Let's talk about Sex

“The girl says "Oh uh-uh, wait a minute! Wait a minute! Just because I'm dressed this way does not make me a whore!" Which is true, Gentlemen, that is true. Just because they dress a certain way doesn't mean they are a certain way. Don't even forget it. But ladies, you must understand that is... confusing. It just is. Now that would be like me, Dave Chappelle, the comedian, walking down the street in a cop uniform. Somebody might run up on me saying, "Oh, thank God. Officer, help us! Come on. They're over here. Help us!" "Oh-hoh! Just because I'm dressed this way does not make me a police officer!" See what I mean? All right, ladies, fine. You are not a whore. But you are wearing a whore's uniform.”

-Dave Chappelle

Let's talk for a brief moment about Evangelicals and their obsession with sex.  By that I mean, as an Evangelical myself, our tendency to sexualize everything.  We make everything about sex and we frame it in negative terms as if sex was a negative, evil thing.  

Sex is not evil, God created sex just like he created the bumblebee.  I think you get the comparison without any further explanation.  

But many conservative, Evangelical Christians make everything about sex, staying away from sex, everything leads to sex, it's like we want to wrap everything in plastic so nothing will get dirty.  

Let me be clear at the outset, I think sex should be saved for marriage, I'll keep that out front as a simple statement of truth.  But I think we have let our culture influence the way we view each others as human beings in such a lewd and crude way that we keep a distance lest we should get something dirty.  

For example, I don't know how many times I've heard people discuss how "those girls dress".  The implications being they dress like sluts or whores.  We instantly sexualize it as if the way someone is dressed is an indicator of their personal character.  Dressing provocatively may be a problem for some people but we also approach it in the wrong way.  I seem to remember Jesus saying something about the inside of a person, their heart, being important but not the outside.  

If we're going to discuss watching the way we dress why not go all out.  Why don't we follow the example of many Islamic countries?  They make their women (which is what Evangelicals seem to focus on) wear hijabs to cover themselves while in public.  This is for the safety of other men, so they won't leer and lust after women that are spoken for.  In other words, if their women were not dressed up and a man lusted after her and raped her, it would be her fault for not dressing appropriately.  The man can't help himself, right? 

If we as Christians focus on what people wear all the time we miss a lot.  There is more to a person than simply what they wear.  If what someone is wearing is distracting you that much then maybe they do need to cover up but maybe you need to ask yourself why all you see in people is their body.  Who really has the problem?  

This way of dealing with covering up, from wearing one piece bathing suits and tshirts if your a girl and you are going to a co-ed swim at a church sponsored event to watching how short your shorts are is decidedly one- sided.  And let's not give the excuse that we're helping the weaker brother or not giving boys and men an opportunity for temptation.  This smacks of shallow minded legalism and it smells of the rotten fruit of patriarchy.  If we're going to go this route let's do what the Muslims and Pentecostals do, let the women wear hijabs and the men wear long sleeves and pants all year round.  Then we'll never be tempted, right?  Right?