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Theology of Human Sexuality
Theology of Human Sexuality
Kelby Dove
CEFS 610 – Human Sexuality
Dr. Natae Feenstra
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Theology of Human Sexuality
Abstract
Human Sexuality is a hot topic in today’s culture. In this paper we will discuss not only
the Christian worldview on human sexuality and how they can differ Christian to Christian, but
also about the different sexual wounds that can occur, along with methods of healing, and how
my own experiences and education have culminated into my own personal views on human
sexuality. Understanding what human sexuality is and where our own opinions on the subject fall
is essential to helping our future clients without bias, and with God in our intentions.
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Theology of Human Sexuality
Christian Worldview Perspective
When human sexuality is brought up in today’s culture people often focus on the topic of
heterosexuality vs homosexuality. The focus of human sexuality is on overall sexuality within
our culture including orientation but also focusing more on feelings, thoughts, and behaviors and
how they influence our interactions with other individuals. One of the first things our textbook
defines for us is authentic sexuality and its founding principles. These principles include
statements about sexuality and spirituality being intricately connected, humans’ capacity for
sexual pleasure, and sexuality being a good gift ordained to bring persons into deeper levels of
knowing self, others, and God (Balswick & Balswick, 2019). These founding principles set the
tone for how we view sexuality as Christians. With Christianity often being associated with
conservative values it was surprising to see such an open view of sexuality and its relationship
with God. Just as individuals all have different levels to their devoutness and followings of the
word there is different levels of acceptance of sexuality within the Christian faith. One example
of these differing levels of acceptance of sexuality within the Christian population would be the
four generalized categorizes of responses regarding beliefs about same-sex
attraction/orientation/identity. These responses include rejecting punitive, rejecting nonpunitive,
acceptance with qualifications, and free sexual expression (Balswick & Balswick, 2019). These
responses range from completely denouncing same-sex as sinful, seeing homosexuality as not a
choice but a character flaw that needs to be worked on, to an anything goes mentality seeing sex
as natural with no qualifiers on gender, orientation, or level of relationship with partner
(Balswick & Balswick, 2019). With so many differing ideas on sexuality within a religious
population its easy to understand why it can be such an emotionally charged topic to speak on. I
was surprised to find a bible verse that promoted sex beyond procreation, 1 Corinthians 7:3-4
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Theology of Human Sexuality
The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s
needs. The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority
over his body to his wife. After reading our textbook it made sense as sex was supposed to be
used as the deepest form of intimacy brining persons into deeper levels of knowing self, others,
and God (Balswick & Balswick, 2019).
Human sexuality has been a focus in one way or another for all of recorded history.
When searching for Christian views on human sexuality I continued to have articles on laws
around sexual practices and refencing the reason behind these laws being rooted in conservative
Christian values. In the state of Virginia there have been laws governing sexual acts since they
landed in Jamestown. Virginia has had laws governing, sexual positions, oral sex, fornication,
and even if the lights can be on during intercourse (Law, 2015). These laws are not from the
colonial period, or even the 1800s, but were still active laws in the 2000s, some still active as late
as 2013 (Law, 2015). These laws are being presented to the public as in line with conservative
Christian values but seem to be in direct contrast of what our textbook has explained as authentic
sexuality. One thing in Virginia law that stuck out to me was their punishment for adultery. As
my source states “cheating in Virginia isn’t just wrong, it’s a crime” (Law, 2015). Virginia law
makers seems to have taken Proverbs 6:32 literally, He who commits adultery lacks sense, he
who does it destroys himself, making adultery a misdemeanor offense. Christian worldviews on
sexuality are often muddled in the media and cultural perceptions of religion. The fact that
Virginia laws on sexual acts flooded my search for Christian worldviews on human sexuality
show just how muddled Christian values are to media and in return to our country as a whole.
