Last week’s topic was the malaise of our present culture. There is a way out. There is a way to reverse the downward spiral and to rebuild a culture of life and hope that respects purity and marriage. The downward sexual revolution started with an idea—the notion that it is morally okay to take apart what God has put together in the sexual act. The sexual counter-revolution starts with the opposite idea expressed by Jesus in his teaching about marriage—“What God has put together, let no one take apart” (Mt 19:6). This applies not only to marriage but also to the marriage act.
The NFPI vision is built on the rock of God’s revelation. God exists and has made himself known. God created human nature and has a plan for us. Personal happiness and the well-being of society depend on following that plan.
In God’s plan, sexual intercourse is exclusively a marriage act. Within marriage, the marriage act ought to be a true marriage act. It ought to reflect and renew the gift of self, the commitment, the caring love, the faithfulness, the fruitfulness, and the permanence of the marriage covenant. This can be summarized in a way that everyone can understand: Sexual intercourse is intended by God to be at least implicitly a renewal of the marriage covenant.
Next Week: A Vision of a Culture of Life and Hope
John F. Kippley
Sex and the Marriage Covenant: A Basis for Morality (Ignatius)