In societies that prioritize marriage, citizens are better able to restrain their physical appetites and focus social energy on building the future. In short, sexual “freedom” leads, eventually, to social exhaustion and eventual decline. From impulse purchases to hyper-sexualization to boredom with even short silences, ours is a civilization focused on living in the moment rather than building for the future.

Champions of the sexual revolution have long effectively described Christianity, not only as prudish and patriarchal, but as an impediment to sexual freedom. This may be changing, however. In a fascinating exchange a few years ago on the Unbelievable podcast, historian and author Tom Holland argued that Christianity was not a force for sexual oppression, but rather a force for sexual liberation.  

In the pagan world, men had the power to use women and children in any way they wanted. Christianity, Holland went on to say, offered a “radical reconfiguration of what people … (would) come to think about sex and come to think about marriage.” Christianity’s esteem for moral restraint, chastity, marital fidelity, procreation, and human dignity all revolutionized societal expectations, including that husbands should honor their wives and children in sacrificial commitment. Women heard for the first time that they were equal to men in the eyes of their Creator, Who had made them in His image, body and spirit. 

A central question for Christians today is whether the revolutionary potential of our faith is limited to the ancient past. Today, we are just as saddled with degrading ideas about sexuality, freedom, and human value; ideas that pose significant risk to the long-term health of our society. Could the biblical view of these things spark a new, life-giving sexual revolution?  

In the 1930s, the British anthropologist Jospeh Unwin studied every civilization of which records were available. He observed that throughout history, those civilizations with a strong sexual ethic tied to marriage were more productive and prosperous than those that lacked any kind of sexual ethic tied to marriage. The reason, Unwin argued, is that those societies which accept higher levels of so-called sexual “freedom” lack social energy. Their energy is consumed by attempts to satiate physical appetites.

Read More