Sex Addicted (Christian) Women

Two stories caught my attention today that exposed my Internet porn naivety. The first is an article in the Baptist and Reflector is about Michele Washam, identified in the article as the creator of the first pornographic web site intended for women, www.just4Ladies.com (no longer a porn site, relax...yes, you there in the back row). The general theme of the story is that Washam's conversion lead to the site's transformation to a ministry for women that has now lead to a book offer. Honestly, I had never really considered that pornography obsession/addiction was is a problem for women.

The second story, America's latest epidemic: 'sex addicted women', via Bible Belt Blogger caught me off guard as well. From that post,

"According to Nielsen NetRatings, nearly one-third of the visitors to adult websites are female. Today’s Christian Woman reported that 34 percent of their online newsletter readers admitted to intentionally accessing Internet porn."

So, there is not only a problem, but the problem is even larger than I could have imagined.

It is a good thing that there are ministries that address the dysfunction, malfunction, and misinformation about sex and sexual addictions within a Christian context. As an older Baptist, I believe our historical, lack of openness to talk about sex shares part of the blame that makes such ministries necessary. That is a cheap-shot-20-20-hindsight kind of comment, I admit it. But our failure as Baptists to openly discuss the role of sex (even in marriage) has resulted in too many generations ill prepared to respond to situations and circumstances that involve an enormously powerful, God-given, human instinct. The headlines casting shame on the indiscretions of Baptist ministers and laymen are fruits of those failures.

I am reminded of a scene from Kindergarten Cop, where detective/teacher John Kimble acknowledges the raised hand of a kindergarten child whose dad is a gynecologist. The little boy blurts out, "Boys have a penis. Girls have a vagina." In the middle of the last century when I attended kindergarten, such a comment would have resulted in a quick trip to the little boys room and the introduction of a soapy washcloth into the child's mouth. I hope that we, as Baptists, are past the stupidity that silencing honest talk about sex (and other traditionally taboo subjects) is the Christian way. I am not suggesting that we teach sex education in kindergarten...but in the last year in my own Sunday School class of 'mature adults' any discussion about sex has been centered on man's sinful nature rather than how to celebrate God's gift of intimate relations. Maybe we just don get it (ok, you may chuckle at that if you wish).

As many of my posts end with a reference to food and the Baptist way of combining food and fellowship, I leave you with two words that I have just learned: flavored lubricants.