What the Bible Really Does (and Doesn't Say) About Sex

The How, When, Why, and with Whom of Scriptural Prohibitions and Permissions

By: Matthew O'Neil

Narrated by: Matthew O'Neil

People are constantly judged for their sexual choices, their frequency of sexual activity, their selection of partners, and their decisions regarding birth control, and much of this judgment stems from the element of culture perhaps most preoccupied with sex: religion. Focusing principally on Christianity, What the Bible Really Does (and Doesn't Say) about Sex examines the arguments religious moralizers and sanctimonious politicians make to condone or condemn certain sexual practices and lifestyles. But do they even get it right? What does scripture really say about the how, when, why, and with whom of sex? Is homosexuality really an abomination? Is abortion murder? Is premarital sex a sin?

The answers may surprise you: the Bible does not always make the claims those who cite it say it does. In fact, the Bible often says nothing at all about many of the practices and lifestyles the faithful argue so vociferously for, or against. By setting the record straight with regard to what the Bible does and does not say about what people do behind closed doors, this book offers highly compelling arguments for those who want to keep religion and government off their bodies and out of their bedrooms.

©2015 Matthew O'Neil (P)2015 Pitchstone Publishing

Solid biblical exposition, obvious bias, and quick reading.

Matthew O'Neil appears to do a great job teaching on what the Bible actually says. His exposition and interpretation is very sound. His liberal bias shows the entire time though. The book should really be titled, "What the Bible really does (and doesn't) say about sex from the Liberal perspective". He offers his opinions a bit too often, and gives statistics from blatantly biased sources. He almost spends too much time talking about where we are now in America, and not enough time teaching on what the Bible actually says, which is a shame, because he is good at that. He also speaks incredibly quickly while he reads. It is as if he is rushing through the book, which makes it difficult to follow. If you want solid teaching on what the Bible says, with a strong biased opinion being offered on what that means now, then this is your book.

A Mixed Bag

For the good: the breadth of the topic is well though briefly sketched, some of the scholarship is insightful. For the bad: the narration goes very quickly, making it hard to follow aurally, and many statements are simply untrue, perhaps due to a lack of familiarity with other parts of scripture. For example, the author's assertion that the Bible nowhere says all children are a blessing is easily refuted by Psa. 127:3, despite an insinuation that the passage only refers to sons because of the martial context. If so, this would undermine the author's early assertion, well founded, that Jael and other women were warriors in their own right. But that is only one example. So, the conclusions are suspect although the scope of investigation is appreciated. No doubt, many errors of interpretation have been made in the past. Unfortunately, this seems a continuation of the same. Had the promise of the title been followed rather than a descent into critical judgment and didacticism, it would have been appreciated more.