The Myth of a Christian Religion Part 8

For close to a year I had trouble spending money on anything that wasn't absolutely essential: movies, nice meals, new clothes, even Christmas presents for my own children. I began to loathe American culture as a whole and despise my own partic.i.p.ation in it. I fell into a black hole of cynicism.

This wasn't particularly helpful to my marriage. My wife rarely buys things we don't need, but her standard of "need" is a bit higher than it is for people in Cite Soleil. One time my poor wife wanted to replace the old shabby curtains in our living room. They really were in pretty bad shape. But my response was, "How many kids will go without food because we chose to buy curtains rather than feed them?"

It wasn't the happiest year of our marriage.

I slowly realized I was shouldering far more responsibility than G.o.d had given me, and it was crus.h.i.+ng me. Certainly those of us who are privileged by wealth have a responsibility to steward our advantages in ways that help the disadvantaged. But what I had forgotten was that, as a Kingdom person, I am to seek G.o.d's will about how I'm supposed to do this. I'm not to a.s.sume responsibility for every impoverished child in Haiti. I'm to a.s.sume responsibility only for those G.o.d entrusts to me.

When I sought G.o.d's will, I came to believe the Lord wanted Sh.e.l.ley and me to be content supporting the Haitian ministry a couple in our small group had started. This included helping to raise six children in a Haitian foster home and sending several hundred Haitian children to school each year who otherwise wouldn't have been able to go. Having done what I felt G.o.d led me to do, I felt the Lord instructing me to turn over the responsibility for the desperate child on the garbage heap-and all other Haitian children-to him. His strong shoulders can carry this enormous weight. Mine cannot.

Sh.e.l.ley and I, along with our small group, have continued to be open to G.o.d calling us to expand our responsibility to the poor in Haiti and elsewhere and to increase our sacrificial giving. He has done this several times. But however much responsibility G.o.d leads any of us to a.s.sume, it's crucial we leave to him what he has not not called us to a.s.sume responsible for. called us to a.s.sume responsible for.

TROUBLING Pa.s.sAGES ABOUT WEALTH.

As I've read books and heard speakers on the topic of wealth and poverty over the years, I've found that balance seems to be in short supply. On one hand, some rightly emphasize our need to shun greed and to care for the poor but then explicitly or implicitly rail against wealth, as though it were an intrinsic evil. This is where I was when I returned from my first trip to Haiti. On the other hand, some rightly see that G.o.d is not opposed to wealth as such but then minimize the need to shun greed and to care for the poor. In fact, many authors and speakers explicitly or implicitly promote capitalism and the accruing of personal wealth as a sign of "G.o.d's blessing." Both of these extremes are unbiblical and unhealthy.

Let me share how I gradually set aside my cynicism after my first Haiti trip.

At some point after returning to the States I became puzzled over several aspects of Jesus' ministry. For instance, why would Jesus change water into wine-for a bunch of partiers who'd already gone through all the wine the host had to offer? Why would he waste a miracle for such a trivial cause? How many disabled children in Palestine could have used that nice, superfluous display of supernatural power? After all, what's more important: helping wedding guests drink more wine than they need or helping a disabled child walk?

Then I wondered about the jar of expensive perfume Mary poured on Jesus' feet. Judas, who was in charge of Jesus' finances, objected that this perfume could have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor. Given my frame of mind at the time, this struck me as a very reasonable objection. I'd have made it myself. But Jesus rebuked rebuked Judas. "Leave her alone," Jesus said. "You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me." Judas. "Leave her alone," Jesus said. "You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."

Then I began to wonder why Jesus spent so much time at parties. At every turn, it seems, Jesus was eating and drinking with his disciples as well as with tax collectors, prost.i.tutes, and every other sort of person. How many people in Palestine were not having their basic needs met while Jesus was condoning this unnecessary ingestion of food and drink?

My bewilderment hit a pitch when I came upon Paul's instruction to the rich in 1 Timothy 6. On one hand, Paul tells us to be content with what we have and not to get sucked into the pursuit of wealth. This made sense to me. But then Paul states that G.o.d, whom the wealthy are to put their trust in, is a G.o.d "who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." G.o.d wants wants us who are rich to us who are rich to enjoy enjoy things, I wondered? G.o.d richly provides us with everything things, I wondered? G.o.d richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment for our enjoyment? From my standpoint during this time, this didn't seem right. How can G.o.d give us extra things and tell us to enjoy them when millions don't have enough to survive on?

