Howard C. Wilkinson - "A Christian Understanding of Sex" (January 24, 1971)

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	(holy music)	0:12
-	In the name of the father and of the son	3:56
	and of the holy ghost, amen.	3:57
	Oh, God, our heavenly Father,	4:02
	we have sinned against thee	4:05
	and are not worth to be called thy children.	4:07
	We have forsaken thy way	4:11
	and have walked in the light of our own eyes.	4:13
	We have not loved thee with our whole heart.	4:16
	We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.	4:20
	We have not waited for the mind	4:24
	of Christ to be born in us.	4:26
	We have conformed to the world	4:29
	which passeth away.	4:30
	We have not endured as seeing him	4:33
	who is invisible, forgive us,	4:35
	we pray thee, most personable Father,	4:38
	and renew us again	4:42
	in the strength of thy grace,	4:44
	through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen.	4:47
	The Lord knows that we are men in trouble.	4:52
	He is merciful and sets us free.	4:56
	He invites us to sing a new song	4:59
	and to see, and praise His glory.	5:02
	Therefore, hear these comfortable words.	5:05
	If any man is in Christ, he is a new preacher.	5:09
	Old things have passed away.	5:13
	Behold, all things are made moved.	5:16
	The Lord has mercy on you,	5:19
	forgives your sin, and restores you to new life.	5:21
	(holy music)	5:29
-	The scripture lesson is taken	7:24
	from selected verses of chapter one	7:26
	of the book of Genesis.	7:29
	And God said, "Let the earth	7:31
	bring forth living creatures according	7:34
	to their kinds, cattle and creeping things,	7:36
	and beasts of the earth according to their kinds,	7:40
	and it was so.	7:44
	And God saw that it was good.	7:46
	Then God said, "Let us make man in our image	7:49
	after our likeness, and let them have dominion	7:53
	over the fish of the sea, and over the birds	7:57
	of the air, and over the cattle.	8:01
	And over all the earth,	8:03
	and over every creeping thing	8:05
	that creeps upon the earth.	8:07
	So, God created man in his own image.	8:09
	In the image of God, who created him,	8:13
	male and female, the age of man,	8:16
	and God said to them,	8:19
	"Be fruitful and multiply."	8:21
	God blessed them and God saw everything	8:24
	that He had made and behold, it was very good."	8:28
	(holy music)	8:34
-	The Lord be with you.	9:16
	Let us pray.	9:21
	(holy music)	9:40
	Our Father who art in heaven,	12:38
	hallowed be thy name.	12:40
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done	12:43
	on earth as it is in heaven.	12:46
	Give us this day our daily bread,	12:49
	and forgive us our trespasses	12:52
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	12:55
	And lead us not into temptation,	12:59
	but deliver us from evil.	13:02
	For thine is the kingdom, and the power,	13:04
	and the glory, forever and ever, amen.	13:08
-	(mumbles indistinctly) complication,	13:33
	and not like the sermon (indistinct) creature.	13:37
	(audio drowned out by static) as effectively.	13:44
	Much better protected from the congregation	13:51
	than I'd like to be.	13:54
	My problem is not trying to see you through	13:57
	the glass (mumbles indistinctly).	13:59
	We in the chapel have no accustom to asking	14:05
	for patience of the temple congregation	14:09
	on account of the scaffolding.	14:13
	Now, we have to ask your patience	14:16
	on account of the fire.	14:16
	(mumbles indistinctly) word got around the campus,	14:21
	say it again, people here told me	14:27
	that I was going to then quit writing sermons	14:29
	on hell fire and brimstone.	14:32
	He said, "You probably were up here last night	14:38
	writing a sermon on hellfire and suddenly	14:40
	the temple burst into flames.	14:42
	I replied that I had been led down	14:47
	here by the sermons with not a lot of hellfire.	14:51
	He wanted to know what it was about.	14:56
	I told him that it was on sex.	14:59
