‘A better story’ – 9 – Walking With Giants

This entry is part 10 of 18 in the series: ‘A Better Story’ (Harrison)

Has the sexual revolution delivered on its promise to deliver more and better sex?

Probably not.

Oxford statistitian David Spiegelhalter reports that, contrary to popular perception, the frequency of ‘having sex’ is actually on the decrease. No-one knows why this is the case, but it may have something to do with the general business of people’s lives, and with the availability of so many technological diversions – mobile phones, tablets, and computers.

So, if people are not having more sex, are they having better sex? There’s no evidence to suggest that it is.

It seems that

‘the bravado of the sexual revolution, with its clarion call of freedom and liberated pleasure, has turned out to be a weak, vulnerable thing needing constant coddling by an army of agony aunts and sex therapists.’

What about relationships more generally? According to political scientist Robert Putman,

‘compared with twenty-five years ago, Americans now belong to fewer organizations, sign fewer petitions, meet with friends less frequently, and socialize less often with their families.’

And more people are living alone. This is due, in part, to general socio-economic circumstances. But other factors at play include: a rise in the numbers of people who divorce, or break up after cohabitation.

In the UK, it is true that fewer young people are living alone, but this is largely due to the increased numbers who are still living with their parents. In the 45-65 age group, the number of people living alone has grown by nearly 1/4 in the past decade.

Sociologist Eric Klinenberg said: ‘I discovered that living alone comports with our most sacred modern values: freedom, autonomy, control of one’s time and space, and the search for individual fulfilment.’

But this is to reckon without the very real disadvantages of living alone, associated as it is with higher levels of loneliness, to say nothing of the undermining of social cohesion.

Of course,

‘Christians should be among the first to underscore the pluses as well as the downsides to remaining unmarried (as does the apostle Paul). But in contrast to today’s ethos of self-fulfilment, the Christian vision of solo living is about community and service – being part of something bigger than ‘me’. It is orientated outwards in service and self-denial. In contrast, much contemporary solo living is rooted in the cult of the individual and pleasing yourself.’

Looking forward, we might agree with C.S. Lewis that hell is a place of bleak loneliness, whereas heaven is a home that is joyfully shared with God and others.

What about children? It can scarcely be said that the sexual revolution enables the young to flourish. In fact:-

‘The revolution’s ambition for childhood appears to be a confused mixture of near-obsessive (and sadly necessary) requirements for more safeguarding and endless calls for more ‘sex education’ that nobody quite knows how to define. Sadly, the revolution has little positive vision for what a good childhood looks like and seems extraordinarily adult-orientated in its preoccupations.’

Harrison, Glynn. A Better Story: God, Sex And Human Flourishing. IVP. Kindle Edition.