Countercultural

I had a reality check on the drive to work this morning.  I took my wife out for breakfast just because we could -- it's nice being empty nesters and having a flexible schedule -- so I was driving in to work a little later than usual.  I turned on NPR to see if any new crises had erupted overnight.  Seems like life is pretty calm out there, with the exception of Syria and Yemen and Libya and Mexico and the presidential campaigns and a few other sources of tension and conflict.

What turned my head around was a lengthy interview with a blogger and columnist who had written "a moral case for premarital sex."  This woman's argument included the following statements:

• The argument for premarital abstinence is based on the belief that women's bodies are dirty and bad.
• The "purity industry" (her term) sees women as belonging to a man; therefore a daughter belongs to her father and then at the wedding ownership is transferred to the husband.
• Abstinence and "girls gone wild" commercials are two sides of the same coin.
• The solution to our oversexualized culture is not to limit sex to marriage, but rather it's about how you treat yourself and whoever you're in relationship with.
• Sex is good and natural and we should not limit it.
• The statistical trend of people marrying later means, of course, that people are having sex before marriage.  This is good and should be encouraged.

This woman's arguments were treated as legitimate and compelling by the interviewer.  Callers did not challenge her views but rather tended to agree with her.

If you are a Jesus-follower and don't agree with her views, know that the culture around you is rapidly walking farther and farther away from what you believe.  You can't expect the world around you to affirm your views; rather, you need to be prepared to hold on against a powerful current that says you are out of touch and, truth be told, a little wacko.