RadioShack has been posting some wild and crazy tweets that have people wondering what the heck is going on with the company.

According to The Hill, RadioShack has in recent days “flirted with Miley Cyrus and Lizzo, talked about getting high and clapped back at replies from people telling them to log off.”

RadioShack even tweeted about marijuana edibles: “Taking the second half of an edible after feeling nothing from the first half is always a bad idea. This chocolate bar got me out here fighting for my life.”

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

NYC Bakery Makes Genital – Shaped Pastries

NYC Bakery Makes Genital – Shaped Pastries

Why oh why does everything in our society have to be sexualized? 🤮

(Link): Sugar Wood, NYC’s sexiest bakery, has customers hot and ready

July 14, 2022
By Adriana Diaz

Sugar Wood is Manhattan’s sexiest bakery, here to satisfy all your naughtiest cravings.

New York City just opened its first-ever adult-themed bakery serving up waffle Woodys (penis shaped) or Kittys (vagina shaped) so fresh and hot they’ll be dripping… in a variety of sweet sauces including milk chocolate, peanut butter, salted caramel, strawberry and white chocolate.

The Soho shop had a soft opening last week, but a flurry of fans have come in hard and fast — and others are dying to have a taste thanks to a now-viral Instagram post that received nearly 1 million views in four hours.

Man Bizarrely Claims He Has Sexual Relationship With Famous Artwork the Mona Lisa

Man Bizarrely Claims He Has Sexual Relationship With Famous Artwork the Mona Lisa

(Link): Man bizarrely claims he has sexual relationship with famous artwork the Mona Lisa

April 28, 2022
By Victoria Scheer

A famous artist dubbed the next Andy Warhol has claimed he is having a sexual relationship with the Mona Lisa.

Spanish-born Domingo Zapata said he has been obsessed with the artwork for over a decade and dreams about having sex with the woman in the 1503 painting, which he uses as the basis for many of his iconic reinterpretations.

Is Sex Addiction a Real Thing? by Dave Ludden

Is Sex Addiction a Real Thing? by Dave Ludden

(Link): Is Sex Addiction a Real Thing? by Dave Ludden, hosted on “Real Clear Science”

Full copy here:

(Link): Is Sex Addiction a Real Thing? by Dave Ludden, Psychology Today 

Excerpts:

May 17, 2022

KEY POINTS

• • The concept of sex addiction is controversial in part because it is difficult to define.
  • Many people who engage in “excessive” sex—as defined by professionals—experience no distress on account of it.
  • Restrictive sexual attitudes underlie the definition and diagnosis of sex addiction.

Sex addiction is a proposed psychological disorder in which people engage in excessive sexual behaviors that lead to a negative impact on their lives.

Although it’s a commonly used concept among laypersons and professionals alike, not all psychologists agree that hypersexuality is a disorder.

Investigators: 29 Year Old Male Driver Killed 64 Year Old Retired Michigan Woman for Sex Acts with Body

Investigators: 29 Year Old Male Driver Killed 64 Year Old Retired Michigan Woman for Sex Acts with Body

(Link): Man ‘mowed down jogger with his car before taking body away to have sex with it’

A man has been accused of intentionally mowing down a jogger with his car and then taking her dead body away to engage in sexual acts with it.

(Link): Michigan driver deliberately struck, killed retiree so he could have sex with her body

Feb 20, 2022
By Dom Calicchio, Fox News

A Michigan driver deliberately struck and killed a retired woman who was out on her daily walk so he could have sex with her body, authorities have alleged, according to reports.

The suspect, identified as Colby Martin, 29, of White Pigeon, Michigan, was arraigned Wednesday in Van Buren District Court on a newly filed murder charge, WMMT-TV of Grand Rapids reported.

Atheist Video About Being a Virgin or Sexually Abstinent – My Critique of the Atheist’s Critique

Atheist Video About Being a Virgin of Sexually Abstinent – My Critique of the Atheist’s Critique

When I am on You Tube, I seldom seek out videos about marriage, sex, dating, or singleness.

When I do visit You Tube, I normally seek out subject matter such as movie reviews and cute animal videos, but this video by “Paulogia” was bumped to the top of my ‘suggested videos to watch’ list by You Tube, so I decided to take a look.

