There have been major shifts in society’s norms for sexual behaviour since the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s, and now the Church finds itself sharply at odds with the wider culture, which doesn’t see the relevance of the Bible’s teaching in this area. The Church itself has not reacted well to the changes of the last 50 years. It has often been harshly critical of the sexual standards it sees around it, but has not explained biblical teaching properly – meaning it is typically seen as judgmental or prejudiced. Alternatively, the lack of clear teaching means it has taken on the values of the culture around it, so that there is little distinctive about the Church in this area. Consequently, this is also an area which will have affected many Christians.

Other resources

Guy Brandon, Just Sex: Is it ever just sex? (IVP, 2009)

Dale Kuehne, Sex and the iWorld: Rethinking relationship beyond an age of individualism (Baker Academic, 2009)

1 Corinthians 5-7: three Bible studies and leaders’ notes to supplement Just Sex (Jubilee Centre, 2009)