Healing of Sexual Wounds
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Theology of Human Sexuality
Our textbook notes one the consequences of the fall, Adam and Eve eating the apple, as
our sexuality being perverted by power, selfishness, jealousy, abuse, neglect, and so much more
(Balswick & Balswick, 2019). The perversion of sexuality has led to what is referred to as sexual
wounds. These wounds can come from many different experiences such as, infidelity, sexual
harassment, sexual abuse, rape and sexual violence, and pornography just to name a few
(Balswick & Balswick, 2019). Today I will focus on rape and sexual violence, the different
individuals who perpetrate these acts, along with how to assess and treat individuals dealing with
recent or past sexual violence and/or rape. Our textbook notes a study from 1985 breaking
convicted rapists into four categories including, exploiters, compensatory, enraged, and sadistic
(Balswick & Balswick, 2019). This study would show that 50% of rapist are exploiters, finding
someone in a vulnerable situation and deciding to rape without premeditation (Balswick &
Balswick, 2019). These convicted rapists represent mainly strangers who chose to rape another
individual but there is another kind of rape that often goes unprosecuted. Date rape is defined by
Cornell Law School as when someone is forced or coerced to have sexual intercourse with
someone else who is considered to be an acquaintance, during or after a voluntary social
engagement (Date Rape, 2022). Our textbook outlines four perspectives on why date rape
occurs. Feminist theory points to norms in unequal power distribution between females and
males (Balswick & Balswick, 2019). Psychopathology theory treats rapist as maladjusted
individuals who have had unusual childhood experiences (Balswick & Balswick, 2019). The idea
that women mean yes when they say no in an attempt to play hard to get and not be seen as easy
(Balswick & Balswick, 2019). The final perspective on why date rape occurs is the tendency to
blame the victim, with differences in opinions on victim responsibility and deservingness of the
rape depending on the survivor’s attire (Balswick & Balswick, 2019). With many rape survivors
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Theology of Human Sexuality
not immediately accepting what has happened to them along with trying to avoid the almost
inevitable victim blaming two out of every three rapes go unreported (Passmore, 2023). Just
because a rape goes unreported does not mean the damage was not done to the survivor. Whether
the survivor reports their rape or not they may still develop mental and physical issues in relation
to their rape. Often survivors develop PTSD after being raped, including symptoms flashbacks,
hypervigilance, insomnia, and fatigue (Tull, 2023). It has been shown that psychotherapy
including CBT, Prolonged-exposure therapy, and EMDR are effective in treating PTSD
symptoms (Tull, 2023). A study from 2020 sought to evaluate the effectiveness of psychosocial
interventions for reducing harmful impact of sexual assault and rape. The results of this study
would find that many of the studies had issues in their methodology, control studies, and that
much more standardized approaches carried out to higher scientific quality standards are
necessary to provide adequate data about what actually helps survivors of sexual assault and rape
(Lomax & Meyrick, 2020). Despite the issues this study found it would also find that CBT
provided the best start for trauma focused interventions with some studies showing a decrease in
severity of PTSD and depression symptoms and a positive impact on sexual function over the
first four weeks of CBT (Lomax & Meyrick, 2020).
Summary of Personal Theology
As I write this paper I continue to grow and question my own personal theology on
human sexuality. My own thoughts had always been that people’s lives were not my business
and to allow people to behave in the manor they choose as long as it did nothing to hurt anyone. I
myself am in a heterosexual marriage but have more friends in the LGBTQ+ community than
heterosexual friends. I have been apart of what our textbook calls, serial cohabitation and could
not imagine marrying my husband before living with him (Balswick & Balswick, 2019). I do not
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Theology of Human Sexuality
think sexual orientation, living situation, sexual choices are bad in themselves but that how our
media and culture portray them can have consequential societal affects. As I read the reasons
thought to be behind date rape and how culture truly affects perceptions and relationships, I
realized that some actions that seem to have no victim can actually greatly affect our society and
unintendedly cause greater risk to individuals in the long run. Reading that the no means yes
mentality has contributed to the number of date rape cases had me feeling as though I had
somehow helped perpetuate this thought when I have succumbed to a man’s coercion even after I
had said no many times. This was just my initial thought and I understand that my actions have
not led to anyone committing a rape, but it did give me pause enough to understand how
perpetuating any stereotype or misconception can have long term consequences. A study on rates
of male coercion found that both heterosexual and homosexual males along with homosexual
females had a rate of around 30% reporting they had sexually coerced someone (DiMarco et al.,
2023). Heterosexual women were the outlier with only 17% reporting they had sexually coerced
someone at any point in their life (DiMarco et al., 2023). What could be perpetuating that
coercion is okay?
