Tag: sex
I Was Surprised When this Highly Respected Institution Said Encouraging Youth Transgenderism is a Form of Child Abuse
Posted on March 30, 2016 in Public Policy, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
A court finds living as a boy when you are a girl is punishable by jail time. The American College of Pediatrics believes advocating for youth transgenderism is “child abuse.” And I am really confused by it all.
As you probably know, there is a massive push to “support” youth transgenderism. Schools and other public facilities are being pressured to allow transgender students to use whatever bathroom and locker room they want. Apparently they think it’s a great idea to let hormone-driven boys into girls bathrooms and locker rooms. Since everyone now has cell phones with cameras you can only imagine the privacy and safety issues that will no doubt result in such actions. Nonetheless, the push continues because: equality.
The media has been focused on North Carolina where a “controversial” bill to require people to use bathrooms and locker rooms according to their biological sex has been passed. There has been nationwide outcry from media and activists saying that this a form of discrimination. Again, some people think allowing anyone to use any facility they choose simply by claiming to be the opposite sex is a good idea. I’m sure pedophiles and sex offenders do think it’s a good idea. However, common sense says that such measures are absurd, at best.
Let’s Not Forget About the Asexual Among Us? They Want us to Know They Don’t Care About Sex…or Something Like That.
Posted on December 14, 2015 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
It seems everyone these days is interested in sex in some way. Whether we’re talking about heterosexual, homosexual, bi-sexual or transsexual; everyone is interested in sex in one way or another. Everyone except for…the asexual person.
Asexuality is defined as follows:
“the lack of sexual attraction to anyone, or low or absent interest in sexual activity. It may be considered the lack of a sexual orientation, or one of the variations thereof, alongside heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality. It may also be an umbrella term used to categorize a broader spectrum of various asexual sub-identities.”
Most of us will have a hard time comprehending a life where sex is of absolutely no interest. We can’t begin to understand what it would be like to live with no attraction to anyone. And in our highly sexualized culture the idea that someone is entirely unconcerned with sex is even harder to understand. But there may be value in understanding this sexual orientation sub-culture and what part, if any, they play in the ongoing discussions of gender, sexuality, and marriage.
I’ll Tell You Exactly What I Think of Starbucks and Their Red Cups
Posted on November 16, 2015 in Marriage, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Last week the country flipped out over the decision by Starbucks to use red cups for Christmas this year. Accusations of religious persecution and limiting free speech abounded as self-proclaimed Christians blasted Starbucks for the red cup design. Social media lit up and arguments got heated as “offended” people made their feelings known.
Despite employees saying that Starbucks has never prohibited them from saying “Merry Christmas,” some urged patrons to tell their barista their name was “Merry Christmas” so they would have to write it on the cup and say it. Hilarity and absurdity ensued from there.
Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed as Christians reminded us all that they were there to get a cup of coffee, not be evangelized or reminded of the true meaning of Christmas. Some even cautioned us from expecting a secular organization to act religious or in any way celebrate Christmas in a biblical way. Good advice.
Down the Drain: University Reverses Gender-Neutral Bathroom Decision for the Reason You are Probably Thinking
Posted on October 21, 2015 in Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
I just don’t understand this. This makes no sense.
The University of Toronto is changing its bathroom policy and reducing the number of gender-neutral bathrooms. Why in the world would anyone want to do that? Don’t they want to be “all-inclusive” and make transgender people feel welcome in any bathroom they choose to use?
In fact, the University of Toronto set out to do just that. They eliminated all male and all female bathrooms in order to accommodate transgender students. A move that was praised by everyone that thought making men and women share bathrooms was a good idea. Of course, only people with an incredible lack of common sense would think such an idea was good. And wouldn’t you know it, the people that said it was a terrible idea and warned that incidents of voyeurism and peeping (or worse) could occur, seem to be right.
Yep, you guessed it. Not long after the University of Toronto mandated that men and women share a bathroom and several reports of voyeurism happened.
According to an article at The Star, several women reported seeing cell phones peek above the shower stalls attempting to get images and videos of them showering. The article states:
Evangelist Says His New Movie Will Change How People Think About Homosexuality
Posted on July 13, 2015 in Marriage by Nathan Cherry
Evangelist Ray Comfort is known for walking around talking to people about the Ten Commandments on camera. He records the exchanges and puts them online in order to train people on one way to effectively share the Gospel. But his latest project has the potential to stir far more controversy.
Comfort has launched a new movie called “Audacity” – a movie about the biblical teaching on homosexuality.
While he was initially unsure about producing the movie, Comfort finally agreed and said the movie is nothing like anyone is expecting a Christian movie on this touchy subject to be. He recently said in an interview that the movie is “nothing like you would expect from a Christian movie about the subject of homosexuality.”
Comfort believes this movie will provide a new perspective to people, especially people supporting same-sex “marriage” or those believing people are born gay. Comfort said:
“There is a delightful portion in the movie where you watch pro-gay people change their minds on camera about the issue of whether or not homosexuals are born that way,” Comfort said. “This is simply because they were given another perspective. So, I think that there’s going to be a lot of mind-changing going on after people have watched.”
Did You Know Abstinence Is The Best Way to Avoid STD’s?
