PAULSGROVE BAPTIST  CHURCH

Love matters

Exploring the Song of Songs

Sex is not something we talk about publicly and it is right that too much information crosses the boundary of what is acceptable. But too little information or openness leads to all sorts of challenges too. The church does not have a good record in teaching sex well. There is a whole book in the Bible given over to good sex. It is the least read or taught book in the whole Bible. Ask any group of Bible teaching church leaders who has preached the Song of Songs you can lay a certain bet that it will be less than one or two!

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Our society has become one in which sexual activity of any description between consenting adults has become acceptable. The Bible’s teaching is seen as outdated and it’s instruction by the church is seen as irrelevant and intolerant at best; bigoted, intolerant at worst. God’s gift to men and women in the creation of sexual chemistry and the framework for it to be enjoyed in a committed relationship between a man and a woman is no longer seen as something good.

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Given the sexual freedom in western society we would imagine that sexual relationships would be more fulfilling. We would expect there to be less sexual crime. We would expect there to be a very different world than the one we experience. Buy any newspaper and see how many sex related articles recount pain and suffering. I did so on Dec 1st and on a train journey to London I found 6 and that was not reading the Sun, the Mirror or the Daily Mail! If this openness to sexual expression is not bringing a better sexual experience is there something better?

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As Christians we have something valuable and better to offer. We need to regain our voice. We need our Christian community to live out Biblical values and be salt and light to those around us. How do we do that? We begin by opening God’s word and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us to understand why God created sex and how we live out our sexuality. We begin to break down the taboos, talking about sex and we commit to support one another. Sexual relationships are rightly private but we need to understand that although private they have an impact on those around us.

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This will not be a comfortable or easy series but as an eldership we feel it is timely and important enough to risk the challenges that will be experienced.

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