It's hard out there for a conservative Christian who likes sex. Between Ed Young, Tucker Carlson and Dennis Prager advocating that women just submit, it's hard to get taken seriously as a pro-sex Christian.
But there are conservative Christians in the world who think that sex should be a mutually satisfying sexual experience every time for both partners. Joy Wilson, of Book22.com [NSFW] is one of those people. She runs a Christian marital aid shop that caters to conservative Christians looking to maximize the sexual pleasure in their marriage without porn or products that advocate "immoral" acts. And, a couple of decades ago, Tim and Beverly LeHaye encouraged Christian couples to see mutual orgasm as mutually beneficial (unlike Dennis Prager, who thinks that women's insistence on having one every time is responsible for the decline of the American family).
Here's the thing. Is it easy to mock from a secular perspective? Sure, as my choice of photo demonstrates. But the pro-sex (even if it is only pro-sex-in-marriage) Christians are doing the, um, Lord's work. They are, in effect, reframing feminist arguments about sex and women's sexuality and women's sexual pleasure in a language and a belief system in which a good part of this country fervently believes. They are encouraging people — within the context of marriage, which, okay, they're not going to talk about it pre-maritally — to view mutual sexual pleasure as not only an okay thing, or a good thing but as an important think and a required thing and even a gift from God.
And, not only are these Sex Crusaders encouraging men to think about sex in those terms, but they are encouraging women to open up about their sexuality to their husbands and with themselves and to be fully engaged, happy and comfortable with their sexuality. Is it so terrible for Christians to run around telling men that female orgasms are a gift from God that they should be helping their wives find? Hell, no. In fact, we need hundreds more of these men and women running around and shouting down Dennis Prager and Tucker Carlson and Ed Young every time they open their yaps and talk about submission and frigidity and male desire and the lack of female desire. If everyone was having more regular orgasms, don't you think the world would be a better place?
The Joy of Christian Sex Toys [NPR]
From the Crap Archives: The Beauty of Sexual Love [Village Voice]
Earlier: Which Flavor Of Ice Cream Would You Swap For Sex?
Tucker Carlson's Guide To Not Getting Divorced
Conservative Dennis Prager Knows It's Not Rape If His Wife "Submits"
Dennis Prager Still Thinks Women Should Just Give It Up Already
Image "David 4" via Zach_ManchesterUK
DISCUSSION
A "Christian marital aid shop?" ???? SERIOUSLY?
So it's ok if you call it that? I'm speechless. These same folks think sex shops are filthy and sinful, but they can sell the same stuff if they call it "christian" and "marital aid?" Jesus Christ Almighty, this is a new level of hypocrisy. And there's no guarantee that only married couples are going to buy stuff from here. It's pretty graphic, so I could see any intimate couple buying stuff - married or not!
THe NPR story says they pray before putting products on their site and they don't sell things that they consider "unholy." Their site has plenty of "unholy" things for sale, lemme tell ya. Check it out. Rings, "head candy," creams, books about positions, everything you'd find in any other sex shop.