Are husbands entitled to sex?
Most of us read this passage from a perspective taught in both our church and culture, that men have a much higher sex drive than women. Instead of hearing a message on the mutuality between husband and wife, you may have heard this passage used to teach only the wives’ obligation to meet their husbands’ sexual desires. But Paul’s focus isn’t only on the wife, but counsels both husbands and wives to give themselves to each other sexually. The following resources will help untangle the biases we bring to Scripture from what we assume Paul was teaching when answering questions from the Corinthians. May you find a new sense of freedom as you process the reading below.
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What to Say When Someone Believes Husbands are Entitled to Sex
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WHAT I WISH THE CHURCH HAD TO…
MUTUALITY IN THE BEDROOM
BIBLICAL SEX: PATRIARCHY’S GREATEST ENEMY
WHAT I WISH THE CHURCH HAD TO…
What I Wish the Church Had Told My Husband and Me About Sex and Consent
Editor’s Note: This is one of our Top 20 winners from the 2018 CBE Writing Contest. Enjoy! “Do you want a divorce?” My husband was momentarily speechless. We’d been married for more than two years. We were in our twenties, both Christians and from similar church and family backgrounds in the UK.
MUTUALITY IN THE BEDROOM
Mutuality In the Bedroom: A Better Vision for Marital Sex
The church has long overemphasized male sexuality in marriage. In prioritizing the male sexual experience at the expense of the female sexual experience, the church has contributed significantly to gender inequality. Pastors seldom preach specifically about marital sex. But when they do, few offer a balanced perspective that equally considers men’s and women’s experiences.
BIBLICAL SEX: PATRIARCHY’S GREATEST ENEMY
Biblical Sex: Patriarchy’s Greatest Enemy (Part 1)
This is part one of a three-part series exploring the egalitarian nature of sex and intimacy as it is portrayed in Scripture. Go on to and part three. Patriarchalism in most of its forms, whether in “soft complementarianism” or in the blatant sexism of popular Christian authors such as Douglas Wilson, Mark Driscoll, and others, has always found itself in a tight corner of the bedroom.