Welcome to a firm foundation presented by Princeton ministries with Dr. Ken Smith. This is Carol Smith, Ken’s wife. Please enjoy.

Our God and our Father. We ask now that the words of my mouth, meditations of our hearts, would be acceptable in your sight, for we ask it in Jesus’s name, amen. There is a revolution that is sweeping our land. It is a revolution that does not make use of cannons nor of rifles. And yet there are countless millions who have been wounded in this revolution, and there are tens of hundreds of thousands who have, for all intents and purposes, been mortally wounded. And as a revolution, this one is seldom mentioned in the newspaper, and the list of casualties has yet to be written in the evening newspaper. The revolution that is at work in our land has been named the sexual revolution.

I don’t know as Christians how often we are aware of this revolution or of the consequences of this revolution, but even in my short lifespan, I remember in high school that the worst thing that anyone did was smoking of cigarettes, that the greatest crime that a student would commit would be not to do their homework. Now, there was another group of people, but they were not the norm. They were not the standard, and their behavior was not even discussed in the crowd of people in which I lived. But that is not the case today. And in some ways, Christians may feel that they are foreigners in their own land.

As we look at television and see the promiscuity that comes week after week, hour after hour, half hour after half hour, as we look in magazines and see pictures that at one time were restricted to pornographic magazines, now we find in our pocket public family magazines, there is, in fact, a revolution going on. And what shall we say about this revolution as Christians? Well, on the one hand, we are told that this revolution has great, positive results. Some say that it has released man from his sexual repression. There are others who applaud the sexual revolution as delivering man from psychoses. There are others who say it has finally emancipated, freed us from a very Victorian puritan lifestyle, and finally, we are free sexually. Well, that’s what some people say. There are others who are concerned.

And is it possible that this revolution, in fact, is a great tragedy, that, in fact, this sexual revolution is a fraud, and that this sexual revolution is actually a gigantic lie? Well, what do you think, paterum Soloakum at one time was the head of the department of sociology at Harvard. He was considered to be one of the most respected names in sociology. As the head of the department of sociology at Harvard, he wrote a very influential book back in the fifties. It was entitled the American Sex Revolution. And as you would read this book, his premise is this, that sexual relations are for married people. And he then traces through all of the ways that a sociologist would study statistically, looking at trends and figures.

And in this informative book, it is his conclusion that the sexual revolution has contributed not only to the destruction of individuals, but to the destruction of families and of nations. It is his belief that when we look at literature, when we look at science, when we look at the great academic studies of mankind, that where there is great permissiveness, these great heights of man disintegrate, and where there is promiscuity, there is no great literature, there is no great science, there is no great academic achievement.

As a matter of fact, he goes on to say that those who are involved in sexual immorality and promiscuity, in fact lives that are shorter statistically, that in fact, mental health, many aspects of the institutions that have been growing like crabgrass across our nation, that many of these institutions trace the initial problems to promiscuity and to improper understanding of sexuality. Well, there was a study done in the Presbyterian church in 1930. And what was found in 1930 in the United States, it was found that approximately 50% of married men, sometimes during the course of their marriage in 1930, would have an extra marital affair. 1930, 50% of men. And you say? Well, what of women? Well, in 1930, women said by the remarkable number of 35%, that they too, sometime in the course of their married life, would have extramarital affair.

Well, some 50 years passed. Another study was done, 1980. And what has happened to our generation? Well, of those who have been surveyed, we find that of those married men, 75% of the married men plan or have had an extra marital affair sometime in the course of their marriage. And what of women today? 50% of women agree to have had or will have an extramarital affair. Well, has the sexual revolution produced the Garden of Eden? Has it, in fact, brought about great and wonderful fruit? Or on the other hand, has this sexual revolution grown vines that seem to be strangling men and women and families across our nation? Well, I think there are many asylums, assumptions that are at the foundation of this revolution. One of them is that the entire sexual life of people today is considered to be a private affair.

