About the Book
Christians inherited the Jewish origin stories, recorded in the book of Genesis, shaping their understanding of Jesus, and how to follow his teachings.
Humanity today has a vastly expanded origin story, thanks to the insights of cosmologists, geologists, evolutionists, geneticists, ecologists and so on. And thank God for that!
This evolutionary story shows that sexuality and relationships have always been evolving in response to changes to the environment, and when we look closely at the Bible we see evidence of the same dymanic even there!
If you were edged out of church, or drifted away, because your sexual practice didn't fit the narrow prescriptiveness of your congregation, perhaps this will provide a way back, or at least nurture your faith and discipleship as part of the church diaspora.
If you sit within the half of the church who think that sex before marriage is sometimes or always permissible, this book will provide a solid basis and some good talking points when you engage with the other half, drawing not only on the scientific origin story, but also a close reading of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures. This can be tricky, as preserving a 'traditional' approach to marriage and family is ranked as more important to most Australian Christians than tackling poverty.
Moreso, I hope it will create a space for your own reflection, in small groups or alone, on what faithful relationships look like for you in your particular environment. To open up discussion the book explores pre/post and extra-marital sex; divorce; prostitution; aboration; the church's very unhelpful, even outright dangerous teachings about masturbation; pornography; and the relatively new environment most of us live in, where there is greater gender equality, certainly than in the Jewish Law and later Christian scriptures from which many in the church claim to draw their sexual ethics, and sometimes try to impose them on others.
If you are not sure what to make of what this book uncovers, the book ends with some questions that might make a useful starting point.
I hope that if church has never been your thing, that you will still find the science fascinating, and the biblical passages an interesting case study.
If you are part of another faith tradition I hope my examination of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures might inspire you to do your own work on your tradition's spiritual resources.
About the Author :
Jason is a minister in the Uniting Church in Australia who has spent most of his ministry advocating for a better relationship between humans and the rest of Creation. This passion, and his PhD on the implications of evolutionary biology for Christianity, have been turned into several books and a collection of spoken word poems, accessible through ecofaith.org
Review :
My secret side-passion is reading really conservative Christian relationship books and laughing at them tile I piss myself. Boy oh Boy, this was not that. How refreshing to find someone with the same liberal/progressive views as me on sexuality, gender, sex and other subjects, who has managed to hold onto faith. I felt so alienated from the church and not much will change that, but this was such a blessing to come across, and a quick, fun read with fascinating facts.
Geneva Valek
via GoodReads
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! To find polyamory being explored in a book about Christian sexuality was an eye opener! I found it extremely helpful in terms of how to talk about sex to my daughter when she's older...
Rachel Collis
Performer
I devoured this book, thrilled to learn more about evolution than I'd ever been taught in my Christian school upbringing, and impressed by Jason's ability to see the bigger picture presented by the Bible regarding sex and marriage in particular.
He... talked about why queer marriage should be affirmed, why masturbation is healthy and porn is not nearly the same as adultery - to which I wholeheartedly agree! And he opened up questions for me and for other readers. Questions about the possibility of serial monogamy or how a couple might consider polyamory while remaining committed to their marital relationship.
Thank you, Jason, for your thorough research and your bravery!
Eady Jay
Author
Jason calls us to consider seriously how, within our own contexts, each one of us might shape our relationships to be mutually respectful, loving, communally responsible and life affirming. In my view, this is a book not just for Christians, but for everyone.
Janet Dawson
via GoodReads
Jason's... intellect, wit, warmth and humour... allows the reader to feel released from the constraints of shame that have been imposed by 'the church'. I love how he celebrates the joy of sex...
Jane Grebert,
Science Teacher, Environmental Educator
Sex, evolution, and the Bible... For some Christians, those three words should never be together in the same religious sentence. But Jason John (thank goodness) has put them there - and all with raw and open honesty. I await the prayers and bonfires!
Rex A. E. Hunt
Former chair, Common Dreams Conference of Religious Progressives, Australia/South Pacific
Few issues are as relevant and in need of level-headed discussion than the one this book eloquently and studiously explores. With flashes of humour and much deep thought, the author takes us, time and again, on a journey from the origins of a belief system to its inappropriate current-day application.
Dr Miriam Verbeek
Adjunct Associate Professor
University of New England Law School
