Dr Paul Allen

The sexual chaos of our times does not free us. It pressures us. It confronts us with questions we didn’t raise or even want. It claims to offer us ever-expanding options. But the truth is, our hyper-sexual culture robs us of the joy of our personal discoveries within the safety and integrity of Christian marriage. Let’s rethink our married sexuality. Let’s throw off the complications that are claiming too much of us. Let’s go back to what our Lord would be glad to bless in our married sexual experience. Here are four insights to consider. 1. Freedom “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth” (Prov. 5:18). The sage is advising his son about his wife and their married sex. He is encouraging his son to rejoice over his wife, savoring the endless refreshment of their sexual joy. “Let your fountain be blessed” is more than mere permission. It is a glad benediction. The wonderful message here is a young couple’s freedom in sexual experience, experimentation, expl...

Opening of the Epistle to the Galatians, illuminated manuscript for reading during Christian liturgy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection , implacable, unmerciful." ( Romans 1:31 ) This phrase "without natural affection" is the translation of one Greek word, astergeo. It was a characteristic of many pagans of the ancient world. Significantly, it is also prophesied to be a characteristic of the humanistic pagans of the end-times. "In the last days . . . men shall be . . . without natural affection" ( 2 Timothy 3:1-3 ). These are the only two occurrences of this word in the New Testament . The word stergeo ("natural affection") is one of four Greek words for "love," but it is never used at all in the New Testament. It refers to the natural love that members of the same family have for each other. It is such a common characteristic of all peoples that there was apparently no occa...

Image via Wikipedia "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels , and have not charity , I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." ( 1 Corinthians 13:1 )   It is well known that this word "charity" (Greek  agape ) is translated as "love" in most modern translations of the Bible . In fact, even in the King James Version , it is translated "love" more than three times as often as it is rendered by "charity."  One wonders why these scholarly translators of the seventeenth century did not translate agape  by the word "love" here in this very familiar "love chapter," as it has been called. They certainly knew the word did not mean giving to the poor, for they translated verse 3 thus: "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, . . . and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." How could anyone exhibit greater charity than to give everything he owns to the poor?   They evide...

Image via Wikipedia On the nightstand of a woman in your church, there’s a Christian romance novel and a Bible . Does that matter? On the Kindle of a teenage Christian woman in your congregation’s youth group, there’s a “young adult” fiction bestseller. Should that concern you? A new book by Boston University researchers Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam,  A Billion Wicked Thoughts , offers a disturbing look at how Internet search engines reveal much about the sexual and emotional desires of men and women, and how they differ. The research confirms in some ways what almost everyone knows: men are visually engaged, attracted to youth and sexual novelty, and are thus vulnerable to visual pornography. The research explores further what the commercialized romance industry tells us about what it means to be a woman (at least in a fallen world). Women are much less likely to be drawn to visual pornography (although more do so than one might think), but are quite likely to be involved in such ...

Image via Wikipedia Valentines Day. Last week people exchanged cards, gave flowers and expressed love or appreciation for one another. According to tradition, on this day, February 14, 269, a young man named Valentine was executed in Rome for his faith. But what does our exchange of sentimental cards and flowers have to do with a third century martyr? Actually, the connection is not at all clear. Valentine was martyred the day before the pagan festival to the goddess Februata Juno at which boys drew girls' names for acts of sexual promiscuity . Were legends about the martyr's death modified to replace the heathen custom? No one knows for sure. In fact, there may have been two or even three martyrs named Valentine who died in different parts of the empire at about the same time. We know little or nothing about any of them. Take the Roman Valentine as an example. A city gate on the Flaminian Way and a chapel near it were named for him. Several ancient Christian write...

Image via Wikipedia Valentines Day. Last week people exchanged cards, gave flowers and expressed love or appreciation for one another. According to tradition, on this day, February 14, 269, a young man named Valentine was executed in Rome for his faith. But what does our exchange of sentimental cards and flowers have to do with a third century martyr? Actually, the connection is not at all clear. Valentine was martyred the day before the pagan festival to the goddess Februata Juno at which boys drew girls' names for acts of sexual promiscuity . Were legends about the martyr's death modified to replace the heathen custom? No one knows for sure. In fact, there may have been two or even three martyrs named Valentine who died in different parts of the empire at about the same time. We know little or nothing about any of them. Take the Roman Valentine as an example. A city gate on the Flaminian Way and a chapel near it were named for him. Several ancient Christian write...