After the lessons I’ve learned in this class I now understand our societies culture and
morals is directly affected by our own actions and what we allow to be apart of the media. A
study looking at self-objectification and the use of sexualized media sought to determine the
extent sexualized media has on individuals and objectifying themselves. This study would find
that men, women, older, and younger were equally affected by the sexualization of media and
saw more effects in individuals who used online or video game-based media over television-
based media (Karsay et al., 2017). Before this class I would have said that people’s choice to
dress and act did not affect me or my family, so why would I care. After this class I understand
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Theology of Human Sexuality
more that the media does have an affect on family and individual perceptions on sexuality and
what is acceptable. If men think a woman’s, no means yes because that’s the way it is portrayed
in films and television, that has a direct affect on how they approach women in real life. I still
feel that people should be free to live their lives but do think more on what message I want to
send in my actions and media that I support.
Conclusion
This paper has covered a lot of ground but all with the thought of human sexuality and its
place in our culture and in Christianity, in mind. With the lines seeming thicker and thicker
between what is acceptable in society and within Christianity it is hard to decide where you
stand. Prior to reading the Balswick textbook I had always thought of my viewpoints as opposite
Christian viewpoints. Now I understand that my stance is still within Christian values just not
what the media has portrayed as Christian values. We must be careful what our media continues
to portray as many studies have shown its effects on our citizens including what they see as
acceptable sexuality. A study in 2016 looked a media from 2000-2015 and found that over 80%
of films and television showed sexual content (Ward et al., 2016). Although sexual content is not
automatically a bad thing, we must analyze what type of sexual content is being produced and if
it is going to cause positive or negative reactions within society. I have gained a lot of
perspective from this research including an understanding that media can have a huge effect on
how a society views any number of things including sexuality and religion.
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Theology of Human Sexuality
References
Balswick, J. K., & Balswick, J. O. (2019b). Authentic human sexuality: An Integrated Christian
Approach. InterVarsity Press.
Date rape. (2022). LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved February 11, 2024, from
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/date_rape
DiMarco, D., McDonough, C., & Savitz, R. (2023). Rates of Male Sexual Coercion: Comparison
with Female Rates, and Comparison Between Sexual Orientations. Sexuality & Culture.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-023-10157-0
Karsay, K., Knoll, J., & Matthes, J. (2017). Sexualizing Media Use and Self-Objectification.
Psychology of Women Quarterly, 42(1), 9–28.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684317743019
Law, B. V. C. J. a. A. (2015, February 12). Weird Virginia laws on sex and marriage. Richmond
Criminal Defense Firm. https://www.vaughancjones.com/blog/2015/february/weird-
virginia-laws/
Lomax, J., & Meyrick, J. (2020). Systematic Review: Effectiveness of psychosocial
interventions on wellbeing outcomes for adolescent or adult victim/survivors of recent
rape or sexual assault. Journal of Health Psychology, 27(2), 305–331.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105320950799
New King James Version, 2021, 1 Corinthians 7:3-4
New King James Version, 2021, Proverbs 6:32
Passmore, J. (2023, December 6). The underreporting and dismissal of sexual assault cases
against women in the United States - Ballard Brief. Ballard Brief.
https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/the-underreporting-and-dismissal-of-sexual-
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assault-cases-against-women-in-the-united-
states#:~:text=Approximately%2031%25%20of%20rapes%20are,every%203%20rapes%
20go%20unreported.&text=To%20put%20that%20into%20perspective,of%203%20crim
es%20going%20unreported.
Tull, M., PhD. (2023, December 6). Understanding PTSD after sexual assault. Verywell Mind.
https://www.verywellmind.com/symptoms-of-ptsd-after-a-rape-2797203
Ward, L. M., Erickson, S. E., Lippman, J. R., & Giaccardi, S. (2016). Sexual media content and
effects. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication.
https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.2
