A Sexular Society

(Sexular—coined by Australian pastor, writer and blogger Stephen McAlpine in ‘A Sexular Age’. This article was sparked by his use of the word.)

We used to live in a religious world, where your religious belief defined who you were—it was where you got your identity from. Religion flavoured every aspect of life from the cradle to the grave, taking in education, community, family, even work. But things have changed, now we live in a secular world—one, in a sense, stripped of religious input.

In this secular world people get their identity from many things—work, success, family, sport, looks—the list is endless.

Or at least it used to be endless. But that list has narrowed largely to one single item—Sex. Not simply the act, but all that goes with it. It has been transformed into our sole source of identity.

For the vast majority of history sex has been seen exclusively in terms of what we do rather than who we are. When I was at secondary school in the early 90s (not that long ago!), sex was a bodily function. But it is that no longer. Sexuality = Identity. You can see it in the vast array of labels there are to go under: homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, asexual, gray-asexual, pansexual, polysexual, lesbian, transgender…

I am my sexuality, therefore I am.

Add an environment where there is the sexualising of everything, the cheapening of chastity, and the crushing problem of pornography addiction. Throw in the catastrophe of gender clinics failing to properly help young people who presented as struggling with gender identity, and the many heart-breaking detransitioning stories.

Add to that the complete lack of freedom to voice anything other than the approved mantras and dogmas. And dogma is the right word—for our secular world has once again become deeply religious. The only difference is that sexuality is the god, and we haven’t realised that we humans are the sacrifice. All must bow before the great god of sexuality.

We now live in a sexular society.

Sexularism will ruin lives, destroy families and community, isolate individuals and fail to give what it promises. It simply cannot bear the weight.

There are at least three problems with a sexular society:

One: Woe betide you if you dare to question the prevailing ethos. Because sexuality is now seen as the core of our very being, to say anything else is tantamount to a personal assault. It leads to an incredibly intolerant society, for it brings its demands into every area of society—bedrooms, bathrooms, boardrooms, schoolrooms, changing-rooms etc—and nobody can say anything.

Two: It is a devastating narrowing of what a human being is. We are made to be much more than sexual beings. We are made to get our identity from something much richer and more stable than something as fleeting and transient as sex. We will reap what we sow. Incels (involuntary celibates, young men who self-identify as unable to get a sexual partner and are angry at the fact) and crushed detransitioners are only the tip of the iceberg.

Three: Most significantly, it takes us away from where we are meant to get our identity from. From One who loves us and who never changes. Instead of being a fountain of failed promises, this One would lay down his life so that we could know who we truly were made to be. Jesus Christ is where we are made to get our identity from.

In him there is safety, security, stability, significance and salvation that can be found nowhere else.

“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” - John 8:36