This reminds me of Oliver O'Donovan's clarification that ethics are grounded in love, not rights. "Consent" is a right. Absolutely, at least in the specific contexts where it has been important to assert and defend it as such. And it is fine as far as it goes. But you don't get ethical sex and relationships without being embedded in a community love (a community whose shared life flows from and is ordered to common loves)... and Lord help us if our culture and community is merely formed by a common love of sexual satisfaction.
Way to nail this one on the head. Im not saying all, but a lot of churches have become very wishy washy. We are supposed to be a light in the darkness. Church isn't supposed to be entertaining and make me feel good. Church is the body of Christ gathering together to worship the sovereign God who loves us and detests sin. We can choose good or bad. There is no in-between. Just like heaven and hell.
I think that we should just take the standards of consent to their logical conclusion: Consent must be given by someone of sound mind and body in a solemn legal or spiritual ceremony having received advice and counsel from parents or someone qualified to act in loco parentis. This will involve disclosure of all relevant history and personal context. That consent will then be considered valid until it is revoked in a similar setting.
It is funny how all of our progressive experiments with human life turn out to just be tearing down something that we need and then we replace it with a copy that isn't as good.
The takeaway for me is that there is so little discontinuity between the perspectives of society at large and those in faith communities . Sobering indeed !
This reminds me of Oliver O'Donovan's clarification that ethics are grounded in love, not rights. "Consent" is a right. Absolutely, at least in the specific contexts where it has been important to assert and defend it as such. And it is fine as far as it goes. But you don't get ethical sex and relationships without being embedded in a community love (a community whose shared life flows from and is ordered to common loves)... and Lord help us if our culture and community is merely formed by a common love of sexual satisfaction.
Way to nail this one on the head. Im not saying all, but a lot of churches have become very wishy washy. We are supposed to be a light in the darkness. Church isn't supposed to be entertaining and make me feel good. Church is the body of Christ gathering together to worship the sovereign God who loves us and detests sin. We can choose good or bad. There is no in-between. Just like heaven and hell.
Hi Joseph.
But what about rape within marriage? Marriage doesnāt solve the problem of violence. (Because the problem is violence and not consent).
This is so good and clarifying. Never saw the connection to euthanasia before. Lord have mercy.
Very nice piece.
I think that we should just take the standards of consent to their logical conclusion: Consent must be given by someone of sound mind and body in a solemn legal or spiritual ceremony having received advice and counsel from parents or someone qualified to act in loco parentis. This will involve disclosure of all relevant history and personal context. That consent will then be considered valid until it is revoked in a similar setting.
It is funny how all of our progressive experiments with human life turn out to just be tearing down something that we need and then we replace it with a copy that isn't as good.
The takeaway for me is that there is so little discontinuity between the perspectives of society at large and those in faith communities . Sobering indeed !