STRIKING THE BALANCE.

As I struggled to make sense of these pa.s.sages, I began to understand why my guilt over every nonessential thing in my life was misguided. If the Kingdom of G.o.d is about manifesting G.o.d's will "on earth as it is in heaven," and if Jesus manifested G.o.d's Kingdom perfectly, then it must be the case that it's G.o.d's will for people to enjoy nonessential things, celebrate weddings, kick back with friends at parties, share an abundance of wine and food, and wors.h.i.+p G.o.d extravagantly, even using expensive perfume when appropriate. So I came to see that any social situation in which people can't afford to do these things is, to this degree, less in line with G.o.d's will than one in which people can.

Jesus wasn't taking a break from the Kingdom when he celebrated nonessential things: he was just manifesting another aspect of it. We could call this the abundance aspect of the Kingdom.

Now of course, we have to balance the abundance aspect of the Kingdom with the call to live sacrificially generous lives, for we still live in a world in which 40,000 people die each day of illnesses related to malnutrition and extreme poverty. If we only only manifest the abundance aspect of the Kingdom, we will become guilty of greed and fail to manifest the outrageous generosity of the Kingdom. manifest the abundance aspect of the Kingdom, we will become guilty of greed and fail to manifest the outrageous generosity of the Kingdom.

But by the same token-and here's what I needed to learn-if we only only manifest the outrageous generosity of the Kingdom, we will fail to manifest the abundance aspect of the Kingdom and may become legalistic, self-righteous, and cynical-as I had become. manifest the outrageous generosity of the Kingdom, we will fail to manifest the abundance aspect of the Kingdom and may become legalistic, self-righteous, and cynical-as I had become.

It may seem that the abundance aspect and the self-sacrificial aspect of the Kingdom are in tension with each other, but in reality they're not. The New Testament teaches us that while G.o.d loves to bless us with an abundance, the ultimate purpose for this blessing is "so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8). And the more we give sacrificially, Paul says, the more we are given to sacrifice with. In other words, abundance and the call to sacrifice for the poor aren't at odds with one another: they're two sides of the same coin. they're two sides of the same coin.

Our job, then, is never to cling to our possessions as if they belonged to us, follow G.o.d's leading in how we imitate Jesus' self-sacrificial lifestyle and care for the poor, and trust that G.o.d will use our costly sacrifices to advance his Kingdom and provide for us so we can "abound in every good work."

As we do this, we manifest the beauty of G.o.d's generous Kingdom while revolting against greed, poverty, and the Powers that fuel them.

Viva la revolution!

CHAPTER 12.

THE REVOLT REVOLT AGAINST AGAINST.

THE ABUSE ABUSE OF OF CREATION CREATION.

The time has come for judging the dead...

and for destroying those who destroy the earth.

REVELATION 11:18.

It is impossible to care for each other more or differently than we care for the earth.

WENDELL BERRY.

WE'RE BURNING UP!

I am starting this chapter the day after Al Gore was awarded the n.o.bel Peace Prize for his fight against global warming (summarized in his Academy-Award - winning doc.u.mentary, An Inconvenient Truth An Inconvenient Truth). It seems a fitting way to begin this chapter on caring for the earth and the animal kingdom.

Over the last decade, and especially over the last several years, Gore and others have warned us about the terrible things that will happen unless drastic, immediate measures are taken to curb the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. It is ominous, to say the least, and it's starting to have a profound impact on politics and society. More people are "going green." Even some evangelical leaders have taken up the environment cause.

I delight in this increased environmental awareness among Christians, but frankly I'm also a bit concerned. It seems to be largely motivated by the conviction that global warming is caused primarily by humans. But what if this theory turns out to be false? 1 1 Or what if the earth suddenly starts cooling down, like it unexpectedly did in the 1970s? Will Christians stop being environmentally conscious? Or what if the earth suddenly starts cooling down, like it unexpectedly did in the 1970s? Will Christians stop being environmentally conscious?

