BIG NEWS: I signed a contract with Zondervan to publish a new, updated book for men on how our identity in Christ brings us freedom from the pressure of the oversexualized world that we all live in.
The book will be available in July 2021. Book pre-sale will begin in November 2020.
Thank you to so many of you who have supported my writing efforts over the years, I am deeply grateful. If you’d like to receive an email on key points in the publishing process that you can support and/or help spread the news, please sign up below and be sure to click the checkbox at the bottom.
I Treated Sex Like a Vending Machine: Pastor Noah’s Story (Part 2)
When I got married on June 19, 2004, I thought my sexual purity problems were in the rearview mirror for good.
I had been porn-free for over two years, was leading sexual purity small groups, and had regular accountability. I was also reading Christian sexual purity books that told me if I starved my eyes from lustful looks and images, there would be a “sexual payoff” in my marriage. My wife and I were both virgins when we got married, and I was ready for this payoff.
The Primary Purpose of Sex is not Pleasure
We live in a culture that believes pleasure is the primary, and often times only, purpose for sex. Chapters 4 and 5 of Mere Sexuality: Rediscovering the Christian Vision of Sexuality by Todd A. Wilson say that the Bible teaches otherwise. You might roll your eyes at “the Bible” teaching you about what you should or shouldn’t do sexually. Before you make this judgment, pause and ask if our culture’s “do what pleases you” mindset for sex has created fruitful outcomes for individuals, children, and culture at large or not.
The Lies of Lust: Stolen Humanity
“My dad told me it’s okay to look, as long as you don’t touch,” a large, well-past-puberty 8th grader once told me with a smile.
This boy’s father passed on to him the idea that objectification doesn’t hurt anyone. This is a lie. It’s a lie the father had bought into and has now passed on to his son. It’s a lie from culture that many of us have bought into as well.
One could argue that it’s better to look and not touch than it is to give unwanted touches, which is obviously true. This is probably what this father was trying to teach his son. But the fact that unwanted touches bring great harm does not mean that “looking without touching” is a victimless crime, as this dad had led his son to believe.
Ep. 18: Flip Side Update + interview with Damon Seacott on being single and celibate in the Church
Listen below or subscribe on iTunes or Google Play Key notes: Beyond the Battle online groups for guys are BACK and launching in late October. Check them out at www.beyondthebattle.net
Ep. 16: Noah’s Sermon, Beyond the Sexual Purity Battle
Noah’s sermon from 12.30.18 “Beyond the Sexual Purity Battle” includes his testimony as well as a walk through 1 Corinthians 6:12-20.