THE PULSE
BITS / BLIPS / BEATS / BLURBS
Messy Subject
FROM THE EDITOR
BY ROB HORSLEY
EDITOR’S DESK / Talking about, or in this case, writing about sex can be tricky— especially when you know your father-in-law is reading. (Hi, Dad.) After all, as much as we love our grandbabies, nobody really wants to think about where they came from… Joking aside, it’s time once again for “The Sex Issue.” And there’s a lot of bad ways we can talk about sex. From crass jokes, to gender stereotypes, to utter insensitivity to the very real struggles of very real people, sex is indeed a hot-button topic. Sometimes, it’s best to proceed with caution. For those who’ve been around a while, it might seem like things are in a tailspin right now. Attitudes and opinions towards issues of sex, even from within the Christian community, are more noticeably splitting. Things we thought we knew in years past have (perhaps) suddenly become a whole lot murkier. The times, most certainly, are a-changin’. Sex evokes a lot of strong opinions, and perhaps it ought to. After all, it’s one of the most intimate and personal expressions of our humanness we can offer. So for the religiously-minded, it makes sense that we would seek to keep our conversations about sex, our understandings of sex, and our ideals about sex in a realm associated with purity, sanctity, and holiness. Take homosexuality for instance: it’s important that in the midst of our conversations about a very touchy subject that we continue to talk to each other, and not past each other. Clearly, there is room for gentleness in discussions such as these. Let me be clear: ideals about sex are good things to strive for. The fact that we are concerned enough to express an opinion,
There is most definitely a wrong way to say the right thing.
10 SEVEN NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015
perhaps a disagreeable one, in regards to sexuality shows that we recognize its importance. But as with any disagreement on any subject, it is important that we keep our bearings in how we express our beliefs about sex, and in particular, sexual sin. It does no good to express truth, if the way we express that truth is in such a way that it will fall upon closed ears. Whether it’s same-sex marriage, sex addiction, lust, or the bedroom practices between a husband and wife, it’s important that we don’t go off the rails in how we communicate our opinions. As anyone who’s ever been misunderstood by their spouse (ie. every married person ever) will know, there is most definitely a wrong way to say the right thing. People of various political stripes will often cite the woman caught in adultery as a biblical example of how we ought to proceed in conversations about sex. Some might see it as a calling to hold fast to what is true—don’t budge. Hold the line. Others might say it’s a reminder to emphasize compassion and forgiveness above the call to a pharisaic understanding of righteousness. But, as is often the case, perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between. While it is indeed true that Jesus commanded the woman to “go and sin no more,” it’s important that we recognize the component of compassion that lies at the heart of this story. Whether we differ in the particulars or the essentials, there’s a call to love that can’t be divorced from how we engage with the world around us, as skewed as it may be. Sex can be a messy subject, and while we’re bound to disagree at one point or another, we hope the message we present here, now, in this edition of SEVEN that you hold in your hands, embodies the gentleness and love that has so graciously been extended to us by God, and God alone. Sometimes it’s as important to say things well than to say good things. / RH