I'd like to suggest that, from a Kingdom perspective, it shouldn't make a bit of difference why the earth is warming up. Nor should it make a bit of difference if it suddenly starts cooling down. For we as Kingdom people are called to care for the earth and the animal kingdom simply because this is part of what it means to be faithful to the reign of G.o.d. Following the example of Jesus and the general teaching of Scripture, we're called to manifest G.o.d's loving care for the earth and the animal kingdom while revolting against everything that abuses creation.

THE CREATOR AND HIS PRECIOUS CREATION.

Until recently, few Christians thought their faith had any implications for how they viewed the earth and the animal Kingdom. Nothing could be further from the truth.

To understand why, let's go back to the beginning.

"In the beginning," the Bible says, "G.o.d created the heavens and the earth" and he declared it all "good." Unlike many religions and philosophical schools of thought that deprecate matter as something that is inferior to spirit or even downright evil, the Bible celebrates matter as a marvelous creation of G.o.d. It is good good.

Everything that exists is sustained, owned, and cared for by G.o.d as something inherently precious. Many pa.s.sages depict G.o.d as a gardener tenderly caring for his creation. Despite the fact that everything has been tainted by the curse humans brought upon creation by our rebellion, everything still reflects G.o.d's power and loving care. Sometimes creation is depicted as a sort of wors.h.i.+ping congregation with every distinct thing glorifying G.o.d in its own unique way.

The Bible also depicts G.o.d as having a special love, respect, and concern for animals. Every animal was created by him, belongs to him, and is sustained and cared for by him. Just as the Lord is depicted as a gardener caring for his garden, he is also shown as a compa.s.sionate caregiver affectionately tending to the needs of his animals. "All creatures look to you," the psalmist says, "to give them their food at the proper time."

The Lord's heart is to preserve "both people and animals," and he shows compa.s.sion to every living thing he has made. For example, one of the reasons he gave to Jonah for wanting to have mercy on Nineveh was that it was home to so many animals. G.o.d clearly has a tender heart toward animals.

One of the clearest signs of the high value animals have in G.o.d's eyes is that he sometimes makes covenants with them. When G.o.d forged a new covenant with Noah after the flood, for example, he included animals. The Lord said that the placing of his bow in the sky was "the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you [Noah] and every living creature with you..."

So too, according to Hosea, animals will be included when the Lord fulfills his promise to bring peace to the earth.

In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the creatures that move along the ground.Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety.Hosea 2:18 The earth and the animal kingdom are G.o.d's handwork and are intrinsically valuable in his sight. A central job of all who submit to him is to reflect their agreement with G.o.d by how they treat the earth and care for animals.

LANDLORDS AND CAREGIVERS.

The final act of creation, according to the Genesis narrative, was the creation of humans, who were created to be G.o.d's "coworkers" and corulers, carrying out his will "on earth as it is in heaven." Our original mandate was to enter into "one flesh" relations.h.i.+ps (marry), have children, and extend G.o.d's loving dominion over the earth and the animal kingdom.

This original mandate is never retracted in Scripture. When G.o.d raised up Israel to be his vehicle for restoring the world, he commissioned them to exercise loving dominion over the land he was giving them and over the animals that inhabited it. As in many other matters, Israel was commissioned to be a microcosm of what G.o.d desired for all of humanity.

So, for example, the Israelites were told to reflect G.o.d's care for the land by giving the land a Sabbath rest every seven years. They were to allow trees to mature before they ate their fruit and were to spare fruit-bearing trees when they went to war.

Moreover, as caretakers of the land G.o.d had entrusted to them, they were continually reminded that the welfare of the land and its animals depended directly on them. If the Israelites obeyed G.o.d's decrees the land would be fruitful. If not, the land would become dest.i.tute.

As a microcosm of G.o.d's will for humanity, Israel was to extend G.o.d's compa.s.sion toward the animal Kingdom as well. For example, the Israelites were to let their farm animals enjoy the same Sabbath rest they themselves enjoyed. They were given specific instructions on how to avoid mistreating animals when they were being worked. They were to care for lost or overburdened animals, even those who belonged to their enemies. Newborn farm animals were not to be taken from their mothers too quickly. And they were to consider the produce of the land as belonging to their livestock and wild animals as well as to them.

Ultimately, when Israel and the entire world is completely brought under the reign of G.o.d, Isaiah tells us that peace will reign throughout the earth as well as the animal Kingdom. In that day, The wolf will live with the lamb, The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat,the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.Infants will play near the hole of the cobra; young children will put their hands into the viper's nest.They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.Isaiah 11:6 9 THE VIOLENT, CORRUPTED CREATION.

