Feature
Sexed Messages
The True Meaning of Sexuality Consists of Father, Mother & Child
by Pete Jermann
"That doesn't speak to me." Such was the reaction to my assertion that sexuality is necessarily defined by three words: father, mother, and child. In a time when we expect art and literature to "speak to us," we might expect definitions to do likewise. That is not usually the case, however. For example, if I define the word "nail" as a small metal spike used to fasten pieces of wood together, my listener might agree or might suggest that my definition is wrong or inadequate. But he would never respond by saying, "That definition doesn't speak to me."
Yet people do insist that the definitions of certain words "speak to us." These tend to be words that suggest moral values we would prefer to ignore. In our time, these words are often related to our sexuality. Because sexual words are critical to who we are as persons, we do not want their definitions to tell us what we should be, but what we want to be. Since time-honored definitions regarding human sexuality do not quite allow many of us that latitude, those definitions must be obscured and replaced by ones that tell us what we want to hear.
THIS ARTICLE ONLY AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS.
FOR QUICK ACCESS:
more on family from the online archives
32.4—July/August 2019
Today's Culture Wars Are Both Ancient & Modern by Allan C. Carlson
31.1—January/February 2018
The Wisdom of the Victorian Quest for Innocence by David Sandifer
calling all readers
Please Donate
"There are magazines worth reading but few worth saving . . . Touchstone is just such a magazine."
—Alice von Hildebrand
"Here we do not concede one square millimeter of territory to falsehood, folly, contemporary sentimentality, or fashion. We speak the truth, and let God be our judge. . . . Touchstone is the one committedly Christian conservative journal."
—Anthony Esolen, Touchstone senior editor
• Not a subscriber or wish to renew your subscription? Subscribe to Touchstone today for full online access. Over 30 years of publishing!
personal subscriptions
Get a one-year full-access subscription to the Touchstone online archives including pdf downloads for only $19.95. That's only $1.66 per month!
Purchase Print &
Online Subscription
Get six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access including pdf downloads for only $39.95. That's only $3.34 per month!
gift subscriptions
GIVE Print &
Online Subscription
Give six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access including pdf downloads for the reduced rate of $29.95. That's only $2.50 per month!
Transactions will be processed on a secure server.
bulk subscriptions
Order Touchstone subscriptions in bulk and save $10 per sub! Each subscription includes 6 issues of Touchstone plus full online access to touchstonemag.com—including archives, videos, and pdf downloads of recent issues for only $29.95 each! Great for churches or study groups.
kindle subscription
OR get a subscription to Touchstone to read on your Kindle for only $1.99 per month! (This option is KINDLE ONLY and does not include either print or online.)
Your subscription goes a long way to ensure that Touchstone is able to continue its mission of publishing quality Christian articles and commentary.
more from the online archives
30.5—Sept/Oct 2017
The Critical History Before, During & After Martin Luther by James Hitchcock
