What happened to the stories?

I can remember, every Sunday, going to Church Sunday school. This is where we were regaled with tales of heroics, deception and adventure. Tales of God acting in the lives of simple people. Tales of Seas being parted and Giants being felled by simple shepherd boys.

Attempts were made to teach lessons from these stories. These were either simple moral lessons, exemplification of the characters, or out and out allegories. By and large, as was the norm in those days, the biblical historical thelogical context was ignored.

This was the di riguer approach of the day. Biblical Theolgy has fairly recently started filtering down into the "church on the street".

We have thus realised the error of our ways and are at pains to make sure that when we teach the old testament we get it right.

However, I feel that it has resulted in us not teaching the old testament as much as we probably should. This is partly because we are afraid of getting it wrong, and because we do not see intrinsic value in the story itself. What we fail to realise is the importance of "stories" in the life of a young child.

In every culture there is a vast amount of "lore". The kind of stories which are read to children as bed time stories. Cinderella, Goldilocks and the 3 bears etc. These stories play a role in shaping the thinking and world view of the young soul who encounters them.

Old Testament stories are important for this very reason. They reveal the character of God, they give children heroes, people to aspire to. They give them examples of men of faith, and capture their imagination. Rather than fill their heads with Ugly Duckling and Red Riding hood, let's give children God's heroes. Let's tell them the stories of what God has done. Even if our interpretation might be off, trust God to do his work.

I don't think we give children enough credit. After hearing the story of Gideon and the fleece I wasn't about to go out and put a jersey on the ground to see if it would be dry in the morning in order to know what God wants. For a start, my little world sure didn't need to make such big decisions. Children understand the differences between their world and the world of the old testament. They understand that story was a unique event in God's working with his people.

The most powerful way to change someone is to change their thinking. Let's tell them the story of David and Goliath, or the story of Ehud and the Ox goad - possibly even without an explanation - and trust God that he will use those stories to bring our children to himself.

Contemporary Sexuality

Recently I have been cogitating over the place of sex in the life of the unmarried christian male. It has been both stimulating, interesting and challenging.

Consider the way Britney Spears was originally presened. She was presented as a young and innocient girl, a "heidi" like persona. Also consider the heroine's more recently portrayed by Anne Hathaway in Ella Enchanted and Princess Diaries one and two. Now juxtapose that with the more modern presentation of Spears as well as for instance, the heroine presented in Dark Angel or any one of the more "sexy" heroine's we are so often bombarded with, often wearing very little and normally very rough and ready (Elektra, Catwoman, your average model photo etc).

The one presentation is of a young, sweet, innocent, delicate young maiden who has a beautiful smile, who never wears anything above the knee or with a plunging neck line and to whom a peck on the cheek is a big deal. The other is of a sexually charged, over indulged almost animal like woman ready to meet the world with her sexuality. The kind of woman who is way past innocent foreplay and has all the sexual experience in the world. Society will tell you this woman is growing up, and moving into new phase of her life when she is expressing herself sexually.

Now, which do you prefer? Which of the above is more appropriate or "proper?". That would have to depend on your moral view point. You see the former still sees love as a non sexual concept. She does not require a good "lover" because adeptness in bed is not what she's looking for. A kind word and a bunch of flowers would impress the former. The latter however, is looking for a good time sexually. She assesses her men based on their sexual ability rather than any other gentlemanly qualities they may have.

I must admit that I would far rather have the former. That is the kind of woman I am looking for. Now, before you cry foul and run me out of town because I am "not letting the woman express herself", or I'm being chauvanistic because I'm demanding that she "not express herself sexually", or not enjoy "sexual freedom". The constraints I'm placing on the woman are exactly the same constraints I place on myself. Being a christian I have promised to remain a virgin until marriage; a christian also views sex in a sacred light. Sex was created for marriage in order that a married man and woman can enjoy ultimate intimacy. The christian approach to sex is that it is to please the marriage partner. Therefore, sex for pleasure outside of marriage, or for my own gratification is not acceptable.

Modern society has made sex a commodity. As my friend mentioned, sex is being demythologised to the point where it becomes as normal as any other bodily function, like blowing your nose. Doing the deed becomes as normal as riding a roller coaster.

Everyone concerned might think that we are better off now than we were before. Problem with that is that it is difficult to prove. The two approaches to sex are mutually exclusive. The other issue is that a decision to go with the latter can be made earlier because it allows gratification now. It does not require marriage for its fullfilment.

The world would however, be a better place, if sex was put back in its rightful place. There would be far more romance, far healtheir relationships. I think people would in general, be happier as well. Sex is supposed to be something magical and mysterious, that's how it was created, and not something as regular as eating.