You have heard reference to victimless crimes and that the entire sphere of sexual practice is looked upon by many as having no victims at all. Why, this is simply the private behavior of consenting adults. Well, is it the private affair of adults? Are there people who are being influenced by various forms of promiscuity. Well, as we look at the figures, we find that one out of two and a half marriages today are ending divorce. Do you know that in the first 500 years of the founding of the Roman Empire, beginning with Romulus and Remus, that there is only recorded in those 1st 500 years, one divorce in the Roman Empire, and that for those 1st 500 years there was such a sense of purpose, of the building of the establishment of that empire, that form of immorality was virtually unknown.

Usually when we think of Rome, we think of great divorce, great immorality, but that occurred much later. Or if were to look at homes today, we find that 50% of children 18 and under will live for a significant portion of their life in a single family home as a result of divorce. To say nothing of abortion, which has taken the life of some 15 million unborn children at the rate of some 4250 a day. To say nothing about herpes. Last figures, I have seen some 20 million people afflicted with this form of disease that yet has found a cure. And in recent days we find much attention given to the subject of AIDS and the great tragedy that is beginning to sweep out into other communities.

There are some who look at America and say that we have become sex addicts and that we are not able, even as we look at movies and television, to be able to discern the signs of the time. And I’m afraid that is true even among Christians. And so much of our intake from entertainment is being affected by this sexual revolution. Are there sins that are private, of which no one is paying a price? Just the other night we had a gathering of some 700 people, one of the largest gatherings in New Jersey. And why were people gathered? They were gathered because of the concern of Christians for the tragedy of abortion and the consequences of sexual promiscuity. And to say that our sexual lives are private and have no consequence on anyone else is simply a lie.

But there is another foundation, and that is the foundation that is laid in this sexual revolution that says it is healthful to express your libido, it is healthy for you to show all manner of sexual activity. It’s interesting statistically that Don Juan’s rarely reach old age. As a matter of fact, in Sorokin’s study of sexuality, he finds that the longest lifespans are to be found among those people who are the most pure, the most chaste, the most concerned about not being involved in sexual immorality. And so it came as no surprise to him to find that scientists, theologians, ministers, judges. Were to live the longest lives. And who is it that is living the shortest lives? He refers to them as the bohemians. Those whose lives are floating here and there. Those who have no moral foundation.

And among that group, poets, musicians, artists, entertainers. Are to live the shortest lives. Well, we have seen an enormous rise in sexual promiscuity. In premarital extramarital affairs. And if this were something that were going to produce great and wonderful fruit. Then we would expect by now to be seeing the results of this fruit. Since 1880, our population has doubled. Over that past hundred years. In the same period of time, the number of patients in mental institutions. Has increased by over twelve times. Well, we have seen, over the last 40 to 75 years. A movement of freedom of sexuality. And I remember hearing about a young man. Who said that before he had become engaged. He never kissed his girlfriend. And that the first time he kissed her. Was when they were engaged. I recently met another young man.

He told me about many years of sexual promiscuity. He told me about his many conquests. The first young man who had never kissed his wife. Until they were engaged. Was Billy Graham. The second man who had lived a promiscuous life. I was asked to visit him at the Trenton psychiatric Center. Is there a consequence to promiscuous living? I believe that there is. And that it is a lie. That we can become more healthy. By simply continuing to expand our sexual appetites. There’s another foundation upon which the entire revolution rests. And that is the idea that sexual promiscuity. Produces a better society. Actually, as you look at nations. You find that they go through two phases. One is a phase of ascendancy. And in that phase, the nation is growing. And whether it is Judah or Greece or Rome or the United States.

There is this period in which it is ascending. It is gaining strength and power. And it is very interesting that without exception. During that period of the growth of nations. There is a very clear understanding of what is proper. And what is improper sexually. And so whether it is Rome or Egypt, whether it is the United States or Judah. We find that in those early days of the development of these nations. That become great nations. That there were, in fact, laws. And if there were not laws, it was the very clear understanding informally of that nation. That certain practices. Like premarital and extramarital affairs. Were forbidden. Homosexuality, incest and pornography. And the list that goes on and on. Are not to be found. In the early stages of the development of any nation. That has become great. But what happens once they become great?

