I Don’t Believe in “Waiting Till Marriage”: A Brief Reflection on Sexuality and Spirituality
Words matter. Sometimes in our attempts to address one concern we end up communicating the wrong message. So what does “wait till marriage” mean? The intention is noble: sexual intercourse has its proper place in marriage and should be reserved for this relationship. And yet the message has unintended consequence. Among other things, it communicates that in marriage sexual intercourse is an entitlement.
I started to reflect on this again as I was reading Singled Out: Why Celibacy Must Be Reinvented in Today’s Church (Christine a. Colon & Bonnie E. Field). The message “wait till marriage” makes marriage the day when all will be well and good. It makes marriage the goal to strive for. Not getting married or not having children makes a person a failure. The unintended message is not about sex but the role of marriage in our evangelical community. The unmarried are not honoured. They are a problem to be solved with marriage. It got me thinking.
As I think back on my life and reflect on the stories of many others, learning to live a mature sexual life had some of its greatest challenges in marriage, not before marriage. The very fact that in marriage that there are two people with differing desires at any moment, that circumstances are not always conducive to sexual activity, that excitement of sexual activity wears off with time, and that married sex does not have the same biology of risk challenges the sex within marriage. There is a reason why pornography is so prevalent and the language of the “seven year itch” or “mid-life crisis” is part of the story of our culture. Married sex is a problem too.
The language “to wait until marriage” addresses none of it. Healthy sexuality (not sex) starts before marriage and exists outside of marriage. I believe we need to address at these following concerns:
1. Biology: risk and its related excitement have a biology that rewards. This is not limited to sex, but to numerous activities. The biology that rewards easily leads to addiction. When related to sexual activity, it also diminishes our ability to form deep and lasting bonds. See Hooked: New Science on How Casual Sex is Affecting Our Children (Joe S. McIlhaney, jr)
2. Healthy relationships insist on good boundaries. It is not just the yes that is important but the no. Dealing with no is an essential part of a healthy sexuality and a mature spirituality.
3. Healthy spirituality and relationships require that we “have the attitude of Christ.” (Phil 2) This is a way of being with others and honouring others. This is required for mature relationships – in marriage, in friendships and in community.
4. Our mission is not to satisfy our desires but to serve Christ. As William B. Irvine (On Desire) would say the worst way to find happiness is to satisfy every desire of our heart. The best way is to want what we already have. Putting our desires in their proper place is part of spiritual maturity.
What we communicate by simply saying “wait to marriage” for sexual intercourse fails to develop the understanding of sexual maturity required and the spiritual maturity for which we hope – married or single. Do not commit adultery simply tells us there is a limit. We simply say "There is good and there is sin". That is the just beginning point.
On our spiritual journey, we do soul work. In our sexuality there are dynamics worth exploring. Our sexuality allows us to explore our spirituality. Our spirituality gives us resources to put our sexuality in the proper place. Desire, having the attitude of Christ, boundaries, and biology are all deeply connected to our spirituality. This is what we need to speak about with our members. Saying “Waiting for Marriage” simply does not give the spiritual foundational for a mature Christian life in dealing with our sexuality.
Comments
Great thoughts and biblical reference, I might add that we should also adress the sexual issues in the older population also. I know through my ms the wide variety of issues arise amoung mature relationships. Biblical guidence on these subgects is difficult and as laymen, we need you guys to flush these issues from a Biblical perspetive. Song of Solmon describes a lot about a healthy seuallity while in love ordained relationship. Also God is love which should encourage people to Biblicly understand that sexual expression is the end but one of many forms expressing our love esch other.
I thought that i would through out some idea's not ideals. Would be interested if others would comment if there is validity in these idea's. Or am I lost in space again. Thanks Brothers
Very thoughtful article and comments. I honestly wish I would have been taught much more about sex before I got married (I'm still sort of a newly-wed at five years of marriage). As a man I had a million misconceptions about what sex is and isn't. The little knowledge I had came from friends at school and the Internet (obviously not the best places to gather information on the subject). My parents never really talked much about it, even though my mom is a nurse. At church, all I ever heard were comments like, "Wait until your married." or "It's something special that you will get to enjoy after you are married."
Don't get me wrong, I am extremely grateful for the boundaires set in the bible. I honestly don't think you could get even half of the full joy that comes from sex if this sacred act is performed outside of marriage. Anyways, I would have loved to have had a class or two taught about the subject so I didn't have so many misconcpetions. I'm still getting over some of them. I'm reading a book on the subject that I think is very helpful (at least for those who are married--it seems like it would be applicable for those who are getting ready to be married as well). The book is called Sexual Intimacy in Marriage by William Cutrir. He is an Ob-gyn and he is a man of faith. He uses both medical information and scriptures to talk about the subject. I'm only about 100 pages in, but so far it has been very helpful for my wife and I.




