Sexual Ethics, Freedom in Christ, and the Need for Deeper Conversations
- Ryan Culp
- Jun 28
- 4 min read
On why church leaders must seriously consider complicated sexual ethics questions.
Dear reader,
No more final exams! For the first time since high school, studying for finals did not consume my Thanksgiving Break. Part of me really enjoyed the law school rhythm of hunkering down, stockpiling information in my short-term memory, and unloading it all on test day.1 But man was it nice to fully enjoy the week off.
As any normal 25 year old male would, I spent some of that time reading The Lord of the Rings (again) and thinking about Protestant sexual ethics. And frankly, I think theologically conservative Protestants do not discuss sexual ethics issues enough.
Sure, YouTube pastors who condemn abortion, homosexuality, and transgenderism are a dime a dozen. And theologically conservative churches regularly condemn premarital sex, extramarital sex, and pornography. But how often are arguable moral hazards like contraception, IVF, and vasectomies discussed by church leaders?
In my experience, the answer is never. And as a result, these practices are common among evangelical Christians. One survey found that a majority of Protestant Christians support IVF for married couples. Most evangelical Christians are okay with contraception, and “barely give the issue second thought.”2 And a couple of writers estimate that “40-50% of men 38 and over in evangelical spaces have had [vasectomies].”3 Some prominent Christians even joke about getting vasectomies.
It seems most Christians act or think just like the world on these less-discussed sexual ethics issues. That’s concerning given the world's ethical track record. Still, the world’s influence shouldn’t surprise us when the only input most Christians hear on such issues is from the world.
Navigating the tides of our cultural waters is difficult, and the church should not leave the flock to drown in worldly philosophies. Young Christian families like mine face daily onslaughts of morally hazardous decisions on contraception, pregnancy, fertility, and child-rearing, and we need guidance. Here are just a few examples:
Some of these questions have clear answers, but others are tougher—even to those raised in church.
Freedom in Christ & Personal Conviction
The typical evangelical response to complicated sexual ethics questions is “we have freedom in Christ, and I believe _____ is an issue of discernment and personal conviction.” This answer may not be inherently wrong. But I fear that without serious efforts to discern God’s will, this answer might lead us to sin out of ignorance.
God takes sin seriously, and Christians shouldn’t use “freedom in Christ” as a platitudinous excuse to avoid thinking deeply about complicated moral issues. Freedom in Christ does not include the freedom to sin. And while we should not be hasty in categorizing things as sinful, we should sincerely try to avoid sin.
Accordingly, “it doesn’t bother me therefore it’s okay” isn’t a sufficient test of personal conviction. If we don’t know something is wrong and aren’t seriously thinking and praying about it, we’re less likely to feel convicted about the issue.
Jeremiah tells us that the heart is deceitful, and Proverbs tells us to guard our hearts above all things. Ephesians tells us we need to put on the spiritual armor of God, and Romans tells us we need to clothe ourselves with Christ. Romans also tells us that the discernment of God’s will comes through transformation by the renewal of our minds.
In summary, we cannot trust our flesh, and we must be proactive in protecting our hearts and discerning God’s will. If we are not proactive in protecting our hearts, our hearts are more likely to deceive us. And if we are not proactive in renewing our minds through prayer and the Word, we are more likely to conform to the world’s patterns and to struggle to discern God’s will.
Old Testament Israel proved their blindness, deafness, hardness of heart, and ignorance of God’s will repeatedly. Israel defied, ignored, and even outright forgot the law given to them directly from God through Moses. They turned to all kinds of idols and made tons of foolish mistakes. And in the time of Jesus, they were blind enough to crucify the Messiah himself despite knowing the Old Testament well. Paul’s letters show that such blindness, deafness, and ignorance is not unique to Israel.
Who are we to assume that our hearts are better than theirs?
Freedom in Christ is not freedom to sin. And to ensure we are not sinning against our bodies, we must steadfastly seek to know God better and to understand these complicated ethical issues through a biblical lens.
God cares about what we do with our bodies because we are made in His image and our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Because Christ died for us, we are not our own; we were bought at a great price. Our actions should reflect these truths.
Call to Action
As you might guess, I believe that most sexual ethics issues have right answers and are not matters of personal conviction. But if I’m wrong, I hope I’ve at least shown why Christians must take sexual ethics issues seriously. After all, if IVF is truly a moral hazard, then churches that ignore IVF are probably abdicating their responsibility to shepherd their flock.
Questions on IVF, contraception, vasectomies, etc. may not all have clear answers. But the fact that the church and the world agree on anything related to sexual ethics is concerning enough for me to implore church leaders to prayerfully consider these issues in light of God’s design and purpose for our bodies. Have a blessed week!
1
These study habits will be useful one day for hearings, trials, and oral arguments!
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Life Considered
14 reasons to stop normalizing vasectomies
*A version of this article was published at Mere Orthodoxy on September 3rd, 2025…