Well, we find that there is introduced into that society sexual liberation, and it comes in many forms, but the outcome is that nation begins to see its foundations crumble. Did you realize that in 1920, in the Soviet Union, that there was the first stage of that revolution? And what was the purpose in 1920, of the revolution, and what foundation was laid? Well, it was this, that they were going to eliminate what was referred to as capitalistic monogamy. In other words, in 1920, they looked at countries like the United States, where it was said that a family should be together forever, where a husband is married to a wife forever. They saw the same pattern in Europe, and they said, why? That is simply a capitalistic principle, and we are going to begin our revolution different.

And so in the first decade of the revolution that occurred in Russia, they established complete sexual freedom, and that became the cornerstone of their understanding of the family. Now, this was a deliberate and purposeful attempt to show that you did not need to be pure and that you were free sexually to do as you like. And they referred to this as a glass of water. And as a matter of fact, that phrase was used to explain their freedom of sexuality. And they said, isn’t it true that if you’re thirsty, you can drink from any glass of water? So shouldn’t it also be true that if you are sexually thirsty, that you should be able to drink from any glass of water? And so during the first ten years of that Russian experiment, they developed contracts.

The purpose of those contracts, they could be for as long as a year or a month or a week or even a night, and you would make a contract, and there you would work out what it meant to make use of that glass of water. What was the result of this experiment? Well, in the Soviet Union, they found within a few years that there were hordes of homeless children wandering the streets, and the result was that they became a menace to living in the Soviet Union. They also saw that millions of young women were wrecked by this experiment. They saw that work productivity declined. And so in the 1930s, there was a counter revolution. And what was the foundation of that revolution? Well, they said that theory of the empty glass was wrong. It was bankrupt. And so in the 1930s, abortion was forbidden.

Restrictions were placed once again on that marriage relationship. Chastity and sanctity of the relationship between a husband and wife was then promoted as the noble purpose of this counter revolution. And so we find even today that among the Soviet Union, there are in many places a more stable and Victorian like understanding of the relationship between a husband and wife than there is in Europe and in the United States. Well, what should a Christian’s attitude be towards sex? Well, I think first we must understand that biblically it is God who created man and woman, and it is God who said that it is good that man and woman come together and to multiply. And so it is with God’s stamp of approval that we have been made sexually male and female, and that is good.

The second foundation for Christians, I believe, is that we should see that God first commanded Adam, that he should be fruitful and multiply. And so in itself, in its right context, in the relationship of a family, that those relationships that are to occur between a husband and wife are good and natural, but that they do have their place between a husband and a wife. Third, I believe that as Christians we should see that there is a difference between men and women. Men are called upon to be the spiritual heads of the family. We find also in the book of Deuteronomy an interesting verse, chapter 22, verse five, that men were not allowed to wear women’s clothing. And so today we have boy George and thousands following that example.

We find too, in the book of first Corinthians, chapter eleven, verse 14, that there is even a difference between the way a man keeps his hair and the way a woman keeps her hair. It does not tell us what the hairstyle is, but it does tell us that God has adorned the woman with long hair. And that isn’t it an abomination for a man to have longer hair? And so God has built us differently between male and female so that we can see the difference. Also we need to see that God created the woman for a special purpose. At first, she was created to be the helpmate of the husband. And at first, in those opening verses, we find that one of the responsibilities of the female was that she should bear children and to be a mother.

And in those cases where God would so allow that is a noble purpose for a woman, that this is not a task that is to be looked upon and shunned as though it were some secondary job, but rather it is the noble job that God has given, especially to a woman, to nurture and to help in the raising of those children. But we also must see that as we study scripture, we find that gradually women were given greater and greater responsibilities. And so when we read about women in the book of proverbs, chapter one, we find that the good woman, that good wife, is involved in not only the affairs of the home and the raising of the children. But she is also involved in spinning of wool. She’s involved also in purchasing of real estate.

