Even more hot, steamy Christian sex

Well, we resisted a follow-up to our last “hot, steamy Christian sex” post for nearly five years, which I think shows amazing restraint. And anyway, don’t blame us this time. Blame Jay Z and Beyonce.

Back in 2007, before Think Christian was even a project of current owner ReFrame Media, the site ran a brief post about sex-celebrating pastor Joe Beam entitled “Hot, steamy Christian sex.” Two years later, the post continued to bring in traffic to TC, so we ran a follow-up by ReFrame director Steven Koster, who also leads a marriage and relationship ministry named Family Fire with his wife Deb. Entitled “More hot, steamy Christian sex,” the piece discusses sexuality as a good part of God’s plan for us. Guess which post now attracts loads of visitors to TC, almost four years later?

It seems that the concept of Christians enjoying and talking about sex - especially hot, steamy sex - is still a novelty, both inside and outside of the church. Consider the reaction to Beyonce and Jay Z’s performance of “Drunk in Love” at Sunday’s Grammy Awards. Standing out amidst the usual cries of inappropriateness was a BuzzFeed piece by Laura Turner that suggested the married couple might serve as a model for healthy sexuality within a Christian marriage. Turner wrote:

This is the crux of why some Christians are (or should be) so interested in Mr. and Mrs. Carter. There is a thread that unites “Drunk in Love” and the Song of Solomon: It can be good to give yourself to your spouse in marriage, marriage isn’t all feigned headaches and guilt, and marriage should actually be a very sexy endeavor. The Christians who have been trying to spread this message - Mark Driscoll et al. - have been getting it all wrong, and the people perish for lack of Beyonce. Reminding us that we can be flirtatious and fun in our marriages is a really good thing.

Of course, Turner can’t win here. Not only will culture-averse Christians tsk tsk her for even watching such a performance, but others will claim her celebration of sex is religiously limited (see this Atlantic Wire rebuttal, a cherry picking of Bible verses that have little to do with the aspects of sexuality Turner discusses).

So this is a complicated conversation, and one TC will continue to keep an eye on. How much is sexuality within marriage a theological issue and how much is it a private one? Have Christians begun to overplay the joy of sex? Does “Drunk in Love” really have anything to do with Song of Solomon? Share your thoughts below – and keep an eye out for “The most hot, steamy Christian sex yet!” some time in 2016.