This brings us to an important but neglected aspect of the Bible's teaching about the creation and the fall. Our rebellion against G.o.d didn't only affect us. Because we were the earth's divinely appointed landlords, when we fell, everything under our authority fell as well. We brought a curse on the world and nature itself was subjected to futility. The whole creation was fundamentally altered.

For example, according to the Genesis narrative, G.o.d originally created the land to bring forth food without effort. Because of the fall, however, humans now have to toil over it "by the sweat of [our] brow" and put up with "thorns and thistles." So too, all animals were originally designed to eat "every green plant for food." Because of the curse, however, the animal kingdom is now violent and carnivorous. 2 2 Not only was death not part of G.o.d's original, beautiful design for creation; according to the New Testament, it actually reflects the anti-creational activity of Satan. Christ came to "break the power of him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil." The one who has been a "murderer from the beginning" is apparently behind the death and destruction that permeates our present, fallen world. While death is a perfectly natural byproduct of the laws of nature as we find them today, the Bible suggests that it wasn't part of G.o.d's original design. Nature has to some extent been corrupted by the Powers. 3 3 Jesus' healing ministry confirms this point as well since the Gospels depict all infirmities as being directly or indirectly the result of Satan's oppressive activity. 4 4 All these infirmities are simply "natural" byproducts of physical processes operating according to the laws of nature as we now find them. Which means, nature as we find it now has been corrupted. All these infirmities are simply "natural" byproducts of physical processes operating according to the laws of nature as we now find them. Which means, nature as we find it now has been corrupted.

THE PROBLEM OF "NATURAL" EVIL Nature as we find it now is "red in tooth and claw," as Alfred Tennyson famously put it in his poem "In Memoriam." And as Tennyson also says, this fact poses enormous problems for those who believe the Creator is a good, peace-loving, benevolent G.o.d: Man . . . trusted G.o.d was love indeed Man . . . trusted G.o.d was love indeed And love Creation's final law- Tho' Nature, red in tooth and clawWith ravine, shriek'd against his creed. 5 5 We trust that the Creator is love, but as vocal atheists such has Richard Dawkins have recently been pointing out, nature screams otherwise. 6 6 This is what's often called "the problem of natural evil." This is what's often called "the problem of natural evil."

While evils done by humans can be explained by appealing to free will, this explanation doesn't seem to account for evils brought about by nature. Animals rip each other apart, sometimes in prolonged, painful ways. Parasites, viruses, bacteria, diseases, and cancer kill millions and torment millions more, humans and animals alike. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, mudslides, and volcanoes do the same. "Nature does not abhor evil," Howard Bloom notes; "she embraces it." 7 7 Why would a G.o.d of love create nature to be filled with violence and suffering? According to the Bible, he didn't didn't. Nature is filled with violence and suffering because it has been corrupted by Satan and the Powers. We can of course still witness something of the power and glory of G.o.d in the beauty of nature. But we also witness the corrupting influence of Satan and the Powers.

I know this perspective is completely foreign to the contemporary Western way of understanding nature. It's even foreign to the way most Christians think about creation. Few seem to take the reality of Satan and the Powers seriously. But it's perhaps worth mentioning that it wasn't at all foreign to the early Church. The early Church fathers routinely attributed violence in nature to the work of the devil and his demons. 8 8 I, for one, think this remains far and away the best explanation for how nature, created by an all-good Creator, could be saturated with so much violence and pain. I, for one, think this remains far and away the best explanation for how nature, created by an all-good Creator, could be saturated with so much violence and pain.

Not only this, but I don't believe we can make sense of Jesus' revolt against the corruption of nature without it.

CURSING THE CURSE.

There is a curious episode in which Jesus cursed a fig tree because he was hungry and it didn't have any figs. It's the only destructive miracle found in the New Testament. What's particularly puzzling is that Mark tells us the reason the tree had no figs was because it wasn't the season for figs.

On the surface, it might look as if Jesus simply lost his temper and used his supernatural power to punish a poor tree whose only crime was being in the wrong place during the wrong season. If we understand this episode against the background of the apocalyptic thought of Jesus' day, however, we see something very different going on.

