Excerpted from Living That Matters: Honest Conversations for Men of Faith by Steve Thomas and Don Neufeld. Used by permission of Herald Press. All rights reserved.
A journalist once asked, Why are men so consumed by sex? "Did nature simply overload us in the mating department, hot-wiring us for the sex that is so central to the survival of the species, and never mind the sometimes sloppy consequences? Or is there something smarter and subtler at work, some larger interplay among sexuality, life and what it means to be human?"1
We answer, "Both." As animals, we are hardwired with a sex drive for mating. As humans, we are also designed by God for loving, sexual intimacy. Both are true and create a dynamic tension within us as we experience a primitive drive to unite with physical body as well as a deeper spiritual desire to connect with another person.2 Both of these are part of our God-given impulse to "become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24). God created sex not only for procreation but also for pleasure and intimacy in a secure, loving relationship where these are most fully enjoyed.3
As the words themselves demonstrate, sex is part of sexuality. And sexuality and spirituality also belong together. They share a common longing for union with another—we desire sex and long for intimacy.4 But these two ways of being are often split apart, especially by men.
Living that Matters: Honest Conversations for Men of Faith serves as a men's guide for conversation and reflection and includes 70 topics, like Sexuality, for use by individuals or groups. Order Living that matters: Honest Conversations for Men of Faith HERE.