I actually do not enjoy reading or watching content by people who are critical of ‘virginity- until- marriage,’  or who pick apart and criticize Christian teachings about sex. I find these types of things tedious, insulting, and annoying, depending on their take.

In this video, the atheist, Paul of “Paulogia” on You Tube, has a woman co-host in the video with him (I suppose she is an atheist too), Liz, where they are critiquing the video of some guy, Joe Kirby (who is a Christian), who is advocating for sexual abstinence until marriage (which is not a bad thing to advocate for, despite Liz’s seemingly sounding disdain for this).

I’ve never heard of Joe Kirby before. His You Tube page is (Link): here, “Off the Kirb Ministries”. I’ve never watched any of his videos before. All I’ve seen are the clips of the one Kirby video in the Paulogia video.

Okay, yes, as I watched more of the video, Paul says that Liz is an ex-Christian who gives sex advice on her You Tube channel (more about this below).

Off to the side, you can see a screen capture I made from part of the video where a cartoon Liz, with a cartoon Paul, are watching Kirby’s (who doesn’t appear as a cartoon) video.  Watching cartoon talking heads discuss sexual mores was strange

Here is the video in question to which I refer:

(Link, You Tube, 13.30 long video): If You’re Still a Virgin – You MUST See This! feat. Liz LaPoint) (Off the Kirb response)

This video will also be placed within this post at or near the bottom of this post

As I’ve said before on this blog, in earlier blog posts going back years, while conservative Christians and secular social conservatives have, on occasion, erred in regards to their beliefs and teachings about sex, dating, and marriage (I’ve done many critiques about their views, see the section below under “Related Posts on this Blog” for a few samples) your Non-Christians (including atheists, progressive feminists, and so on), are also in error on different points.

Sometimes obnoxiously so.

Secular Sex Ed Failures, Secular Sexual and Biological Ignorance

Secular Sex Ed Failures, Secular Sexual and Biological Ignorance

Are you counting on secular sources to educate you properly on sex, biology, anatomy, or puberty? Are you counting on secular sources to even address a possible (negative) psychological and emotional consequence of having sex when you’re not truly ready, or don’t want to do it, but feel shamed or guilted by a date or culture, into having sex? Ha ha, well, good luck with that!

Not only do some Non-Christians hold false or weird ideas about sex themselves, but some Non-Christians like to portray all or most Christians as having false, shaming, or weird ideas about sex.

As someone who has followed a lot of Non-Christian, feminist social media accounts or who has dropped by their magazine sites to read their articles about sex, men, and sexism in the last several years, one recurrent theme that shows up is how ignorant teen boys and men in their 20s (and sometimes older men) are about sex.

I should maybe do a post about that later.

But the fact is, a lot of Non-Christian men, who are being raised in secular culture, some of whom have who even been exposed to secular sex education teachings in public school, have NO IDEA how a woman’s body works.

A lot of these Non-Christian men hold all sorts of false, bonkers ideas of how  menstrual periods work, or how a woman can get pregnant, for example, which shocks the secular, feminist women writers.

There are secular, liberal feminists who mock this secular, male ignorance all the time on their sites.

You can probably google to find examples of it. Maybe I will make a post about it later. I’ve seen a lot of it over the years.

Sexual Abstinence is, in fact, one way to totally avoid contracting STIs, sorry to inform the critics of Christian sexual ethics, or the high school kids in some of the quotes below on the BuzzFeed site, who lament that their sex ed teachings advised them (accurately!) that sexual abstinence is the safest bet.

There is no form of artificial birth control that is 100% effective. Condoms are cited as being 98% effective, but what if you’re in on that two percent failure rate?

Some forms of sexual acts, such as anal sex (which (Link): some secular teen magazines have been promoting in the last few years), are more liable to cause or spread disease and create physical issues.
See, for example, this SECULAR (Non-Christian) page about anal sex at WebMD, which confirms that:

(Link):  Anal Sex Safety: What to Know

Excerpt:

The lining of the anus is thinner than the vagina, and it lacks natural lubrication. That makes it much more vulnerable to tearing. Tears can allow viruses and bacteria to enter the bloodstream. This can include sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV.

Studies have suggested that anal exposure to HIV poses 30 times more risk for the receptive partner than vaginal exposure.

