Sacred Not Sinful

A New Christian Sexual Ethic

De: Kevin Jenson

Narrado por: Dr. Kevin Jenson

This may be the first modern book on Christian sexual ethics to go beyond “married = moral” and “love who you love”!

If you’re looking for another book on the sinfulness of sex outside of marriage or the need to accept everybody’s sexual preferences, this isn’t it.

Decrying the ignorance that masquerades as purity or godly sexuality, Jenson summons the liberal and conservative church alike to repentance and maturity in our understanding and experience of sex and spirituality.

A lifeless and unbiblical “ethic” rooted in gnostic, platonic, and enlightenment thinking has sapped the spiritual vitality of the sexual experience for millions of Christians who do not know how to have a healthy relationship with the body and its natural desires.

Paying lip-service to ethics with the assumption that married = moral, there is little thought given to how the call to love God with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength might extend beyond the marriage ceremony and into the bedroom.

Can it really be God’s will that his children be uninformed and haphazard about his first commandment and blessing to humanity?

Sacred Not Sinful delivers an earnest and searing wake-up call to move beyond the moral impotence of sexual standards that have ensnared the church and culture in a web of shame, confusion, and oppression.

Humbly deconstructing his own experience, Jenson exposes the problematic teachings of purity culture that permeate modern society, and then uncovers a path to sexual flourishing for all humans regardless of sex, gender, or relationship status.

His clear love of the scripture and deep persistent faith shine through intensive research and personal wrestling through what the bible says about polyamory, homosexuality, premarital sex, gender identity, pornography, and the intimate connection between sex and spirituality in the Christian life.

This courageous and insightful work unravels the toughest ethical questions with positive candor, an open heart, and academic rigor, illuminating what sex reveals about God, the world, and ourselves. Its roots sink deep into theological and philosophical history, blending a personal story of discovery with biblical analysis, deep reflection, and gentle conclusions.

Confident that God has called us to liberate the oppressed, to bring light to the darkness, Christians must overcome their fear and learn what it takes to become a landmark of sexual integrity, freedom, and skill in the midst of a confused culture.

Are you ready to break the silent chains of ignorance that keep millions of people from the intimacy and ecstasy of God’s design for sexual wholeness?

©2023 Dr. Kevin Jenson (P)2023 Dr. Kevin Jenson

Finding freedom from shame

Sacred Not Sinful is a beautiful blend of memoir and theological exploration about the nuances in the bible around sex and sexuality. Jenson articulates his journey as a man deeply impacted by the sex-negative conservative Christian/purity culture views on human sexuality. There are several books out that examine the impact of purity culture on women. So as a man, I was deeply grateful to find a book written from a man’s perspective.
Jenson carefully takes the reader on a journey to question what we’ve been taught about our sexuality and to discover a sex positive Christian framework that feels both liberating and loving. He talks about lust, adultery, sexual immorality and reveals the nuance and cultural context behind the original Greek meanings used for these terms. The reader is left with a much more expansive and inclusive meaning for human sexuality that will help the reader stop feeling ashamed of their natural human desires.
I wish I had found this book years ago when it first came out. It would have made my own journey over the last few years so much easier. It’s nice to know that I am not the only man that has lived this struggle and come out on the other side as a new and whole person.
Jenson does an excellent job of balancing theological rigor with accessibility and personal story/experience. If you have spent much of your adult life feeling ashamed of your human desire like I did, I highly recommend this book.