	So, he certainly didn't wanna	15:04
	just hear that sermon.	15:05
	For those of you who are in the chapel	15:09
	and seeing our situation and still smelling smoke,	15:11
	not withstanding the very next clean up job,	15:17
	which was done by our late partner (indistinct).	15:20
	Those of you who are	15:26
	with us by radio this morning	15:27
	can neither see our situation,	15:29
	nor smell the smoke.	15:31
	Perhaps by the time our scientists	15:34
	have improved radio, in the mornings	15:36
	you can smell the smoke from here	15:39
	to where you are, it will also be possible	15:40
	for you to be appointed the time in the service	15:43
	to put a $10 bill into your radio	15:45
	and moments later, it will appear	15:48
	in the offering plate here.	15:50
	Dr. Ashley Montague, who until,	15:56
	his early retirement was chairman	16:00
	of the anthropology department at Rutgers	16:02
	wrote the following paragraph.	16:05
	"It is a curious thing that of all	16:08
	the basic needs of man, only one	16:11
	is not necessary for his personal survival,	16:15
	is the one which gives him the most trouble.	16:19
	In order to live, it's necessary	16:24
	to breathe, eat and drink,	16:26
	(mumbles indistinctly) the rest.	16:28
	If all these needs are not satisfied,	16:31
	death follows forever, but sexual intercourse	16:35
	between male and female, which is necessary	16:41
	for the survival to prove is not	16:44
	in the least necessary so far as the survival	16:46
	of the (indistinct) is concerned.	16:50
	A person can live for long stretches of time,	16:53
	or (indistinct) without sexual relations	16:56
	many times and not suffer	16:59
	the least biological injury.	17:02
	How then does it come about that man	17:05
	in the western world is so much preoccupied then	17:08
	with the devil (indistinct)	17:13
	sexual irritation (indistinct)?"	17:16
	Well, these comments by Dr. Montague	17:20
	serve to open up our topic	17:22
	for discussion this morning.	17:24
	For it certainly is true	17:26
	that the Western world today is preoccupied with	17:27
	and (indistinct) sex.	17:31
	Perhaps it would be inaccurate to say	17:36
	that people today are any more interested	17:38
	in sex than previous generations,	17:41
	but it is undeniably true that sex	17:44
	is now being more openly	17:47
	and explicitly discussed.	17:49
	More frequently written about,	17:52
	more frankly introduced and advertised,	17:55
	frequent business, industry, politics	17:58
	and in government,	18:01
	than in previous centuries before.	18:03
	The top Russian KGB agent, the effects	18:06
	to the United States reveals	18:09
	that the Soviet secret police maintain	18:12
	a large institute to train sexy Russian girls	18:14
	in the patriotic art	18:18
	of (indistinct) diplomat for countries.	18:20
	To be impressed with the cognitive presence	18:25
	of sex consciousness in our society,	18:28
	one has only to pronounce these names	18:31
	and phrases, Playboy, Cosmo Girl, Kenzie,	18:33
	Masters and Johnson, (indistinct) entertainment,	18:43
	the pill, Radio Welsh, (indistinct).	18:48
	"Everything You Always Wanted to Know	18:56
	About Sex," is not only the titled book	18:59
	by David Reuben, but it also	19:02
	is an accurate description	19:06
	of a multi billion dollar traffic	19:08
	in literature, movies and records,	19:10
	which has mushroomed since the 1966 decision	19:13
	of the US Supreme Court	19:17
	in the Fanny Hill case.	19:19
	Book Magazine states that over the past year,	19:22
	practically every sexual act imaginable	19:26
	has been screened.	19:30
	Newsweek Magazine surveyed	19:34
	this rise of pornography in last August	19:36
	and labeled it, "More than I wanted	19:38
	to know about sex."	19:42
	Life Magazine said editorially in November,	19:46
	"The much daunted sexual freedom	19:50
	that the sex researchers and their disciples insist	19:53
	that we share is turning out to be (indistinct)."	19:56
	In case anyone still doubts after all this	20:03
