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I love the title, Wired for Intimacy. It evocatively describes the promise and hope God packaged with His gift of marriage. Because of the way we are made, husbands can strongly bind with wives (and wives with husbands). The monogamous sexual union is reinforced by the pleasure they share as they are intimate with each other. As Struthers shows, this is not just an emotional bonding—it involves complex neurological and chemical systems throughout our body. It may be what God was referring to when he declared husband and wife to be “one flesh” (Mark 10:8). Surveys and studies back this...

A taboo is something that is vehemently “forbidden based on moral judgment and religious beliefs.” When confronted with a taboo, we do not consider breaking it. The line is drawn so clearly that we dare not cross it. Incest is a good example. It is condemned in every culture. The idea of sexual relations with a sibling or one’s child is abhorrent and rejected as a matter of course. We are horrified by it. We recoil from it. It is off the table. We totally close the door to it. This keeps us out of trouble. The power of taboos...

In the Gospel for this Weekend’s Mass we are well into the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and today we cover a good deal of Chapter 5. In a way the Lord is drawing a picture for us of the transformed human person. He is presenting a kind of slide show of what sanctity really is. In understanding this rather lengthy text we do well to reflect on it in three parts.I. The Power of New Life in Christ – We have discussed before that an important principle of the Christian moral vision is to understand that it is...

Many groups—including Christians—take the phrase “Let go and let God” to heart. The idea of getting out of the way and letting God take over is appealing and has a spiritual sound to it. Those who seek to overcome compulsive behavior are often exposed to this thinking. For example, imbedded in the 12 steps in the form that most recovery groups follow are the powerful assertions that one who is overcome by sin is “powerless” and needs to “turn their will and lives” over to God. This letting go allows God to “restore their sanity” and “remove their defects in...

Pornography has become increasingly prevalent and available since the early 1950s when Playboy magazine first forced its way into the mainstream. Sadly, those who have opposed the spread of porn during this time have been defeated at every turn. Efforts to eliminate adult bookstores, adult movie theatres, adult movie rentals and adult cable stations have all failed. With porn now available on every screen and some sort of screen available to every person, we can fairly say that the war is now over. All attempts to block the flood of porn have failed. We have lost the war on porn....

What is it that really holds us in bondage? What is it that is truly the source of our problem, our sins, our selfishness, our anger, our lust and pride? Original Sin? Yes but where does the wound of sin really set up shop in us and stay open for business? What does it tap into for its strength? Scripture has an interesting answer to this question: Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free...

A common reason for failure is confusing self-control with willpower. We imagine that by applying enough willpower, things will fall in place. However, those who continue in sin know that their willpower is no match for the battle. This being the New Year, resolutions abound. Though our intentions may be sincere our ability to follow through is pitifully weak. We find that we are unable to drive sin from our lives. Our weakness reveals itself ceaselessly. Willpower is not the source of self-control. My own struggle with lust and the things I have learned as a result of gaining victory...

What is it that causes a Christian to be “useless an unproductive?” You know the type—going through the motions, claiming faith, but not growing in the faith. This tragic outcome happens in those who fail to overcome persistent sin in their lives. Their failure causes them to be knocked to the curb. They are described as ”useless” by God. I went through a phase like this. In fact, I can truthfully say that most of my life was lived in that way. The apostle Peter explains how to avoid this trap.....

A goal of Buddhism is to “renounce” or overcome lust. So much so, that the most fervent Buddhists live as celibate monks. Their hope is to eventually enter Nirvana, a state where they expect to “extinguish all desires”—not just lust. Buddhists are correct. Evil desires are to blame for our troubles.....

Why aren’t we more concerned about how even many of our fellow Catholics are engaging in behaviors (“lifestyles”), or accepting, or even approving them, in others, that scripture says will exclude them from the kingdom?A soul being rescued from purgatory.Right after Vatican II, there was an explosion of interest in moral theology. The “fundamental option” theory gained wide notice in both scholarly journals and in popular Catholic culture. Many people got the impression—and many still have it—that if one’s overall life is pointed in a good direction, particular sinful acts may not exclude us from the kingdom. This interpretation was...

