I wonder if we might say, all these years later, that the young man is seeking "a god", but that the god he seeks is not the One who saves?
Whatever the case, what has become abundantly clear is that in our post-modern-turned-post-Christian, even post-secular culture (as Dr. Peter Jones suggests), a distorted understanding and valuation of sex drives much of American life.
In light of this undeniable truth, some might be tempted to suggest, in a moment of sobriety, that our culture has valued sex too highly. But, in keeping with what C.S. Lewis wrote, I would agree that we're too easily pleased.
Here's what Lewis so cogently had to say:
It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by an offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. (The Weight of Glory)
In our American context, one of the many results of the sexual revolution of the 1960s has been a steady unbridling of the human heart's propensity to turn good things into god-like things. There are many examples of this phenomena, but sex possesses a unique, spiritual significance over the heart that is not easily surpassed.
Indeed, as Taylor goes on to write, "Sex is designed to be a pointer to God, not a substitute for God" [emphasis added].
In my counseling ministry, I frequently meet with men, even Christian men, who find themselves wrapped up in a life of secrecy, and shame as sexual sin engulfs their thoughts, their speech, and their actions. The end begins with enslavement, job loss, relational disfunction, and martial destruction. Estrangement from the life of Christ is the greatest risk of all (1 Cor. 6:9).
While more women than ever are thought to struggle against this pervasive sin pattern in their own lives, conventional wisdom, and my own counseling experience tells me that men continue to be those most at risk, with their families living in the fallout.
One researcher, quoted in an article at the Huffington Post, quipped, "We started our research seeking men in their twenties who had never consumed pornography. We couldn't find any."
To this end, and because the mission at Baylight is to assist the church in its mission of making disciples, I'm embarking on the research, design, and development of a seminar project that will help cultivate in men a biblical, Gospel-saturated theology of sex.
This project will be much more than a list of "thou shall" and "thou shall not" imperative commands. Instead, it will assume that the men of our generation, in large measure, have never considered the good, and deeply theological purposes for which God created sex, and why, when experienced within those constructs, it offers us much more than "mud pies" in a spiritual slum.
Upon completion, we will offer this seminar project to local churches as a discipling event, targeting, in particular, men's groups.
The goal is to guide men away from the deceptive lies of the "pornification" of America, and towards the savoring of Christ in the sacredness of sex.
If this project, for any reason, is of interest to you, would you consider assisting me, commissioning me, if you will, by way of a tax-deductible gift, today?
I anticipate that this project will take 6-8 weeks to adequately research, design, write, and prepare for presentation. The financial goal for the funding of this important project is $5,000.00. Your gift will take this project from concept, to completion, and will help deliver the help that men throughout our community and beyond desperately need.
I expect, as well, that as the material is delivered, men will come forward seeking biblical counseling for their own unique sexual sin issues. It's my desire to see them experience the life transformation that can only be had by the application of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to their lives (Romans 1:16).
Together, and with the Holy Spirit's guidance, we can make a difference in the lives of individuals, and families.
"Everywhere you look in the world, it seems, there are reminders that life is war. We are not playing games. Heaven and hell, Jesus says, are in the balance." John Piper, Sex and the Supremacy of Christ