Anal intercourse can also boost the risk of getting the human papillomavirus (HPV).

HPV may also lead to the development of anal warts and anal cancer. Using lubricants can help, but it doesn’t completely prevent tearing.

The tissue inside the anus is not as well-protected as the skin outside the anus. Our external tissue has layers of dead cells that serve as a protective barrier against infection. The tissue inside the anus doesn’t have this natural protection, which leaves it vulnerable to tearing and the spread of infection.

The anus was designed to hold in feces. The anus is surrounded with a ring-like muscle, called the anal sphincter, which tightens after we have a bowel movement. When the muscle is tight, anal penetration can be painful and difficult.

Repetitive anal sex may weaken the anal sphincter, making it difficult to hold in feces until you can get to the toilet. Kegel exercises to strengthen the sphincter may help prevent this problem or correct it.

The anus is full of bacteria. Bacteria normally in the anus can potentially infect the giving partner. Having vaginal sex after anal sex can also lead to vaginal and urinary tract infections.
— end excerpts —

I don’t think all the samples on the pages below are all Christian –
(I am not going to copy the entire pages; if you’d like to see all the examples, please use the links below to visit the pages to view them all if you want to):

(Link): One Man Believes Women With Large Boobs Scientifically Can’t Be Smart And 49 Other Jaw-dropping Misconceptions Men Actually Believe About Women (some of the examples on the page involve inaccurate ideas men have about female anatomy, biology, etc)

(Link):  34 Things Some Men Believe About The Female Body That Concern Me

I think it’s time for us to have an adult sex-ed class because WHEW, child.

…5. “I’m a female student who’s taking sex ed now.
The funniest thing to me is how often they refer to penises and male anatomy, but rarely discuss vaginas and female anatomy. It’s kinda disgusting how little the guys have to learn about vaginas and periods, yet, I know pretty much everything about males now.”

(Link):  People Are Sharing What’s Being Taught Today In Sex Ed And It Proves We Still Have A Long Way To Go

(Link):  “My Sex Ed Teacher Told Me Women Cannot Orgasm”: People Are Sharing The Biggest Sex Ed Failures They’ve Ever Witnessed

Excerpts:

“My male sex education teacher told our entire classroom that period cramps do not exist and that he would not accept them as an excuse to get out of gym class.”

January 8, 2022
by Maya Ogolini – BuzzFeed Staff

Let’s face it: Sex can sometimes be an uncomfortable conversation topic when you’re young. Whether your school had a teacher attempt to explain things in health class or your parents sat you down for a “birds and the bees” talk, chances are you spent a majority of the time learning about sex wishing that you were anywhere else.

But sometimes trying your best to avoid an awkward situation can actually result in a much more awkward, embarrassing situation.

Recently, Reddit user u/wilson-volleyball77 asked,

“What is one sex education fail you’ve heard/experienced?”

Here are some of the best:

1. “If you use a tampon before sex, then you’re no longer a virgin. The number of people that believe this is unbelievable.”
—u/Typical-Cantaloupe48

“When I was a freshman in high school, my dad heard me tell my mom that I needed tampons from the store, and he freaked out. He thought that you had to have sex first before being able to use them. I was only 14, and I understood all that a lot better than him.
—u/sunflowerssunshine_

…6. “A guy once told me he thought periods lasted a whole month.”
—u/AstroLozza

7. “I was asked this question, ‘How will you be able to pee when you have your hysterectomy?’
—u/purely_logic

“I had to tell my first girlfriend she didn’t pee out of her vagina. She didn’t know she had a urethra.”
—u/Sebastian83100

Valentine’s Day is Used to Push ‘Kinks’ and ‘Polyamory’ on America’s College Campuses

Valentine’s Day is Used to Push ‘Kinks’ and ‘Polyamory’ on America’s College Campuses

I really think that Valentine’s Day should be about (non-sexual) love. I bet none of these idiot colleges will celebrate Valentine’s Day by advising celibacy.

(Link): Valentine’s Day is Used to Push ‘Kinks’ and ‘Polyamory’ on America’s College Campuses

Excerpts:

Universities around the country are celebrating Valentine’s Day with sexually explicit events and giveaways.

February 11, 2022
by Peter Cordi

As Valentine’s Day approaches, schools across the country are observing the holiday with sex toy giveaways, condom art, and sexually explicit educational events.