Famine was widely believed to be the work of the devil in apocalyptic thought, and barren or infected fig trees became symbols of this fact. What is more, many Jews of this time believed the Messiah would free nature from Satan's grip, thus putting an end to things like famines. When we interpret Jesus' cursing of the fig tree in this light, it seems evident he was proclaiming that he was the Messiah by "cursing the curse." And in doing so, he symbolized that he was the long awaited one who would "destroy the devil's work" (1 John 3:8) and restore creation. 9 9 More generally, Jesus was demonstrating that where G.o.d reigns, the demonic corruption of nature will be eventually overcome. And he was showing that, when the Kingdom is fully manifested, the cosmos will be delivered from this demonic oppression. There will then be no more famine, droughts, or hunger. Nature shall produce abundant vegetation and fruit, as it was originally designed to do.

Something similar could be said of other "natural miracles" performed by Jesus. When Jesus miraculously fed the mult.i.tudes and brought about a miraculous catch of fish, he was signifying that humans will reclaim their authority over nature when the Kingdom is fully come. When Jesus rebuked a life-threatening storm as though it were a demon, he was revealing that there are Powers wreaking havoc in creation and demonstrating that humans will have authority over these Powers when the Kingdom is fully come. 10 10 So too, when Jesus raised people from the dead and was himself raised from the dead, he was revolting against the reign of death and the one who holds the power of death. And in doing this, he was pointing to a time when "the last enemy" would be utterly destroyed and death would be no more.

Jesus' ministry, we see, was a sustained revolt against the corruption of nature and the Powers that are behind it.

THE ONGOING ABUSE OF CREATION.

While the mustard seed of the Kingdom has been planted, it obviously hasn't yet taken over the entire garden (Matthew 13:31 32). We continue to live in an oppressed, corrupted world. We live in tension between the "already" and the "not yet." Not only this, but we who are the appointed landlords of G.o.d's earth continue to live in rebellion against G.o.d and abuse our G.o.d-given authority over the earth. Our first mandate included taking care of the earth and animals, and I'm convinced this continues to be a foundational benchmark for how we're doing as a human race. Unfortunately, this benchmark suggests we aren't doing well at all.

For example, it's well known that the welfare of the earth's ecosystem significantly depends on tropical rain forests. Yet we are currently cutting down an area of tropical forest the size of Greece each year each year. Some estimate that up to eighty percent of earth's rain forests have already been lost, the majority in the last one hundred years. A good percentage of this deforestation could be eliminated by relatively minor lifestyle changes by people in the Western hemisphere who benefit from this deforestation the most. We simply lack the will.

So too our apathy toward the environment as well as toward the suffering of the poor is largely to blame for the current clean-water crisis humanity faces. Because of pollution, irresponsible land use, h.o.a.rding, and a myriad of other factors, over a billion people on the planet have inadequate access to potable water. Preventable water borne diseases kill approximately 10,000 children each day. each day. In Africa alone, 150 children die In Africa alone, 150 children die every hour every hour from illnesses attributable to the lack of clean water. All told, approximately 10 million people die from illnesses attributable to the lack of clean water. All told, approximately 10 million people die each year each year because their water is unclean. because their water is unclean.

If our present computer forecasts are remotely accurate, and the earth continues to warm, this catastrophe will be magnified several times over in the coming decades. We possess the technology to significantly remedy this situation, if not correct it completely. But relief efforts have been limited because of our general reluctance to modify our water usage, lack of funding to develop wells and irrigation systems in water-deprived regions, and political and tribal conflicts in the affected regions.

We are proving ourselves to be poor landlords, and we and the earth are suffering accordingly.

Our care for animals is even more dismal than our care for the land, in my estimation. Largely due to our poor stewards.h.i.+p, thousands of species of animals have already become extinct or are being pushed to the brink of extinction. According to most experts, the populations of over half of all animal species are in decline. Some estimate that in the next thirty years as many as one-fifth of all species still alive today will become extinct. At our current rate of tropical forest deforestation, it's estimated that from 5 to 10 percent of all tropical forest species become extinct every decade every decade.

But in my opinion, the single most telling piece of evidence that shows how poorly we're manifesting our call to care for animals is the recent creation of factory farms. Over the last century we have, to a large degree, reduced farm animals to commercialized commodities whose only value is found in how efficiently we can produce and slaughter them for profit. Consequently, more than 26 billion animals each year are forced to live in miserable, overcrowded warehouses, where there is absolutely nothing natural about their existence and where they are subjected to barbaric, painful, industrial procedures. 11 11 This is a far cry from what G.o.d meant when he told us to exercise "dominion." This is a far cry from what G.o.d meant when he told us to exercise "dominion."

