How and Why Pornography Hurts Marriage

A new article at the Harvest USA website on pornography and marriage.

Need freedom from darkness? Step into the light…, by Rev. David White

There was a time when interpersonal confession was a central part of the Christian faith. Confessing to your priest continues to be an important aspect in Roman Catholicism. Sadly, in most quarters of Protestantism, the centrality of formal confession has been jettisoned, replaced with a “just between me and Jesus” approach. Now, I understand the Protestant reaction against the distortions in Catholicism. Because we have a Great High Priest who lives forever interceding for his people, we no longer need a human mediator. Indeed, there is only “one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). A human priest cannot offer absolution for sins and assessing our sins with forms of penance flies in the face Christ’s finished work on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. But as we approach the 500th anniversary of the birth of the Reformation, I suggest that the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction. Realizing that we no longer need the institutional church to approach God, much of 21st century American Evangelicalism has lost perspective on the corporate reality of our faith, particularly true in the case of confession.

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Sermons from the Urban Ministry Conference, March 7, 2010

If you didn't get a chance to hear the sermons which concluded Tenth's Urban Ministry Conference or you want to listen again:

So You Want to Be Pure, Dr. Paul D. Tripp

Sex and the Allegiance of Your Heart, Rev. David White

What should I do if my husband or wife is caught in a pattern of sexual sin? by David White

There is probably nothing more painful in marriage than the revelation of your spouse’s sexual sin. It’s like having your heart ripped out and thrown into oncoming traffic. You are confronted with a life and relationship that was, in many respects, a mirage. You suddenly realize you’re married to someone you don’t really know. It is no surprise that when spouses are confronted with sexual sin in marriage, they often respond with symptoms akin to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder! The house of cards has tumbled down. The life you thought you had was a lie. It is a brutal place to be.

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The Mortification of Sin, by Dr. Philip G. Ryken

This past Sunday (2/28) Dr. Ryken preached a sermon on the mortification of sin from Romans 8:12-13.  It seemed pertinent to our discussion on this blog, so we have posted an excerpt below.  You can access the text of the entire sermon here or the audio and video here.

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A Level Playing Field, by Dr. Paul D. Tripp

One the most comforting things about the biblical diagnostic; sin and the Gospel cure; the cross of Jesus Christ, is that together they level the playing field.  We are all diagnosed with the very same spiritual disease and we are find hope in the very same cure.  Because of this, none of us can look at another as being more of a sinner than we are and none of can pride ourselves in having a cure that won’t work for another.  Permit me to explain.

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What does the Bible say about homosexuality? by David White

When it comes to emotionally charged issues in our culture, homosexuality may top the list. So the first thing we need to acknowledge is our temptation to approach this issue driven by our feelings, experiences and sociology rather than through careful biblical reflection. If we don’t personally experience same-sex attraction (though countless brothers and sisters in the Church do), nearly all of us have close friends, family members, neighbors, co-workers, etc. in the gay life. These relationships profoundly impact how we respond to this issue – we’ve heard their stories and empathize with their pain.

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Resisting - Not Repressing - Sexual Desires Gives Freedom and Self-Knowledge By John Freeman

MODERN psychology tells us, and indeed, our entire culture seeks to convince us, that it's not good to repress or deny our sexual urges and desires. They're seen by many as simple biological needs that demand expression; it's seen as unhealthy not to seek that expression.

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Is it helpful to live together before getting married? Dr. Philip G. Ryken

Is it helpful to live together before getting married?

I can think of several main reasons why couples might want to live together before getting married.

First, there is the obvious reason, which is to enjoy sexual intercourse.  This is reinforced by a social reason: “everyone’s doing it.”

Then there is what might be termed the practical reason: it is more cost-effective and convenient to manage one apartment than two.

Third, there is the prudential reason for cohabitation.  Many couples want to make sure they are making the right choice.  The last thing they want to do is end up in a divorce (or even worse, in the bad marriage that their parents had).  They believe that living together is the best way to test their compatibility and thus to make sure that they marry the right person.

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"Singleness and Chastity", Ellen Dykas – Harvest USA

Yeah yeah…singleness and the chastity thing. Blah blah blah right?!  We know, we know…hand’s OFF and clothes ON till we get married. We know already. Wellll…maybe a few more thoughts could be added. What follows has helpful for me as a 40-something, unmarried woman, who is desiring to live a chaste lifestyle as an overflow of a pure heart. Doing the thing perfectly? No, but by God’s grace I am walking towards Christlikeness.

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Who Struggles with Sexual Sin? by Rev. Marion Clark

Who struggles with sexual sin?

Well, I do. Ever since adolescence, I cannot think of a time that I have not struggled with sexual temptation and knowing the appropriate attitude and behavior to have. I suspect just about every man has similar struggle and even most women, though in different ways. One can, after all, be out of balanced both in obsessive behavior and in negative reaction against.

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Sex Gone Wrong, Dave White

God designed sexuality with a deeply theological context and a heart-shaping purpose. When sex goes wrong it loses the power and poignancy of God’s created intent, becoming instead a futile pursuit for satisfaction that constantly eludes and can become enslaving. To understand it’s brokenness we need to examine the design.

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Topics

If you want to know what topics we will be discussing on this blog, you can check out the schedule here.

Rehabbing Sex: "In the Beginning...", Dr. Paul D. Tripp

There is no word in the English language more in need of a complete rehab than the word “sex.” Speak the word on any corner in America and it won’t be heard with connotations of God-ward purity and pleasure. No, the word has been dented, damaged and debased by sin. It has been stained with connotations of junior high locker room giggles and middle-age auto-erotic late-night porn. It is connected with sleazy advertising and B-grade comedians going after the cheap laugh. Tattered, torn and rendered almost unusable, we must take back sex and restore to it the purity and glory that a wise and holy Creator had in mind when he designed a man and woman for an intimacy with one another that would bring honor to him. To do this we have to look in on Genesis 1 and 2 and examine sex as God created it to be in the beginning. Here are three perspectives on sex that Genesis requires us to make.

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