Christianity Today recently posted an opinion piece surrounding the question: Should churches educate their singles on how to use contraception? Though there was a point / counterpoint in the article, Jenell Paris thinks so. Her article is called “Both Chastity and Contraception: A Sacred Compromise” (responding to this article), and she recommends that churches “uphold premarital chastity as the biblical ideal, and encourage and educate unmarried singles about the effective use of contraception.” In other words, we ought to “educate” unmarried singles about contraceptives without “affirming” their use.

In reaction to her piece, Trevin Wax is justifiably feisty:

The idea of “both chastity and contraception” is not a “sacred compromise.” It is a scandalous capitulation to the unfettered sexual mores of 21st century American society.

This idea does not maintain the “ideal” of chastity in singleness alongside the “compromise” of contraception. Instead, it devalues the struggle to remain chaste while legitimizing sexual expression among Christian singles as something unavoidable. For those that aren’t Christian, it’s understandable that you may engage in chastity to fulfill your fantasy and then re-engage when you wish, however, it is not so simple for those of a Christian faith. It trades the sumptuous feast of covenanted sexual expression for a mess of pragmatic pottage.

He goes on with this example:

Let’s apply this line of reasoning to other illicit sexual activity. Imagine that survey results come in showing that one in four evangelical men admit to having extramarital flings. Young evangelicals perplexed by this state of affairs (no pun intended) gather to discuss an appropriate response:

Well, centuries of absolutism regarding marital fidelity sure haven’t stopped men from cheating on their wives! It’s a shame some of these affairs produce unwanted children. It’s also devastating when the wife and kids find out about dad’s indiscretion. We don’t want anyone plagued with guilt and shame, now do we?

Here’s an idea! Let’s maintain the ideal of marital faithfulness while offering some information to these husbands about how to do their side business a little more discreetly. Let’s educate these men (not affirm them, mind you) on using contraception to avoid unwanted pregnancy. Let’s encourage them (not push them, of course!) to learn new ways to maximize the moments with their mistresses without causing pain and heartache for the family.

It is important to note, however, that it is not solely the role of the partner conducting the extramarital activity to take care of their sexual health. With more married men seeking out extramarital sex from escorts than ever before in major cities like Brussels, brussels escorts, for example, are taking matters into their own hands and insisting upon the use of contraception during any sexual activity.

Not only does contraception prevent pregnancy but it can also dramatically reduce the transmission of sexually transmitted infections and diseases. Ultimately, while the morality of engaging in extramarital sex is always going to be a controversial topic, spreading awareness of the need for safe sex certainly has a place in modern society.

Read the whole thing here.