#purity

The Bible’s Plan for Sexuality Isn’t Outdated, Irrelevant, or Oppressive

Do you remember the purity movement? Or perhaps it’s better to ask this: How could you possibly forget the purity movement? Though in many ways its aims were noble—sexual purity among teens and young adults—its methods were more than a little suspect and, in the long run, often even harmful. It framed sexual purity as a method that would gain a spouse rather than as obedience that would honor God; it led people to believe that those who had lost …

What Do Hitmen and Porn Watchers Have in Common?

You don’t have to be the one who pulls the trigger to be charged with the murder. Rather, anyone involved in the commissioning, planning, or execution of a crime can suffer its penalties. The person who hires a hitman will face a murder charge as surely the hitman himself. The driver of the getaway car, even though he never enters the bank and never demands the money, is still held accountable as if he did. Aiding and abetting the commission …

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Biblical Building-Blocks for Sexual Purity

There was a time in my life when I would often be called upon to speak on the subject of sexual purity, especially to groups of men—a predictable consequence of writing a book titled Sexual Detox. But over time I grew a little weary of the topic and happily moved on. Recently, though, I was asked to address it before the men of my own church. I decided I wanted to commit the majority of the time to small group …

Sex on the Silver Screen: Reader Follow-up

I recently wrote another entry in my ongoing series Sex on the Silver Screen (this one titled A Scenario to Consider). I laid out a scenario, asked some questions, and invited readers to submit a Letter to the Editor as a means of fostering dialog about the topic. As promised, here are some of the representative responses I received. To answer your questions about how I would feel if my spouse participated in a sex scene: I would feel very strange, if not …

Sex on the Silver Screen: A Scenario to Consider

Over the past couple of years, I’ve written a number of articles under the heading “Sex on the Silver Screen.” In these articles I’ve been collecting my thoughts and expressing my concerns about an issue that I believe displays significant compromise among Christians today—our ambivalence toward watching scenes of explicit sexuality and nudity in movies and television shows. I’m hardly the first Christian to express such concerns, but I’ve done so by following a track that is unusual, even if …

Practical Advice in the Struggle for Purity

Here is some counsel and a few practical tips on sexual purity. What are some ways young adults can pursue purity? What’s the role of accountability software? What are some recommended resources?   Transcript What are some practical things young people can do to keep their ways pure? I guess, first, you’re committing to the Christian disciplines, you’re committing to reading and prayer. Now I’m not looking to that as some magic wand, that if I read the Bible in the …

8 Things Contentment Opposes

Jeremiah Burrough’s The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment is one of the most important and personally-impactful Puritan works I’ve ever read. Let me give you just a taste of what Burroughs has to say about contentment. Here he shares eight things that will be opposed by a true, biblical contentment. It is opposed to murmuring and repining at the hand of God, as the discontented Israelites often did. If we cannot bear this either in our children or servants, much less …

Stuff and Contentment

This topic has been much on my mind lately–possessions, stuff and contentment. Not too long ago I found a prayer by Scotty Smith that did a great job of asking God for contentment admist all the stuff we do have and amidst all the stuff we could have. He looks to these two Scripture passages: “Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, …

99.99%

Canada’s Bank of Nova Scotia has to be one of the few banks in the world that allows you to order gold bullion online. Visit their web site, punch in your order along with your credit card information, and a couple days later FedEx will deliver your gold to the door, all sealed up in a plain and boring little envelope. The gold comes in tiny little bars. For somewhere around $1700 (and rising fast!) you can purchase a 1 …

Pure

Canada’s Bank of Nova Scotia must be one of the few banks in the world that allows you to order gold bullion online. Visit their web site, punch in your order along with your credit card information, and a couple days later FedEx will deliver your gold to the door, all sealed up in a plain and boring little envelope. The gold comes in bars, though not those massive gold bars you see in the movies. For somewhere around $1200 …