	that sex is a predominant factor	20:06
	in human consciousness today;	20:10
	let him ponder the implications	20:13
	of a report by Dr. (indistinct), New York City.	20:14
	That despite history's most widespread	20:20
	dissemination of prophylactics,	20:24
	and notwithstanding the easing availability	20:27
	of antibiotic remedies, 65	20:28
	of America's largest cities now	20:36
	have venereal disease in epidemic proportions.	20:38
	So, today might be a good time,	20:45
	and here might be a good place	20:47
	to ask the question, does Christianity	20:50
	have anything at all say about sex?	20:54
	We have met in this chapel	21:00
	because we should engage	21:02
	in Christian worship, and to broaden	21:03
	our understanding of the Christian faith,	21:06
	because our faith offering in sight,	21:09
	into the nature, the function (indistinct) sex	21:14
	in our lives.	21:19
	Yes, there are specifically Christian insights,	21:22
	which illuminate and inform	21:27
	the entire area of sex.	21:30
	There are Christian understandings	21:33
	which involve sex-	21:35
	(speaker drowned out by background noise)	21:37
	Before turning to these positive understandings,	21:45
	let us focus on two preliminary considerations,	21:49
	which will enable us to see more clearly	21:53
	what Christian understanding of sex is.	21:55
	First, it's obvious,	21:58
	but still worth mentioning here	22:02
	that many people who are speaking to,	22:03
	or writing about sex are not Christian,	22:05
	and indeed, are not (mumbles indistinctly).	22:12
	So, from there on-	22:18
	(speaker drowned our by background noise)	22:19
	some are upstanding judges,	22:21
	some are sports celebrities,	22:23
	some are personalities in the entertainment world.	22:26
	Each is entitled to respect the field	22:29
	of his competence, but as they themselves	22:33
	would admit, when they speak about sex,	22:36
	they are referencing a point of view	22:39
	and a set of assumptions, all together-	22:43
	(crosstalk drowns out speaker) Different	22:45
	from those of the Christian faith.	22:47
	It should not surprise us, therefore,	22:50
	if what they say about sex does not sound like	22:52
	the interpretations of the Christian faith.	22:58
	(speaker drowned out by background noise) grace,	23:03
	they are making sense, plus their own assumptions,	23:12
	which are not identical	23:15
	to the Christian assumptions.	23:17
	It should not be surprising, therefore,	23:19
	that their announcements of grace	23:21
	are quite different from	23:22
	the Christian understanding of grace.	23:24
	Now, the same as the sex.	23:28
	For example, I have a friend,	23:33
	who knows Joe Namath quite well.	23:34
	He has told me that Mr. Namath has made	23:38
	it clear to him that at least at this time,	23:40
	he does not consider himself in any sense,	23:44
	to be a Christian.	23:48
	Joe Namath is a brilliant quarterback.	23:50
	When he speaks about football, I listen.	23:53
	When he plays football, a must, I watch,	23:57
	but when he speaks about sex,	24:01
	there is no reason to suppose that he intends	24:04
	by his words	24:08
	to offer Christian insight, or guidance.	24:10
	Well, actually we can make a very long list	24:16
	if we were interested this morning	24:19
	in cataloging the names	24:20
	of outstanding personalities who have been quoted	24:21
	on the subject of sex, but whose viewpoint	24:24
	is not based by their own intention,	24:29
	on Christian assumptions.	24:31
	The point is that those who want	24:36
	to have a Christian understanding of sex	24:38
	will have to seek it where it may be found.	24:40
	The second preliminary consideration	24:46
	has to do with the context	24:48
	of Christian sexual understanding.	24:51
	The Christian mind as a whole provide freedom	24:54
	within discipline, and discipline within freedom.	24:58
	It is not a life of flagrant indulgence	25:03
	at any level, sex or anything else.	25:08