Campus Reform took a look at how a number of different universities are celebrating Valentine’s Day, or “Sex Week.”

Princeton University

At Princeton University, students will celebrate “National Condom Day” with a condom sculpture contest at an event called LatEXHIBITION.

At this Feb. 14 event, students will form small groups and compete to “create something beautiful and educational” out of expired condoms.

M&Ms Candy Being Sexualized by Both Liberals and Conservatives

M&Ms Candy Being Sexualized by Both Liberals and Conservatives

What is wrong with everyone? Why does candy need to be sexualized?

Some liberals and conservatives are ticked off at Mars company, owners of M&M candy, for changing the candy’s avatars. Each color M&M chocolate candy has its own cartoon counterpart – the green M&M candies, for example, have been represented by a green, female candy wearing white go-go boots.

Nobody is happy about this.

Well, maybe MARS is. I’m not sure if the adage about “any publicity is good publicity, even bad publicity” is true here, or if MARS considers that so.

I’ve watched Tucker Carlson enough to get a sense of where he may stand on an issue, and I even listened to part of his M&Ms candy commentary the other night, and granted, I wasn’t listening that carefully, but…

It’s hard for me to say exactly what Carlson thinks about this. I’d have to re-watch the segment to be sure, but from what I recall, it’s hard for me to say if he was being sarcastic about any of this or not.

At any rate, I am so icked out and tired of so many people in American culture sexualizing every thing, whether it’s coming from liberals or conservatives.

To me, M&Ms candy is just candy. I don’t want or need my candy or its cartoon mascots sexualized. It seems like almost everything is sexualized these days.

(Link): M&M’s Redesigns Its Characters’ Looks and Personalities to Be ‘Representative of Today’s Society’

The most notable changes are to the brown and green M&M’s, the two female characters

by Dave Quinn

On Thursday, candy maker Mars, Incorporated announced that their beloved M&M’s characters would be getting a makeover in 2022, with “a fresh, modern take” on their design and “more nuanced personalities to underscore the importance of self-expression and power of community through storytelling.”

…Their new look will help bring the characters into a “more dynamic, progressive world,” Mars said.

A Church in Crisis: Pornography and Patriarchy by R. Kotz

A Church in Crisis: Pornography and Patriarchy by R. Kotz

(Link): A Church in Crisis: Pornography and Patriarchy by R. Kotz

Excerpts:

by R. Kotz, August 9, 2016

Our character as human beings is determined by what we do when no one is watching. When no one is watching, many in the church are watching porn.

Pornography has been declared a “public health crisis” by political officials.

At least a third of US men self-identify as being addicted to it.¹ In April, (Link): Time magazine featured a front-page article exposing the harmful impact of porn on society.

Despite this, two-thirds of practicing Christians feel no guilt about their porn use.² What does this extreme level of consumption (and lack of guilt about it) say about the condition of the church as a whole?

Where the Sexual Revolution Went Wrong by Maria Albano

Where the Sexual Revolution Went Wrong by Maria Albano

I don’t think I agree with all of the views in the following editorial; I may be omitting most of the portions I’m not sure I agree with.

(Link): Where the Sexual Revolution Went Wrong

Sex is now at the centre of everything. That’s not liberating – it’s oppressive.

by Maria Albano
December 20, 2021

…But have the freedoms ushered in by the sexual revolution of the 1960s been wholly beneficial?

…Over the past decade, a healthy embrace of sex as an everyday part of human living has morphed, Fifty Shades of Grey-style, into the pursuit of ever more extreme sexual exploits, including painful, or sometimes even deadly, sex.

In the name of sex positivity, youths are handed sex-work toolkits as part of their £9,250-a-year undergraduate packages.

And young people’s minds are increasingly being polluted by pornography, a problem both pop singer Billie Eilish and children’s charity Barnardo’s have recently drawn attention to.

Indeed, exposure to pornography has been proven over and over again to compromise young people’s early sexual experiences, sometimes even paving the way for abuse. Yet still porn ambushes children at every turn.

Until not so long ago, sex was kept out of sight. If you wanted to seek out sexually explicit imagery, you’d have to look for it in the X-rated section of a shady video store.

But no more.