Sex and sexuality are such delicate topics. They are awkwardly avoided when we are young, and as we mature are quickly covered in church or with parents with little Biblical truth or relevant context. Many of us were left to just figure it out on our own, and in this information void, culture stepped in to openly share and push its own perspective and agenda.
Over the past few years I have had the extreme privilege of working with the ministry Authentic Intimacy. They are one-of-a-kind ministry dedicated to teaching God’s truth on sexuality—a space so many shy away from and others misrepresent. Their challenging and beautiful mission:
Practically every woman, young and old, single and married, carries pain, shame, and confusion related to sexuality. We want women to understand and love their sexual identity in Christ. As a ministry, we disciple women by helping them understand and apply God’s Truth to all questions, pain, and joys of sexuality.
We believe that God intentionally created us as sexual beings, that every sexual choice is a spiritual choice, that sexuality as a powerful metaphor, and that Satan intentionally works to destroy the holy expression of sexuality.
AI and its founder Dr. Juli Slattery have had such a profound impact on my life. All of their resources and content are centered on God’s truth and His heart and purpose for sexuality. You won’t find Juli’s opinions or cultural bias, but instead information to encourage and equip women with Biblical truth, arming them with the discernment to honor and obey God with their sexuality in a culture pressing for the opposite.
This is a topic none of us can avoid and a few of us have figured out. Whether we are married or single, our sexuality is such a deep piece of who we are and directly impacts how we live. Aligning this with God’s truth will have a dramatic impact on our lives– not only in the decisions we make but in how we think and relate to God. I can’t say enough about the powerful work Authentic Intimacy is doing and the uphill battle they face. I want the Alive in Grace community to be better aquatinted with this ministry and benefit from their incredible wisdom and resources.
With that, Alive in Grace is going to be sharing more content on sexuality, as it has been made known this is a topic our audience is hungry for. I am also excited to share that Dr. Juli Slattery is personally going to be answering some of our Mailbag Q&A on this topic! Please don’t hesitate to send in your questions <<HERE>>, and remember they are always confidential. Even I (Chelsey) can’t see who they are from.
With that, our first Q&A is a valid and honest question from a married woman:
Q:
Is it wrong to enjoy / look for sexual content on TV and in Movies? As a married woman I feel like this sometimes helps me get in the “mood” and desire intimacy with my husband.
A:
While watching sexually explicit TV and movies may get your “juices flowing,” they are not creating desire for your husband. I think of using content like these as “short cuts.” The problem is that you are looking outside of you and your husband for inspiration and sexual excitement. In the long run, watching sexual scenes (or even imagining them) makes you less satisfied with your real-life husband and marriage. Your man probably doesn’t have six pack abs and poetic tenderness. You probably won’t be making love in a five-star resort or on a deserted beach like in the movies. Just like porn makes men less satisfied with a real-life woman, romantic sexual movies/tv/books ultimately make us less satisfied with real-life intimacy in marriage. Instead of taking the short cut, do the work of building true intimacy and excitement in your marriage. It takes effort and determination, but you can do it! A great place to start may be our 10-week study called Passion Pursuit.
***I have had the joy of leading groups of women through Passion Pursuit and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone looking for more answers like these. I will share more on Passion Pursuit another day. If you are looking for more resources, check out Authentic Intimacy’s website.
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