The Church’s Obsession with Sexual Sin

Barely a month goes by without some news item about a sex scandal involving a Christian leader. In the first few days of October Christianity Today reported on disturbing allegations surrounding Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias and the BBC published an article about the Church of England fostering a culture which allowed sexually deviant clergy to remain in pastoral leadership.

Now, to be sure, the media loves a hypocrite, so I can’t really say how sex scandals in the Church compare with sex scandals outside the Church, but anyone who’s been going to Church for any length of time knows that sexual prohibitions hold a particular fascination in the Church and present a regular stumbling block for our leaders.

I would guess that patriarchy in Christianity contributes to this obsession, as well as doctrines in some traditions surrounding celibacy or birth control. Somewhere very early in the history of the Church, not having any sex got equated with greater holiness. Maybe these things have fueled our fascination with sexual sin. (Is there a term in psychology for telling someone what NOT to do so frequently and so loudly that it becomes the very thing one can’t stop thinking about?)

Jesus almost never taught on sexual sin. He addresses adultery and divorce on a few occasions. In one of them, men bring a woman caught in adultery to be judged by Jesus. Instead of castigating her he extends mercy to her. The men accusing the woman become the object of Jesus’ scrutiny instead.

Jesus, it would seem, was not nearly so obsessed with sexual sin as the Church appears to be.

I think it’s OK to have sexual mores. Most every culture on the planet has strictly defined do’s and don’ts around sex. I actually agree with the ones in orthodox Christianity and I lament the tragic abuses which have plagued Christian leaders. But if the teachings of Jesus are any indication, the Church gives way more air time to this particular spiritual danger than to other spiritual dangers. By my count, Jesus teaches five times more frequently about the dangers of pursuing wealth and possessions than he does about sex.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth,” Matt 6:19; “You cannot serve both God and wealth,” Matt 6:24, “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed,” Luke 12:15; “… none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.” Luke 14:33. Etc. Etc. Etc. When Jesus sent out the disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of God, he stripped them of their dependence on possessions and money. He drove out those who had turned God’s house into a marketplace. Jesus told parables about, building bigger barns to store wealth and rich men in Hell alongside beggars in heaven, all with a concern to spare his followers the spiritual toxicity of materialism.

What if the Church has succumbed to a more dangerous seduction than sexual sin? Perhaps we should be less concerned about who are neighbors is in bed with and more concerned about who are banks are in bed with.

This is not to say that all financial transactions are immoral any more than all sexual transactions are immoral. It’s just to recognize that the Church preaches far more about the dangers of sex than about the dangers of pursuing money and possessions.

For instance, any images that might be construed as sensual (usually just from a male standpoint) will likely never be seen in most churches. Certainly no explicit magazines. But I’d guess many churches would have no problems with magazines like Fortune or Money in their fellowship hall. In some congregations there are outright calls to pursue luxury and comfort as our God given birthright.

Have we strained out a gnat but swallowed a camel?

Church leaders need accountability over how their power is used, including sexual exploitation. But warnings over the misuse of our coins ought to exceed the warnings over the misuse of our loins.