Authentic Human Sexuality

Few contemporary issues can generate as much heat and conflict as those having to do with human sexuality. Just when the Christian church is becoming more vocal in affirming a biblical standard of sexual relationships, reports show that 3 out of 4 single adults will engage in sexual intercourse before they reach age twenty, 1 in 2 will cohabit before marriage, and 25 percent of men and 15 percent of women will have already engaged in extramarital sex. Controversy continues over homosexuality, including debates over causation, legitimization and the ability to change orientation. Easy access to pornography on the Internet is a serious problem, accompanied by an ever-increasing bombardment of other pornographic materials and increased reports of sexual addiction even in the Christian community. Perhaps most disturbing of all are the high rates of uninvited and nonconsensual sex that are reported, especially by women, ranging from sexual harassment to sexual abuse, rape and other violent sex crimes. At the heart of the issue is a contemporary struggle to define the meaning of human sexuality. Most needed, we believe, is a forthright and clearly articulated affirmation by the Christian community of the biblical meaning of sexuality. In this book we integrate evidence from biological, psychological and sociocultural factors with a biblical perspective in order to define and identify authentic human sexuality. - Introduction.