	It is uncharacterized by willing sacrifice,	25:14
	by the emotions of the glory of God,	25:19
	whose will is accepted as (indistinct)	25:23
	of every Christian.	25:27
	God's will is the pearl of great price,	25:30
	for which the Christian is willing	25:34
	to sell everything he were to possess.	25:36
	Furthermore, the Christian looks primarily to God	25:41
	for the meaning of his life, finds	25:45
	in God's revelation of himself,	25:47
	and of Jesus Christ, the understanding	25:50
	of his existence and the style of his life.	25:53
	Now, that will make a difference	25:58
	when we talk specifically about sex.	26:01
	Let's now talk specifically about it.	26:06
	What does a Christian church now say about sex?	26:10
	What has it historically said about it?	26:14
	What do the church's scriptures say?	26:16
	(speaker drowned out by background noise)	26:19
	The first message is that sex	26:22
	is understood as being clean and good.	26:24
	Not dirty, not bad.	26:29
	Sex was created by God, not by	26:33
	some wicked perpetrator, who now advises.	26:35
	In fact, the scripture, which mostly also	26:40
	is read (indistinct) plainly stated	26:42
	that God himself created us the way we are,	26:44
	male and female, and it immediately adds	26:48
	that the almighty looked at what	26:51
	he had created and pronounced	26:53
	it quote, "Very good," unquote.	26:55
	The Christian understanding of sex starts	27:00
	with this doctrine of creation.	27:03
	Sex is a good thing, God	27:06
	is the one who made it good.	27:08
	Of course, we make it feel dirty	27:12
	to any part of God's creation gets tarnished	27:15
	by improper use.	27:19
	Even the act of church attendance can be	27:22
	(mumbles indistinctly) under certain circumstances,	27:26
	but in the creative intent of the almighty,	27:32
	sex is very good.	27:35
	Now, the second understanding has to do	27:39
	with what God's creative intention was.	27:40
	Church around the world today	27:46
	and around (indistinct) has been	27:48
	in substantial agreement with its scriptures	27:51
	that God's will specifies, sex	27:55
	is to be consummated exclusively	27:58
	within the bond of marriage, with one man	28:01
	and one woman who lends a lifetime faithfulness	28:04
	to each other.	28:07
	Dr. Edward E. Thornton, a professor	28:10
	of pastoral theology	28:11
	and political pastoral education	28:13
	in (indistinct) Seminary;	28:15
	recently stated that	28:18
	the nearly invincible minimum Christian ethic	28:20
	on sex has been chastity before marriage,	28:23
	fidelity in marriage	28:27
	with the role of (indistinct).	28:31
	Many years, the distinguished professor	28:33
	of church history of Yale University,	28:34
	being honored as a church historian	28:38
	for having supported many others.	28:40
	And has written a book published	28:43
	by the YMCA Press, entitled,	28:44
	"What Christianity Says	28:48
	About Sex, Love and Marriage."	28:50
	In this book, he affirms the same thing	28:53
	as Dr. Thornton wrote.	28:56
	The church from the outset	28:59
	and throughout her history,	29:01
	and even in the midst of her own divisions	29:04
	has consistently taught that marriage is good.	29:09
	Sex is not evil.	29:12
	Marriage should be	29:15
	with a single partner for life.	29:16
	Well, the credentials of (mumbles indistinctly)	29:20
	are pressing, of course, that I mention	29:24
	(mumbles indistinctly) is simply	29:27
	the representative of many other theologians	29:29
	are the same.	29:34
	Church historians, they	29:36
	have (mumbles indistinctly),	29:38
	but you and I might ask,	29:41
	is there a basis for what they say	29:43
	in the New Testament?	29:45
	It would seem that there is.	29:49
	There are quite a few references in	29:52
	the New Testament of fornication,	29:54
	or of fornicators.	29:57
	Fornication is sexual intercourse	29:59
	between unmarried partners.	30:02
	The reference is to adultery,	30:06
	which is sexual intercourse with married partners,	30:08
