To Flourish and Thrive

The sexual revolution that began in the 1960s has taught us more about the need for good boundaries than any other time in history.

When the birth control pill first became available, the response was a cultural pendulum swing labelled “free love” where men and women were encouraged to cast off all moral restraint. Boundaries that once governed sexual promiscuity essentially vanished.

The sexual revolution assured us that we could do whatever we wanted with whomever we wanted whenever we wanted with no consequences. Instead, fatherlessness and sexually transmitted diseases, some of them fatal, rose sharply. So did the psychological and emotional scars that develop in the wake of uncommitted sexual relationships. We now know for certain that unrestrained sexuality takes a toll on marriages and families and destabilizes entire communities.

Within proper boundaries, sex is a beautiful expression of human intimacy that brings its participants alive. Outside of those boundaries, however, it breeds heartache, discontent, and conflict. Contrary to conventional wisdom, moral boundaries don’t restrict human sexuality, they allow it to flourish and thrive.