Posted on June 15, 2015 in Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
Common sense would dictate that the best way to avoid things like pregnancy and STD’s is abstinence. After all, if you are not having sex, it would be hard to get pregnant or get a disease transmitted by having sex. Right?
Well, for a number of years the current administration has been trying to convince us that abstinence is one option, but it’s not the best. They want us to consider condoms, and birth control as some of the best ways to avoid these issues.
It’s hard to take seriously anyone that argues condoms over abstinence as a more effective preventative against STD’s. But finally some common sense has kicked in and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has made a two-word change that makes all the difference.
As reported by LifeNews:
How Will Christians Respond to Bruce Jenner?
Posted on June 10, 2015 in Sexuality, Theology by Nathan Cherry
Let’s not pretend that everyone hasn’t seen the Vanity Fair cover featuring acclaimed Olympian Bruce Jenner. Let’s start off being honest enough to admit that we’ve seen it, considered it, and have many mixed emotions and thoughts about it.
Now that we are on the same page about a magazine cover that will become an iconic American symbol (whether we like it or not), we can begin discussing the proper response to it.
As is often the case, our initial response to shocking things can be less than our best. We need time to process things, to fully consider the ramifications, and to understand the details in order to prepare a response. We’ve reached that time. The magazine cover is so widely circulated now that at some point you will be asked if you’ve seen it, and what your thoughts are. Are you prepared for that question?
First, we have to understand the cultural push to recreate “normal.” This isn’t the 50’s when it was as simple as boys are boys and girls are girls. The new normal is nothing less than a full frontal assault on gender and sexuality such as has never been seen in history. Boys are now boys that identify at times as girls, while girls are attracted to other girls. And any combination and variation on that you can imagine is not only happening, it’s hip.
Even Bruce Jenner, in a promo video for his new reality series about his dramatic journey has proclaimed that he is, in fact, the “new normal.” If he is the new normal, how are we to respond with love and compassion to a culture that sees deviant behavior as both acceptable and celebrated?
A good place to start is an article found at The Gospel Coalition. The article puts forth a solid starting point for responding to questions about Bruce Jenner, the Vanity Fair cover, and new cultural norms in general. The article has three simple thoughts it asks us as Christians to keep in mind when we are faced with the need to respond to our culture. Those three simple thoughts are:
The Church is Partially to Blame for Efforts to Redefine Marriage
Posted on May 20, 2015 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
Abigail Rine is a professor of English at George Fox University. Each year she hands out a reading assignment to her gender theory students designed to provoke them. She recently decided to assign the book “What Is Marriage” by noted Princeton professor Robert P. George, Ryan T. Anderson, and Sherif Girgis. The book is a simple explanation of the conjugal view of traditional marriage.
Rine reports that the book, which is a manual of sorts on the traditional view of marriage as it relates to procreation, was offensive to her evangelical students at her evangelical university. Let that sink in for a moment.
But Rine said something that needs to be admitted: the church helped create the effort to redefine marriage.
I don’t mean that the church altered biblical teaching or even advocated marriage redefinition. Certainly some churches have done this but the vast majority of churches today continue to adhere to traditional biblical teaching of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. What I mean is that how the church handled the issue of marriage and sexuality in past decades aided the rise of marriage redefinition efforts.
Rine writes:
After 400 Hours of Porn – A Woman Quits for God
Posted on March 17, 2015 in Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
A growing problem in our society is women addicted to porn. Traditionally this has been a male problem, but our over-sexualized culture has led to a dramatic rise in women that are struggling with porn addiction.
A British vlogger named Oghosa Ovienrioba shared a video about her particular struggle with porn. What makes her video so relatable is that she is 1) a woman, and 2) candid about her addiction starting as a result of abuse.
What is becoming clearer is that porn addiction and childhood sexual abuse are intricately connected. More than just a few people have realized their abuse and their addiction to porn are linked. So much so that studies are being done to understand how they are connected. Ovienrioba is no exception to this trend and shares in the video – posted below – how her own abuse led to consuming hours of porn each day.
“When I was about 15 or 16, I started watching porn much more regularly and this time it didn’t shock me as much. The thing about porn is, it works on desensitizing…When you see people, you don’t even see people anymore. You see them as sex objects.”
Why Christians Seeing 50 Shades of Grey Should Be Embarrassed (and Repent) – Part 2
Posted on February 19, 2015 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
Yesterday I posted part 1 of this commentary – it’s a good place to start.
Fight The New Drug is a group whose mission “is to use science, facts, and personal accounts to educate on the harmful effects of pornography and sexual exploitation.” This is a secular group, not a religious group that believes (correctly) that pornography in any form – including literature – is harmful. Here’s what they had to say about the movie:
“We know that books can most definitely be pornographic. Especially books like Fifty Shades of Grey that contain a high amount of highly explicit and graphic sexual content. 42% of male students and 20% of women said they regularly read romance novels, sexually explicit magazines, or regularly visited sexually explicit forums or chat rooms. Literature like Fifty Shades of Grey is referred to as erotica and can be just as addictive and as harmful in warping ideas about sex and intimacy as porn videos/images.”
Yet another non-religious voice decrying 50 Shades of grey while Christians eagerly line up to watch it. Anyone else see the problem with that?
Fight The New Drug has also compiled a list – along with an infographic you can see below – of the harmful views espoused in 50 Shades: