Last night a group of 15 people sat around a long table at the Riata Tavern in downtown Livermore (CA). There were Presbyterians, Methodists, Reform Jews and folks from evangelical non-denominational churches. And we were all talking about sex. Kind of an odd sight perhaps – but it’s become quite commonplace for those who are a part of our local Theology Pub (www.facebook.com/TheologyPub).
The discussion topic for the evening was faith and sexuality. Initially we discussed what some of our backgrounds had to say about sexuality – and these ranged from an “everything goes – just be safe” attitude to others who signed “True Love Waits” pledge cards and believed in abstinence only. We talked about sexuality and youth, what our churches are and aren’t saying about sexuality, and finally tried to think about what a modern day sexual ethic might look like for people of faith.
While we didn’t come up with anything that we all necessarily could agree upon, I think there is still something important about the work that we were doing. A group of people (our ages ranged from 28-84) who were both ecumenical and interfaith engaged in theological discourse about a topic which the church today is far too silent. I’d like to believe that our conversation last night might be a small step forward in moving the church in a trajectory that begins to be more open in their conversations about sex and sexuality.
Adam Walker Cleaveland blogs at Pomomusings.
Read more articles on Religion and Sexuality in the Patheos Public Square.
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