Saint Andrews Christian Church

This Week At St. Andrews

Regarding touch

Date Posted: 2009-08-06

Have you ever seen one of those reality shows where a guy and girl meet each other, and the first thing they do is jump into the hot tub together? Maybe, that's even where they meet each other. And then they're all over each other. Maybe their Mom is even there, deciding which girl she likes best for her son.

I would even suggest that this has become a standard type of scene on tv-- couples trying things out together in the hot tub.

And of course I'm not shocked to see this on TV. Scantily clad bodies on tv is no surprise. What surprises me is that the contestants seem so completely unfazed by the expectation that they will make out with a complete stranger, half-naked on network TV.

The implication of this scene, in my opinion, is that our culture seems to believe that human touch means nothing. There is no significance at all in regards to whom a person touches or how intimate that touch is.

On the other hand, throughout the Scriptures, human touch in considered to have real significance. It means something.

What does it mean? That's what we're talking about this Sunday.

What do you think?

Comments

Kevin, I thought it was a well balanced presentation. My 2 cents :)
Posted By: Sarah on 2009-08-20 06:02:48

After spending 3 months in the backwoods of Maine during the summer of 2005 I grew accustomed to trees, rocks, and more trees. Emerging after those three months with very little contact with the civilized world (I had no electricity, plumbing, or cell phone service) I became instantly aware of the promiscuity of our sexual world. It was amazing to me, how, for the first time I realized what an object we have made of touch and of our bodies. I think that this is an amazing topic!
Posted By: Fritz on 2009-08-06 01:19:57

Kevin, I think one has to distinguish between different types of "touch" , the implications of (even partial) nudity and the biology and culture of shame. German zoologist and ethicist Joachim Illies has written extensively on this subject, in part responding to British zoologist Desmond Morris (The Naked Ape). Illies considers the awareness of shame an important aspect in the evolution from animal to human, which is astonishingly congruent with the biblical creation account. Anyway, an interesting topic! Jan
Posted By: Jan Decher on 2009-08-06 01:08:27