New Testament scholar Peter Jones, in a new book The God of Sex: How Spirituality Defines Your Sexuality (Victor, 2006), argues that many Christians take a “spiritual smorgasbord” approach to their views of sexuality. Some who consider themselves Christians affirm the lordship of Christ, the centrality of the cross—and gay marriage. New Testament scholar Peter Jones, in a new book The God of Sex: How Spirituality Defines Your Sexuality (Victor, 2006), argues that many Christians take the same “spiritual smorgasbord” approach to their views of sexuality. Jones seeks to correct this perversion and attempts to explain why a postmodern culture that is awash in spirituality “liberates” sex and why the Bible restricts sex to heterosexual marriage. Further, Jones shows the implications for the sexual practices of two competing belief systems—paganism and biblical theism. What is at stake in the battle between two opposing worldviews regarding sex? The survival of civilization, he argues. Thus, an honest biblical discussion of sexuality must get beyond the sterile “Happy Days” approach to the issue, he asserts. “[The book’s] goal is not to restore the America of the fifties,” Jones writes. “Ultimately, the debate about sex is not a conflict between uptight traditionalists and cutting-edge futurists. Rather, two views of sexuality emerge from two time-less religious options tied to two fundamental worldviews.” Jones is a professor of New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary in Escondido, Calif. He also serves as a council member for The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) and is author of numerous books, including The Gnostic Empire Strikes Back, Spirit Wars, and Pagans in the Pews. Jones seeks to show how one’s view of sex is ultimately linked to his view of God. Accordingly, the book is divided into two large sections—”Sexuality According to the Pagan View of God,” and “Sexuality According to the Biblical Worldview.” “God and sex are inextricably related,” Jones writes. “For the sake of our young people, our churches, our society, and our world, it’s imperative that we understand the connection between theology and sexuality. It is time to deal with sexuality in the context of a worldview.” Jones exposes the pagan roots of secularist views of sexuality. A pantheon of gods produces a corresponding pantheon of views on sex, he argues. “There is a deep correlation between a monistic understanding of God and the practical issues of spirituality—particularly, sexuality,” Jones writes in the introduction. “The pagan understanding of God as a spiritual force within nature produces a deconstruction of heterosexual norms. Polytheism produces ‘polygender.’ Behind many sexual choices are many gods. If we are to make wise decisions in a time of cultural insanity, we at least need to understand the deep issues that explain where our culture is going.” The God of Sex is available at the CBMW web store.
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