Speaking of Sex

You might think that Protestants who place themselves in the camp of family values and sexual fidelity might also embrace sexual restraint. You might, but then you would also be surprised to see how leading figures in the Religious Right gave advice to readers about the details of sexual intimacy. It’s a free country and all, but when Paul recommended setting our minds on things above, he likely implied not meditating on matters below the waist. Even when Presbyterians get in the act of discussing sex and the conversation follows in predictably boring lines (because Presbyterians are boring), they still reveal more than many people who think of Christians as frigid and uptight might expect. Now comes word that forms of parental discipline, such as corporal punishment, might also have sexual appeal and feed appetites that are abusive and even sinful.

For all of these reasons, I should have not been surprised when I was driving from northern Virginia to Philadelphia earlier this week and listening to conservative and religious talk radio to hear an ad for a male enhancement product. The spot followed a conversation between two women who were comparing the sexual performance of the same man, which by most biblical standards would qualify as fornication. I thought the dial had slipped to sports talk radio. But it was still the Hugh Hewitt show on the Salem Radio Network. The product was Noxitril and the website that promotes the substance uses graphics and testimonials — trigger warning — that you might imagine are part of a gentlemen’s club website (if you’ve ever seen a billboard for such establishments).

For instance, one satisfied customer writes:

I am 29 years old but my girlfriend and I have been together for 6 years and our sex life was getting stale, which gave me a lack of confidence . . .

You can fill in the ellipses.

Is not this an odd sort of advertisement on a radio network that includes the following:

We offer some of the most dynamic and compelling programming you will hear anywhere:

SRN News: a full-service news outlet with newscasts at the top and bottom of each hour.

SRN Talk: nine live, daily and weekend talk shows – Bill Bennett’s Morning In America, The Mike Gallagher Show, The Dennis Prager Show, The Sebastian Gorka Show, The Hugh Hewitt Show, The Eric Metaxas Show, and Armed American Radio; daily short-form features including The Cal Thomas Commentary.

SMN – Salem Music Network: three 24-hour Christian music formats: Today’s Christian Music, The Word In Praise, and Solid Gospel.

SRN Weekend: weekend music programs such as the CCM Radio Magazine, Let Us Worship and specialties programs like The Dirt Doctor, National Geographic Weekend and Forever Young.

Say what you will about Christians and sex — and when you talk, you should likely add large helpings of chastity and fidelity, not to mention propriety — what in hades are political conservatives doing? This particular morning the conversation was impeachment. Host and callers made much of rule of law and honesty. Well, once again, the seventh commandment is not that far from the ninth. If you want Adam Schiff to be honest with the press and the Department of Justice, don’t you want to provide an audio environment that protects your listeners from sexual temptations?

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