The sixth CCI esssay is now available: Christopher Ash, “Christianity and Sexuality” (PDF | HTML). (All CCI essays are now available in both PDF and HTML format.)

Christopher Ash is Director of the Cornhill Training Course for the Proclamation Trust in London. He studied theology at Oxford University, where he was awarded the University Prize. He is the author of several books including Marriage: Sex in the Service of God (Leicester: IVP, 2003) and Married for God: Making Your Marriage the Best It Can Be (Leicester: IVP, 2007).

Here’s an outline of his 34-page essay:

1. Introduction

1.1. Why Is Sex So Fascinating? God and Sex

1.2. Culture Wars

1.3. Recognizing Prejudice

2. Sexuality and Creation Order

2.1. Creation Order Is Moral and Not Just Material

2.2. Creation Order Is Given by God, Not Constructed by Human Beings

2.2.1. The Alternative to Creation Order

2.2.2. Truth and Power

2.2.3. Entering the Institution of Marriage

2.3. Creation Order Is Universal

2.4. Creation Order Is Revealed in Scripture

2.5. Creation Order Is Significant

3. Sex in the Service of God

3.1. What Is the Point of Sex? God-Centered Answers and Human-Centered Answers

3.2. What Is the Point of Sex? Three Kinds of Traditional Answers

3.2.1. Procreation

3.2.2. Relationship

3.2.3. Public Order

3.3. Male and Female in the Created Order

3.4. Sex and Human Stewardship over Creation

3.5. Friendship: The Remedy for Loneliness

3.6. Application: How Sex Serves God

3.6.1. Procreation: Serving God Through Children

3.6.2. Relationship: Serving God Through the Marriage Relationship

3.6.3. Public Order: Serving God by Guarding Sex for Marriage

• Protection Against Injustice
• The Removal of Ambiguity
• The Accountability of a Public Promise

4. Sex As a Substitute for God

5. Sex in a Disordered World

5.1. Sexual Frustration

5.2. A Test Case: Homosexual Desires

5.2.1. The Origin of Homosexual Desires

5.2.2. The Gospel and Homosexual Desires

6. Conclusion: Everyone Can Have a Wedding Day!

Annotated Bibliography