If our care for the earth and animals is a fundamental benchmark for how we're doing as a human race, I think we can agree that we are in serious trouble.

THE KINGDOM CALL TO EXERCISE MERCIFUL DOMINION.

Were this like most books on the environment and caring for animals, I would at this point express my opinion about how readers should vote, what industries they should boycott, who they should lobby, and so on. I'm not opposed to these activities, mind you. But this is a book about the Kingdom, and as in most political matters, there is simply no unqualifiedly "Kingdom" position to take on these issues. I'd actually like to p.r.o.nounce my own opinions "the Christian view," but it would be arrogant and disingenuous of me to do so.

Issues surrounding what governments should do regarding the care for the earth and animals intersect with a myriad of other weighty and controversial issues that makes these matters incredibly complex and ambiguous. This is why intelligent and caring people understandably disagree about them.

Being a follower of Jesus gives us no special wisdom to resolve this complex problem. What being a follower of Jesus must do, however, is motivate us to individually and collectively live live in a way that reflects G.o.d's original design for human dominion while revolting against everything that is incongruous with this design. Regardless of what scientific or political opinions may be in vogue, and regardless of whether the earth continues to warm or starts to cool, our call remains the same. We're to manifest G.o.d's tender care for the earth and demonstrate G.o.d's merciful love toward animals. in a way that reflects G.o.d's original design for human dominion while revolting against everything that is incongruous with this design. Regardless of what scientific or political opinions may be in vogue, and regardless of whether the earth continues to warm or starts to cool, our call remains the same. We're to manifest G.o.d's tender care for the earth and demonstrate G.o.d's merciful love toward animals.

This means we must think critically about things like the energy we consume, the water we use and the waste we throw away. It means we must be informed about the effects our lifestyle choices-and eating choices-have on the earth and on animals.

Insofar as it is possible, we're to manifest-in the present-the harmonious relation between G.o.d, humans, animals, and the earth that will characterize the cosmos when the Kingdom is fully come. This is a fundamental aspect of what it means to be part of a Kingdom that manifests the beauty of G.o.d's original design for creation while revolting against everything that corrupts it.

Viva la revolution!

CHAPTER 13.

THE REVOLT REVOLT AGAINST AGAINST.

THE ABUSE ABUSE OF OF s.e.x s.e.x.

Flee from s.e.xual immorality....

You are not your own; you were bought at a price.

Therefore honor G.o.d with your bodies.

1 CORINTHIANS 6:1820 s.e.x AND RACQUETBALL.

I once saw an episode of the sitcom Friends Friends in which Monica asked a friend whom she'd begun having s.e.x with, "Can we still be friends and have s.e.x?" in which Monica asked a friend whom she'd begun having s.e.x with, "Can we still be friends and have s.e.x?"

"Sure," he replied. "It'll just be something we do together-like playing racquetball."

These days I believe the phrase is "friends with benefits." I'm told it's rather common.

This episode nicely sums up the contemporary Western view of s.e.x. s.e.x is widely considered a morally neutral recreational activity, essentially no different from racquetball. Of the several hundred implicit or explicit s.e.xualized scenes the average American views each week on television shows, commercials, or in the movies, only a fraction are between people who are in committed relations.h.i.+ps, and less than one percent are with married couples (and most of these are to poke fun at it).

The message is not only that it's okay for s.e.x to be enjoyed recreationally but that it's best when it's done outside of marriage. This view has so permeated America and Europe that for many-including, sadly, many Christians-the very concept of "chast.i.ty" or "s.e.xual morality" sounds antiquated and prudish.

s.e.x! s.e.x! s.e.x!.

The pervasiveness of the recreational view of s.e.x is reflected in the behavior of the ma.s.ses. For example, roughly 65 percent of American teens today engage in s.e.xual intercourse before graduating from high school, while an additional 10 to 12 percent engage in oral or a.n.a.l s.e.x without intercourse. (Most young people today don't even regard these latter activities as "having s.e.x.") By the time they get married, only about one in four women and one in five men are still virgins.