Like many in the world, you probably turned on your TV to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. And like many worldwide, you may have wondered what was going on. Your friends on Facebook and Instagram proffered many opinions: It was a Greek bacchanale! It was Dionysus! It was the Last Supper! It mocked the Lord! Many turned it off. Others hailed it as artistic expression. Whatever it truly was, at the bare minimum, it raised a question pertinent to Christians today: How did we get here? How did the opening ceremony of the Olympics come to feature a drag show? The question is innocent enough. After all, our parents—let alone our grandparents—could never have imagined seeing such a thing in their lifetimes.
Philosophical Roots
So where does this all begin? Much of modern philosophy builds itself from what is called the Enlightenment (1685–1815), a period of philosophical, scientific, and artistic development that, in short, slowly moved away from the God-centric world of the pre-Reformation and into a human-oriented, mechanistic world. One of the reasons for these major shifts was the Reformation. Though the Reformation is incredibly important theologically, it was also a volatile and bloody part of European history. In the wake of some of the chaos, many wanted to help stabilize a world rocked to its foundations. More and more philosophers of the time believed that if God existed, he existed separate from the world. Immanuel Kant suggested that God existed in another realm and couldn’t be meaningfully known. David Hume believed that the miracles of the Bible were impossible and that things could only be known through the five senses. Belief in a God-centered, providentially guided universe dwindled amongst Europe’s intellectuals. Inevitably, this led philosophers such as Karl Marx to promote alternate explanations of good and evil, definitions that didn’t exist in objective senses but in economic ones. It also led Friedrich Nietzsche to put forth philosophies that would fill the vacuum that God had left.
Things that Christians would deem as ‘moral’ issues—sexuality, transgenderism—have become political issues in our day
Materialism, the belief that the physical world is all there is, steadily rose in popularity. Karl Marx, a materialist, believed that since truth and morality couldn’t be explained objectively (there was no God to be the source of them), he suggested it could be explained by economic means. This had the effect of creating class distinctions and abolishing the pre-political. That is, things that Christians would deem as ‘moral’ issues—sexuality, transgenderism—have become political issues in our day. Marx questioned the role of society in shaping people and believed all evils (and good, for that matter) were the result of economic injustice. In his mind, religion upheld the injustices of the wealthy classes.
Friedrich Nietzsche, who lived around the same time as Marx, famously declared, “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.” He said what others were afraid to say: if God isn’t necessary to explain morality, how will we define it? What will rise in God’s place? His answer? We will. Nietzsche believed that humans could forge their own destinies if they were courageous enough to do so. A true sign of selfhood, of arrival, is not letting anyone tell you how to act. While Marx questioned selfhood at a societal level, Nietzsche questioned it at the personal level.
Sigmund Freud, an Austrian psychologist, further suggested that human morality, as determined by such institutions as the church, the family, and the state, was unnecessarily constraining. He believed happiness to be the basis of all human needs, and sex the pinnacle of its achievement. He believed that humans should be free to have sex with whomever they want, but to preserve broader society must restrain themselves to some degree. That is, unrestrained sexual activity would move human development backward.
To be truly free means that humans must put off all sexual ethics….And the state should ultimately be the one to enforce this
Finally, Wilhelm Reich married the thoughts of Marx and Freud. Reich believed that civilization (in Reich’s case, republican-turned-Nazi Germany) agreed to a certain sexual standard because of current authoritarian modes. The patriarchal home, the church, and other prominent institutions were tools of the higher, wealthy classes that enforced a certain sexual ethic. Therefore, to be truly free means that humans must put off all sexual ethics (which is to say, do away with rule-making institutions). And the state should ultimately be the one to enforce this. Reich goes so far as to say that those who get in the way of unrestrained self-expression, especially of children, would be dealt with.
Much of this, notably Freud and Reich, played a role in what we call the Sexual Revolution. The basic idea of the Sexual Revolution was not simply to revise traditional forms of morality, but to completely do away with them. It was Marxist in principle and Freudian in content. One other very key feature of this was the advent of birth control. That is, sex has become primarily an act of pleasure. The rise of pornography as a billion-dollar industry is also a testimony to this cultural upending of values.
Nietzsche’s view that we are our self-creators has rather large implications for today. The views of Freud and Reich (among many others, to be sure) loosened the traditional views of sex. The human being has become a blank canvas, and sexuality, being one of the most defining features of who we are as created beings, the main battlefield of our identities.
The broader culture has also reached a point where any reversion to traditional views of sex is, at best, outdated and at worst, oppressive
In many ways, when you are talking to someone—particularly younger people—you’re talking to a veritable universe of beliefs, opinions, and conclusions. And while we all have beliefs, opinions, and conclusions, the post-Sexual Revolution era has shown that our world is ever-changing and amorphous, like clay in our hands. We shape our destinies. It’s why there are so many gender identities and why there may be more tomorrow. Not only is the individual free to explore their sexuality but the broader culture has also reached a point where any reversion to traditional views of sex is, at best, outdated and at worst, oppressive.
What Do We Do Now?
Whether you’re a pastor, educator, or a parent, talking about sexuality may be intimidating. Here are a couple of practical steps to help you and those around you embrace God’s truth and champion a biblical worldview.
First, teach the entirety of Scripture and emphasize the beauty of God’s design for sex. Sex between a husband and wife is not just for pleasure but to reflect the deepest love of God. Our Bodies Tell God’s Story by Christopher West is an excellent resource on this subject; it’s a worthwhile read.
Second, let people ask hard questions. If a congregant or child has a difficult question, don’t be afraid to explore the answer. Emphasize that every human is made uniquely, and that our ‘truest selves’ are discovered in knowing God. Disciple people well, engaging and forming the head and the heart. Engage the mind to help believers see what’s happening around them and form the heart to help them engage the culture with love and grace.
In the end, we may not be able to put the lid back on Pandora’s box, but we can offer hope to those who have explored its contents and have been unsatisfied.
Steve Wierenga holds an M.A. in Biblical Studies from Moody Theological Seminary. He is currently working on a Th.M. at Denver Seminary in Old Testament studies. Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Steve currently resides in Littleton, Colorado with his wife Rachel.