	but who are not married to each other.	30:10
	None of these references implying a proof	30:14
	of either fornication, or adultery.	30:20
	Indeed, the Apostle Paul,	30:24
	fairly well represents the new	30:26
	of the entire New Testament	30:28
	in his first letter to the Corinthians,	30:30
	when he says, "Be not deceived,	30:32
	neither fornicators, nor adulterers	30:36
	will now inherit the kingdom of God."	30:40
	How does this mean that Christians are	30:45
	to abstain from fornication and adultery,	30:47
	causing some kind of religious law?	30:50
	I want to make it perfectly clear	30:55
	that the answer to that question	30:57
	is certainly negative.	30:59
	The Apostle Paul says it for in the plainest way	31:03
	in his letter to all, is that Christians	31:06
	have been freed from that same law	31:08
	when they identify themselves with the light	31:12
	and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.	31:16
	So, we lived by the spirit,	31:21
	we serve by grace, not under	31:24
	the (indistinct) law.	31:27
	However, the revelation of the nature of reality	31:30
	and the unfolding of God's creation intention	31:36
	and as seen with Jesus, becomes the understanding	31:40
	of life for every Christian.	31:44
	So, instead of dropping below the ball,	31:50
	this will fulfills the ball.	31:53
	That intention of God's was sex.	31:57
	The concerning of that, Jesus said,	32:02
	"Have you not read that he who created them	32:05
	at the beginning made them male and female?"	32:08
	And said, quote, "For this cause shall	32:11
	a man leave his father and mother,	32:14
	and join his wife.	32:16
	And the two shall become one."	32:19
	It follows that they are no longer (indistinct).	32:21
	Jesus gets word to his mother (indistinct)	32:26
	what God himself then has yolked together,	32:30
	man must not separate.	32:34
	Now, some very intelligent people	32:38
	have suggested that this word was just fine,	32:41
	(mumbles indistinctly) given.	32:44
	When there were no contraceptive devices	32:46
	to prevent unwanted pregnancy	32:49
	and no antibiotics to cure venereal disease.	32:50
	But now, in this day of vast technology	32:54
	and vastly improved medical science,	32:57
	the Christian (mumbles indistinctly).	33:00
	Well, (mumbles indistinctly).	33:05
	There might be some reason to think this	33:08
	if the scripture teaching was all set	33:12
	and inferred that such considerations as those	33:14
	were the reasons for the effort.	33:19
	But the interesting thing	33:24
	is that (indistinct) anything which sounds like,	33:25
	thou shalt not commit adultery	33:30
	unless thou become an unhappy (mumbles indistinctly).	33:32
	(pastor mumbles indistinctly)	33:39
	Nor have I read anything in the Bible	33:43
	that sounds like this,	33:49
	thou shalt not commit fornication,	33:50
	unless thou cause an embarrassing pregnancy.	33:53
	No, the considerations of unwanted pregnancy	33:59
	and venereal disease, this concerning (indistinct).	34:02
	They are not seeing the main factors,	34:07
	the biblical principles	34:09
	of rebirth, chastity	34:11
	and (mumbles indistinctly) fidelity.	34:13
	So, by the same token, technological	34:16
	and medical inventions in this area	34:19
	were not all (indistinct).	34:21
	Dr. Peter Burtucky on the back	34:25
	of Lawson University recently said,	34:27
	"The basic argument	34:31
	against extra marital sexual intercourse	34:32
	is untouched by scientific advances."	34:35
	Thus far, I have said sex is created by God	34:43
	and it is good.	34:48
	I have said that the church now,	34:50
	and throughout history has substantially agreed	34:52
	with the scriptures is that God felt	34:55
	is that sex is intended exclusively	34:58
	for a lifetime marriage relationship.	35:01
	Now, I might also imply that there	35:04
	is no voice from the Christian community	35:07
	which speaks a different word.	35:11
	If not, well, this wouldn't be the case.	35:15
