ABSTRACT

Sins of sexual immorality have a unique stigma attached to them within the church. The ostracism and exclusion experienced by those who the church deems as having committed these sins are not equally applied to those who commit sins of a different nature (such as theft or other misdeeds.). Knowledge of this stigma influences the following question; “How does human sexuality influence God’s kingdom here on earth?”. The matter at hand has been partially spawned by issues of history, as the monastic tradition and practices such as asceticism have had a large impact on the way that modern Christians interpret sexuality. In terms of biblical application, scriptural sources such as Hebrews 13:4 and 1 Corinthians 7 provide commentary to this subject. In order to resolve the issue of attaching a greater stigma to one set of sins over another, and to clarify God’s position on the topic, adaptive change must occur within the church. A rethinking and reapplication of history, scripture, and theology funneled through the Christian utilization of action, reflection, and articulation can assist the church in uniformly treating sin as sin and not elevating one sin’s evil over another.