More on the Difficult Topic of Sexuality in Christian Fiction

 
"Do you have any idea what sex is?"

Maybe I'm taking this the wrong way, but by asking this question, it seems like you're suggesting I don't understand the greater metaphor God has created sex to be. Of course I know what sex is, what it represents, and that it's more than just getting jiggy!

While I'm not trying to be mean here, you admitted in an earlier post that you are a virgin, thus have not experienced the intensity of sexuality itself. It's my assertion that, while you may think you know what sex is in the analytical/theoretical sense, you might want to wait until you've had a chance to really become one with your wife before you ask such a brash question of someone who is a 12-year veteran of those feelings. Please don't think I'm angry (I know you don't like my perpetual disclaimers, but there it is ;-) about this. I'm just trying to be dispassionately analytical about the logical argument you're making.

"It is a story that God tells to individuals and to couples, and while we may point to the parable, we should not try to tell it ourselves."

Are you saying we should just let people figure out questions about sexuality by inference, stumble upon them themselves at random, and--if they still have questions--"don't ask me!" and go to an instruction manual written by a licensed marriage counselor or psychologist? That authors have nothing (and should have nothing) to say on the matter? This argument is not at all new. It has been around for a very long time and is well-documented in literature, pamphlets, and other written material from the Victorian era in Britain. Unfortunately, a great many (quite possibly the vast majority of) Christians will never discuss sexuality with anyone in their church unless there is a serious problem--and maybe not even then.

Carrying your argument to its logical conclusion, should Christian authors stay silent on any action God took on their behalf or for their own, customized benefit, even though that "testimony" might give hope and encouragement to others? God reveals many things to individuals which are personalized for their own use. We, as a Church, adore testimonies, which are nothing short of a recounting of personalized, individual actions that God took to help them or teach them something. Testimonies could easily be the logical equivalent of what you argue God teaches us about sexuality.

If your logic that says sexuality has no place in Christian fiction is applied fairly to other topics Christian authors write about, then our pool of potential material would be severely limited, would mean a great deal of excellent literature written by Christians might become heretical, and much of what we might write would be of little relevance to people who don't experience spirituality as intensely as we do. I also think that such topics would require readers to have a fairly comprehensive understanding of spiritual matters to grasp what we would be saying--if we wanted to go any deeper than "See Spot run." I'm sure some will accuse me of being simplistic and obtuse for the sake of argument. They'd probably be right. But you get my point, no? ;-)

Our potential readers will get discussions of what sexuality "should" entail. If Christian authors are utterly silent on this topic then the only thing they have to compare their own experiences to is the secular world--which has no qualms at discussing carnality.

I guess the bottom line is: I think the aversion to sexuality in Christian fiction you suggest is just too puritanical.

Keep in mind: my opinion is worth what you pay for it :-)