	There are some churchman	35:19
	who would make exceptions here and there	35:20
	as we accept more, a few genuine atheists	35:23
	who ran desperately and operated	35:29
	as ordained ministers,	35:31
	merely goers of the church.	35:32
	There really is only one bonafide group	35:35
	of Christians who make exceptions,	35:37
	and the others, they (mumbles indistinctly) given.	35:41
	This one group, though is manifest	35:47
	in three separate departments.	35:49
	So, I shall mention them separately.	35:51
	A group of bikers in England had decided	35:55
	that extra marital sexual intercourse	35:59
	can sometimes be approved.	36:02
	And one of the Presbyterian bodies	36:07
	in the United States recently voted	36:09
	on the statement, which many believe	36:12
	mostly parallel to the English bikers.	36:14
	The third manifestation is out of a small group	36:19
	of theologians, who teach	36:23
	what they call situation ethics.	36:25
	Now, while all three of these voices base	36:29
	their (indistinct) upon elements in the gospel,	36:34
	they would readily acknowledge that their view	36:38
	as a whole represents a departure	36:42
	from both scripture and 1,900 years	36:45
	of Christian witness.	36:48
	It is an intelligent departure,	36:51
	which they make with their eyes open.	36:53
	Each of us has to decide for himself	36:58
	whether to depart with them, or not.	37:01
	It certainly is true, today in a Christian church,	37:05
	with these few exceptions has elected not	37:09
	to make that departure.	37:13
	My own personal reason for not joining	37:17
	these deviated is essentially	37:19
	that it seems undeniable to me that	37:22
	the biblical sex (indistinct) is a part	37:25
	of a given of Christian faith.	37:31
	Part of the real will of God.	37:35
	If I'm going to elect a historic page at all,	37:41
	I must elect in such an understanding.	37:45
	It is a reveal equity not	37:49
	a derived equity (mumbles indistinctly)	37:52
	a derived equity.	37:56
	You see, I am not a bishop now,	38:02
	know that it is more valuable to me	38:05
	as it were for human beings	38:09
	than it were for earthworms.	38:10
	For all we know cosmically, if blindly	38:13
	give a wiser use of our time and energy	38:18
	to labor to prevent the final extinction	38:20
	of whooping cranes and (mumbles) pass	38:22
	and the ivory billed woodpecker to Florida,	38:25
	than to tutor school children in Edgemont.	38:28
	But part of the given and provable assumptions	38:33
	of Christian faith is that humans	38:38
	are more valuable than animals.	38:42
	I either accept that, or reject it,	38:47
	for I cannot prove it, but it is a part	38:51
	of the reveal given of the Christian faith.	38:54
	We understand that God's (mumbles indistinctly).	38:59
	Now, in exactly the same way I know	39:05
	that God calls for pre-marital chastity	39:08
	and both marital fidelity,	39:11
	personally, by faith I accept it	39:14
	and so does the vast majority	39:18
	of the Christian church today	39:20
	and throughout history.	39:23
	Okay, I have time just to mention	39:25
	a third passage	39:27
	of Christian understanding of sex.	39:28
	Sex is not only God's good creation,	39:32
	it's not only intended for consummation	39:35
	supposedly for marriage,	39:38
	but it is to be fully celebrated	39:39
	and enjoyed in marriage.	39:42
	Husbands and wives should cultivate and educate	39:46
	their sexual relationship.	39:50
	Sex in marriage	39:54
	is completely joyous, holy	39:55
	and a lot of clean fun.	39:58
	Now, you know, it would be nice	40:03
	if we could go on then to marriage	40:05
	with the same degree of unanimity on this one	40:07
	as on the other.	40:10
	On half (mumbles indistinctly).	40:12
	See, the keeper of scriptures got us off	40:16
	to a good start, and then,	40:18
	in many instances the church fell into	40:19
	an aestheticism, even (mumbles) for celibacy,	40:21
	which left sex in marriage floundering.	40:27
