Church Talks About Sex

Vintage Fellowship has started a month-long series called "Turned On," which the pastor says connects sexuality with spirituality-- in a very candid way. Pastor Robb Ryerse says the "Turned On" series takes a blunt approach to discussing sexual issues openly and relating them to what is in the bible. "Some of the lies that culture has told us is that sex can only be good, it can only be fun if it`s done outside of any restraints of commitment. We think that the truth is that God has designed us so that sex is a wonderful aspect of marriage and that when done within the context of marriage it can be one of the most important and wonderful things in life," he says. "I think the church has told us some lies about sex too, like our bodies aren`t important, but they are." Church members say they appreciate bringing these topics out in the open, even if it can get a little uncomfortable at times. "You can go anywhere and find out anything you want to know about sex but very rarely do you go to church and find out what you want to know about sex and get the answers that you know you can count on," says member Derek Salmonson. "I think that`s why it makes people uncomfortable, because it`s not the typical church sex talk," says member Sara Williams. Ryerse realizes that not everyone will agree with his approach, but he says with all the sexual influences in our culture today, you have to be up-front to make an impact. "Everybody`s talking about sex and we think the church ought to be in on the conversation, we think the church has a lot to say about sex. There`s a lot of questions out there, there`s a lot of lies out there that the church can answer those questions with truth and make a real difference in the conversation." For more on Vintage Fellowship visit their website at www.vintagefellowship.org