If there ever was a wake up call to the church about sex and pleasure it is now. The once bankrupt Penthouse which was bought up in 2004 by a group of investors has now bought up $500 million dollars worth of internet sites that focus social networking. Their target market is 18-34 year old men who are wanting sexual media and online access. Other than yelling about censoring the ‘net, how will the churches respond? What does the Church offer this audience that would satisfy their need and desire for sexual intimacy? for sexual openness? for (perhaps) deeper and more meaningful sexual experiences? Telling them to come to church and meet a nice woman and then get married whereupon fireworks will happen is just not going to do it…obviously, since that has been the dominant message for centuries. If the Church has nothing to teach positively to unmarried people about sex and sexual satisfaction, then we have no right to complain when enterprizing investors use pornography and the latest technology to present sexuality in ways that are usually dehumanizing, sexist and mechanistic devoid of any relational quality in order to make their fortunes even larger. Guess who is shaping the views of our culture (and the world?) on sex? It sure isn’t the Church!
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