	The limbo of something that became	40:31
	a regrettable necessity.	40:33
	But in the Hebrew, Christian scriptures,	40:38
	the celebration and enjoyment of sex	40:41
	by husband and wife is everywhere assumed,	40:43
	is nowhere prohibited,	40:46
	and is occasionally urged explicitly.	40:49
	In Proverbs, you read this advice to men.	40:55
	"Rejoice in the wife of thy youth,	40:58
	let her breasts satisfy thee at all times,	41:02
	and be thou ravished always by her love."	41:07
	(pastor mumbles indistinctly)	41:13
	That doesn't sound like any regrettable necessity,	41:18
	any way you read it.	41:22
	But then, we read through centuries	41:26
	of church history that would make one wonder	41:29
	if those churchmen had ever read	41:32
	that scripture passage.	41:34
	Then began the climax of the Victorian,	41:36
	and it got itself installed for much	41:39
	too long as the Christian (mumbles),	41:41
	but the Victorian sex (mumbles)	41:45
	is as flatly un-Christian as hedonism.	41:48
	(mumbles) has pointed out recently	41:53
	that the Hedonist Playboy scene is trying	41:57
	to have a lifetime	42:01
	of sex without falling in love.	42:03
	The Victorian (indistinct)	42:06
	is the opposite of that.	42:07
	Victorians tried to have a lifetime of love	42:09
	without falling into sex.	42:12
	Both are bad.	42:16
	Today, however, the church around the world	42:19
	is the story, the scriptural emphasis	42:21
	upon goodness, marriage sex,	42:24
	and the glory of God.	42:27
	Now, I would like to close with what is perhaps	42:30
	my favorite paragraph on the subject of sex,	42:34
	written by (indistinct), here are his words.	42:37
	"Sex expression means marriage given meaning,	42:43
	which of itself does not (indistinct).	42:48
	Marriage also, by virtue of the structure	42:52
	it provides is able to give sex life	42:54
	a continuity and a stability,	42:56
	which is necessary for the fullest realization	43:00
	of the purposes of (indistinct) sex.	43:02
	So, we come now to this understanding," he says.	43:06
	"Sex means marriage, marriage means sex."	43:10
	Almighty God, our creator and our Father,	43:19
	we require in thy presence.	43:24
	As we contemplate thy creation,	43:28
	open our minds with thy wisdom,	43:31
	and help us become (indistinct) thy presence.	43:35
	(pastor mumbles indistinctly)	43:42
	(holy music)	43:45
-	Oh, Lord (mumbles indistinctly),	52:01
	receive these gifts as a token	52:05
	of our thanksgiving and cause your spirit	52:07
	to come upon us that we may give ourselves	52:10
	to your service and offer faithful prayers	52:14
	for the work of your servants.	52:18
	Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen.	52:21
	The Lord bless you with cool heads,	52:31
	a passion for justice and peace,	52:35
	and with His presence wherever you go.	52:38
	(holy music)	52:45
	(holy music)	53:42
	(people chatter indistinctly in the background)	53:54
-	Okay, all right.	54:12
	(people chatter indistinctly in the background)	54:15
-	Like I said, it's so much of what I have to do.	54:38
	Oh, there's a single.	54:42

Item Info

Title:

Howard C. Wilkinson - "A Christian Understanding of Sex" (January 24, 1971)

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4445nd38

Date:

January 24, 1971

Speaker:

Wilkinson, Howard C.

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-0556
ref6315_qdz
uachapelsermaud
duke:628026
dcrau002545
ark:/87924/r4445nd38
7516811d-77d2-4d2e-a261-3412e9e3d54d

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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The Duke University Chapel Recordings were transferred to the Duke University Archives beginning in 1970.

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Howard C. Wilkinson - "A Christian Understanding of Sex" (January 24, 1971)

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Duke University Archives

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