Marriage vs. Committed Relationships
Christian sexual ethics and its value for sharing Christ with others
The current state of the culture
Thanks to a 2019 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, we are given insight into what many self-identified Christians believe is appropriate sexual behavior. There are two areas in particular that are relevant here.
The first is that the majority of Christians today (57%) believe that “sex between unmarried adults in a committed relationship is sometimes or always acceptable.”
This stands in contrast to religiously unaffiliated Americans (62%), atheists (80%), and agnostics (75%).
The second is that 50% of Christians believe that “casual sex — defined in the survey as sex between consenting adults who are not in a committed romantic relationship — is sometimes or always acceptable.”
These numbers will come as a shock to some but, unfortunately, will only confirm what many already suspected.
The current situation is that, in the eyes of many Christians, marriage is not the only proper context for sexual relationships. Committed relationships are also now the prerequisite.