And it would seem that she has many of the responsibilities that man. But we must always remember there is a difference between men and women, and that God has made us differently. The fourth foundation is an interesting one in that and the scripture avoids mentioning the private parts of a man or woman. You will find, as you read closely, scripture, that the private parts of a man or a woman are referred to exactly as that, their private parts, or in some places as flesh, or in other cases simply referred to as the thigh. But there is no sexual specific words that are used to speak about those most private parts.

And yet, in our culture and in our magazines and in our humour, we find over and over again references made in such a way that Christians should not make reference to, but to see that God even is modest in his description of men and women and the difference between us. Fifth, I believe that it is important for Christians to understand that there are some sexual acts that are forbidden in scripture. Among those, the sin of fornication. Fornication is the relationships between men and women who are not married, and that is forbidden in scripture. It is forbidden in scripture for a person to be involved with a prostitute. It is against scripture for a person to be involved in bestiality. And it should come as no surprise to us that such diseases as AIDS, as various venereal diseases, began in bestiality.

And the scriptures say that we should have no part in these things, that we should remove ourselves from all manner of evil. There is what the scriptures refer to in Leviticus 1822, you shall not lie with a man as with a woman. It is an abomination. And one of the great lies that is being placed upon our nation is that this group, that as we would approach homosexuality and gay rights, that this is as equal as any other lifestyle in the eyes of God. This is a great abomination, that Christians need to speak lovingly and with great concern, but that Christians ought to be aware that there is a great price to be paid if we would call evil good or good evil. There is also the sin of incest.

And we are finding in our nation increased numbers of such cases, especially as the family continues to break down. And there is such confusion between stepfathers and stepchildren and aunts and uncles, and no one knows who’s related to who. And we’re finding incest rising at a dramatic rate. We also, as Christians, should be aware that the sin of adultery is one that God would call us not to be involved in adultery, having relations outside of our husband or wife. And if we look to the scripture for instruction on sex education, what do we find? Well, we find that there are two sources of that education. One was parental instruction. And I would ask parents, have you talked with your children, from a perspective, as a Christian, of what it means to be sexual? For it is the. The teaching of scripture that.

That is the primary. One of the primary responsibility of parents to talk to their children in the context of a Christian family. And the only other place in scripture in which we learn about sex education is personal experience. But we find nowhere in scripture that responsibility has been given to other institutions who would present it in a neutral manner. But for the Christian, the education sexually of our children is very important. Also, we need to see that Christ spoke about the subject of the sanctity of sex, and it was Jesus himself who said that we should not commit adultery. And even to look upon a woman and to lust in our hearts is to have completed the test task in our heart.

And so as Christians, we ought to be very concerned about the look in our eye about our approach with members of the opposite sex. Finally, we are to see that there is, even in the relationship between a husband and wife, it is appropriate for them to enjoy the fruit of their sexuality. But how long has it been since I have heard of a husband or a wife who, according to first Corinthians seven five have said to one another, it would be good for us even to refrain for a season, that we might be able to fast, that we might be able to pray. And that is an instruction of scripture that on occasion, relationship between a husband and wife can be one of abstinence for a season, for the purpose of growing together in Christ. The scripture says that God has a will.

And so often we are looking for God’s will in places and people. What is God’s will about my life? What is God’s will about my job? Well, in the book of first Thessalonians, chapter four, verse three, we read this. For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality. Let us pray. Our God and our father, we come before you as men and women who have been created in your image. You have made us male and female. And, Father, we pray that you would help us to understand the purpose for the sanctity of understanding our sexuality. Father, that you would help us to see that there is a noble and wonderful use of our sexuality that is ordained by you and that it is good, and that you would instruct us even to multiply.

But Father, your word also declares that there is an improper and immodest and impure use of sexuality.

Thank you for listening to a firm foundation presented by Princeton Ministries. This programming is supported by you, the listeners. You may go to our website, princetonministries.org, or send your donation to Princeton Ministries Post Office box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey 08543. That’s Princeton Ministries Post Office box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey 08543. The Lord bless you and Doctor Smith looks forward to hearing from you.