The Case Against the Sexual Revolution

Part 1, Our Most Pressing Evangelistic Task

Today I am starting a new Friday series blogging through Louise Perry's book The Case Against the Sexual Revolution: A New Guide to Sex in the 21st Century. 

Upon reading The Case Against the Sexual Revolution my initial thought was to do a multi-part book review. But after some reflection, there was so much I wanted to share and say about the book I decided that such a series would be so long that it would be best to go slow and post these reflections on Fridays, where my very long multi-part series typically show up. 

Why spend Fridays blogging through The Case Against the Sexual Revolution?

Over the past few years, I've settled into two convictions. The first is that the sexual revolution, while liberating in many ways, has brought with it a suite of desolations. Desolations that I see in my college students and in the world at large. Given the cultural narratives regarding sex, these desolations are rarely mentioned or discussed. We just don't talk about the dark side of the sexual revolution. I'd like us to talk about that.

I'd like us to talk about this because my second conviction is that the church has failed to say anything compelling to the world about sex. To be sure, conservative Protestants and Catholics continue to preach a traditional Christian sexual ethic. But by and large, that message is not received as "Good News" by the culture at large, especially among the younger generations. The traditional Christian sexual ethic faces a very large persuasion gap. So large the gap seems to be insurmountable, to the point where many conservative Christians have just given up on the culture to become shrill and hysterical culture warriors. (Seriously, the hysteria on the Christian Right is just painful to behold.) 

Progressive Christians, by contrast, have nothing to say about sex, nothing that is different or distinctive from a liberal, humanistic perspective. As they generally do, progressive Christians default to the social justice consensus on such matters. Like many post-Christian elites, the main worry of progressive Christians about sex is shame and stigma, often originating in Christian "purity culture." Consequently, the "Good News" about sex from progressive Christianity is a sex positive message that has nothing to say about sex beyond the ethic of the sexual revolution: Get consent, and do what you will. Don't let shame or guilt get in your way. True to form, progressive Christians show up to conversations with nothing to say, nothing that hasn't been said a million times before. (Seriously, the irrelevancy of the Christian Left is just painful to behold.)

When it comes to sex, the church is failing the world. Progressive Christians have nothing to say, and conservative Christians (if they can stop yelling) are unable to say anything compelling or attractive. And yet, I do think some things need to be said about sex, things that sound like "Good News" to the world. In my estimation, the most pressing evangelistic task in a post-Christian world is the church sharing a compelling and distinctive vision of human sexuality.

I want to blog slowly through Louise Perry's book The Case Against the Sexual Revolution because I think the book can help the church with this evangelistic task. Not to put too fine a point on it, but before you can get to the "Good News" about sex you have to describe the bad news, the desolations of sex in the modern world I mentioned above. Perry's book describes these desolations better than any book I've ever read as she surveys the ruin wrought by the sexual revolution. If the church wants to start a conversation with the world about sex, Perry's book is the place to start.

Before you buy a copy of the book or share this post widely, two comments.

First, Perry is writing the book as a feminist and from a secular, feminist perspective. The Case Against the Sexual Revolution is not a Christian book. To be sure, there are many things in the book that converge upon traditional Christian messages about sex (for example, Chapter 8 is entitled "Marriage is Good"), but the book isn't written by a church person for church people. But in my estimation, this makes the book all the more persuasive, and Perry's feminism helps. By and large, conservative Christians tend to reject feminism, which is a large part of why no one in the culture will ever pay attention to them. Listen, I have many dear friends who are conservative Christians, but Lord, they are the most tone deaf people in the world. If you want to start a conversation with the world about the sexual revolution you have to start with a feminist critique, because the sexual revolution was supposed to be a revolution to liberate women. So that's where the conversation has to start, not with the Bible, but with the question Perry places at the center of her book: Has the sexual revolution been good for women? And the answer to that question has to come from within feminism itself, not from men quoting Bible verses. 

The second thing to note before ordering Perry's book is that the world of contemporary sexuality is very, very dark. As I've said, there are desolations here that no one much likes to talk about. Perry takes an unflinching look into that darkness. We must look as well if we want to start a conversation with the world about sex. Perry's chapters on pornography and the sex trade make for very raw, sexually explicit, and grim reading. Sensitive readers beware. If you've not looked deep into the world of say, PornHub, you're in for a bracing wake up call. The Case Against the Sexual Revolution tells the truth, but that truth is dark, and looking into the darkness can be difficult and traumatizing. But it is well past time to drag some dark things out into the light. Too much is at stake if we say nothing. 

To conclude, again, I think the church finding its voice and message when it comes to the sexual revolution is our most pressing evangelistic task. We can say many things about the gospel to the world, but if we can't say anything compelling about sex we just won't get a hearing. Sex is our great obstacle and challenge. And help is not coming from either conservative of progressive Christians, who have been abject failures when it comes to sharing Good News about sex. 

To be sure, I do despair at times that a better message might be found. But Perry's book gives me hope that there is a way to catch the attention of the culture, which is the vital first step. When people are hurting they tend to look from some relief. In that searching a conversation about sex can be had. Getting the church to that moment is what I hope this series can help with.