I love hearing stories about those who are in the trenches, overcoming lust. It seems like almost anyone at any stage of life is vulnerable to this sin. Lust is relentlessly ”deceitful” (Ephesians 4:22). Today’s story takes the form of a short but thought-provoking email exchange I shared with Joe—75 years old—who lost his wife and is intent on “finishing strong.” To do this he needed to get his head straight about lust. (He has given me permission to share this.) Here is Joe’s story:

Those seeking to overcome lust face a unique problem. Not only must they resist new temptations that come their way, but they must also deal with things in the past that they have seen and done. Years ago, a pastor at a men’s retreat called this his “drawer full of memories.” He bemoaned things he had seen and experienced and that the memory of these caused him enduring problems. When he least expected it, these memories would pop out of the drawer and cause him to lose his way.

Following Jesus means being transformed—changing—progressively becoming more like Him. Dealing with the sin of lust is a good example of how this works. Anyone who has struggled and failed when it comes to lust and then later enters into victory over it knows what this is like. A fascinating and important byproduct of this transforming process is that it “proves” God’s will. Who—you may ask—are you proving this to?

The image above is borrowed from the ad campaign “This is Your Brain on Drugs” that is indelibly etched in most of our minds. Piggy-backing on this, the phrase “Your Brain on Porn,” has gained popularity. Google that phrase and you will bring up a multitude of websites and videos from Christian and non-Christian sources. This is because pornography use—especially via the internet—has been demonstrated to be extremely destructive and habit forming. In fact, Cambridge researchers reported last month that the brain scans of heavy porn users were similar to the brain scans of drug addicts. This brings us to...

<p>Tony Miano, a retired deputy sheriff from Los Angeles County, Calif., was arrested in London, England, earlier this week for preaching on abstaining from sexual immorality, both heterosexual and homosexual, in downtown Wimbledon. He was found to be in violation of Public Order Act Section 5, for "using homophobic speech that could cause people anxiety, distress, alarm or insult," Miano said in a YouTube video posted on Wednesday. Preaching from 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12, Miano spoke about sexual sins for 25 minutes before being cut off by Metropolitan Police officers who said that although preaching in itself is not an offense, the specific part of the Bible he was preaching from was interpreted as homophobic by the woman who called to complain.</p>

Use of pornography and other sexual sins are rampant in our culture and in the church. Many have concluded that such behavior or at least the lust—evil desires—that drives them is fundamentally an unsolvable problem, a sin that will not be defeated in the lives of God's children. Such a response is unacceptable in the face of the severe and incalculable damage that lust inflicts upon lives, families and fellowships.

(AINA) — The number of Christian girls abducted and coerced into converting to Islam since the Egyptian “January 25 Revolution” has skyrocketed, according to Father Filopateer Gamil of St. Mary’s Church in Giza. “More than two to three girls disappear everyday in Giza alone,” he said. “The cases that are brought to public attention are few compared to what the numbers actually are.” Many Christians blame the military council for not intervening to put an end to this problem, which has escalated after the Revolution because of the “emergence of Muslim Salafists,” says activist Mark Ebeid, “who believe strongly that...

A South Carolina megachurch pastor has chosen to press through the awkwardness and talk about what an increasing number of churches have been addressing from the pulpit – sex. Pastor Perry Noble of NewSpring Church made it clear to his congregation that when it comes to sex, the church has a lot to learn. "Let's just be honest. Sexual immorality is in the house," he told his congregation, adding that he has seen sexual immorality at each of the three churches he has served. "We can't get mad at people that aren't Christians because they act like they're not Christians....

Potential GOP presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s explanation for his extramarital escapade—“I did it because I love America”—brought loud guffaws from former President Bill Clinton. “If infidelity is proof of love of country I ought to have gotten the Congressional Medal of Honor,” Clinton boasted. “But when he had the chance Gingrich and his boys tried to impeach me. I see a double standard here.” Clinton recommended that Gingrich “give up the notion that he’ll ever be elected president. He’s already a semi-celebrity—not in my league, of course, but still getting paid for his opinions on Fox News,...

Mr. Spock Would Make A Great Catholic ***From the editor: Welcome to all those coming via Mark Shea's blog (Catholic and Enjoying It!), Carl Olson's blog (Ignatius Insight Scoop), and all the others who have stopped by via other blogs who have graciously linked to this post. I'm glad you've come by, and I hope you come back!*** From time to time I check out liberal Catholic blogs. The other day I read a piece at the blog "Enlightened Catholicism" on how an authentic spiritual conversion is a whole body process that rewires our neural pathways. Now I don't know...