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 risks 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 Joseph 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 that accept higher levels of so-called sexual “freedom” lack social energy. Their energy is consumed by attempts to satiate physical appetites. In contrast, 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. Our present exhaustion is seen in, among other things, a lack of innovation. In The Decadent Society, an insightful book that was largely overlooked during the pandemic, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat described the overall dearth of true innovation today. Sure, Apple might release a new version of the iPhone every year, but most of our innovation is about facilitating greater ease and convenience to better serve our demands for immediate gratification. Big dreams and truly innovative ideas seem like things of the past, at least in part because we don’t have much of a view toward the future.

It may be that, like our pagan ancestors, the Western world is prime for a sexual revolution only Christianity can birth. It would begin by recovering what is true about the human person, including the sacredness of our bodies and of living embodied lives. Central to living out this theology of the body is demonstrating the inherent and good connection between sex, marriage, and children. In a world where these have been severed, Christians could show that God’s design returns a meaning to sex beyond pleasure, a design to marriage upon which the future can be built, and dignity to children beyond mere lifestyle accessories.

Another central feature of the original sexual revolution that transformed the pagan world was caring for the victims of exploitation and dehumanization, especially women and children. That same opportunity is present today. Sexual liberation promised women freedom and happiness. It delivered neither. Children also suffered as adults tried out new sexual and marital arrangements, such as no-fault divorce and artificial reproductive technologies. At each stage, we told ourselves that “the kids will be fine,” but the facts indicate otherwise. Whether from divorce, cohabitation, absent biological fathers, or dozens of other choices of decadence, countless children have suffered, shuffled around like property, and forced to live with the consequences of adult choices.

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