Blog

by Bill Seng

Last year, a well-known politician was confronted by a reporter after he announced that he was going to run for the nomination for President of the United States of America. The reporter was well aware that this particular candidate was a devout evangelical Christian and thus felt it was his duty to trap this politician in his words. So the reporter immediately asked the politician the single most destructive question a conservative Christian candidate could be asked: “What do you think about same-sex marriage?” Without missing a beat, the politician replied, “Why are you people [the media] so obsessed about sex?” I’m sorry to say, it’s not just the media, it’s also our culture.

Asherah is the pagan goddess of motherhood and fertility. Fertility is a very natural idol that one would desire to worship. It is a blessing you want when you plant crops, hence the Asherah pole that would be erected as a symbol of fertilizing the crops. In olden days, people desired to have large families. But let’s be honest, the worship of fertility is really no more than a cleverly disguised practice that gives men (and some women) the excuse to experience one of the most wonderful blessings mankind has been given, but to do so outside of the boundaries God has set in place: the joy of sexual intercourse.

C. S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, likens sexual obsession to food obsession. He describes an auditorium full of people all watching and waiting for a gentleman carrying a covered food tray. Inside the tray is roasted chicken (or something of that sort) and every time the gentleman would lift the tray to reveal a part of the chicken, the crowd would start hooting and hollering as though they were experiencing something wonderful. Is there anything wrong with chicken? No. Is there anything wrong with eating chicken? No. But don’t you think that there is something just a little bizarre about the man who becomes an uncontainable wild animal at the mere sight of chicken? That’s a little messed up.

Likewise when it comes to sex. The opposite gender is good. Sex is good. But when people become uncontrollable wild animals at the mere exposure of a little bit of skin? That’s a little messed up. The more that we neglect God’s boundaries on sex, the more like wild animals we become and the more difficult it becomes to see a God who possesses infinitely more wisdom than ourselves.

Our culture has idolized sex. We aren’t the first culture to do so and we won’t be the last. Europe has obsessed over sex so much that its common place to see naked people and prostitutes wandering about. The Middle East has obsessed over sex so much that as soon as a woman reveals a little bit of skin, every man within a thousand-mile radius feels like he has an obligation to sexually engage her. America obsesses over sex so much that it has been a marketing gimmick that is exploited for the sake of making money. You’ve heard the slogan: “Sex sells.” Right?

Israel fell victim to sexual worship in Biblical times. God set them apart to be a holy people, but they started to mix and mingle with the locals of Canaan and before you would have known it, they were erecting perverse Asherah poles and worshipping the local goddess. Worship of sex goddesses is a normal pagan practice that typically comes complete with temples dedicated to them. Inside of these temples were prostitutes, consecrated for the sake of sexual worship as other women’s husbands came in to “pay their respects” to sexual idols.

If I have not made it clear yet, worshipping sex is not just accomplished through wooden idols, temples, and the purchasing of sexual favors. You might be worshipping a sexual idol and you don’t even know it. Excuse me for a moment while I get rated “R” for a few sentences. Do you use sexual toys to bring yourself pleasure? Do you masturbate? Do you live with a boyfriend or girlfriend? Do you exchange sexual favors on a regular basis (including oral sex, making out, or other non-literal sexual favors)? Do you put a homosexual, bisexual, transgender, or other alternative sexuality above God’s design for sex and marriage? Do you watch pornography?

Friends, I do not mention these things to guilt anyone or to come across as self-righteous or perfect. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 states, “Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders…will inherit the kingdom of God.” Then, verse 11 reminds its readers, “And that is what some of you were.” I think that most, if not all, of us have fallen prey to sexual idolatry at some point in our lives. Maybe you have fallen prey to it today. My message to you is that God loves you, but he hates your sin because he knows it is leading you to death and separation from him.

His desire is that you repent of your sin. Do you struggle with repentance? I might suggest you confess your sin with a close friend. Satan loses his stronghold in our lives when we bring our sins to light, and you will be amazed how much easier it is to overcome temptation after you have confessed your guilt with someone else who does not condemn you. Our call is to live holy lives, free of idols. Sexuality has indeed become an idol in our country. As this politician has stated, it appears as though sex is the end-all-be-all of human existence to the snobbish elite class in this country. Don’t be like them. They aren’t happy with their lives anyway.

This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration.  All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved.  Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.