“Make love, not war.” Perhaps no phrase better defines the American sexual revolution of the 1960s. The promise of the sexual revolution was pleasure freed from the constraints of traditional morality. Ideas of abstinence and marital fidelity were seen as obstacles to achieving the greatest sexual pleasure and personal fulfillment. As one author summarizes a popular book of the period,

If individuals took a rational view of sex, there would be no more jealousy, no more monogamy, no more shame—all products of Judeo-Christianity’s superstitious anti-sex agenda. . . . In fact, by eliminating shame and self-loathing, sexual rationalism would solve virtually all of society’s remaining problems.¹

Today a new sexual revolution is underway. At the same age at which the revolutionaries of the 1960s were pushing for greater and greater sexual permissiveness, a group of young twenty-somethings today is advocating a return to chastity. At the forefront of this emerging counter-counter-culture is the Anscombe Society at Princeton University. The society takes its name from the late G. E. M. (Gertrude Elizabeth Margaret) Anscombe,² a distinguished Christian philosopher at Cambridge University during the last century, who argued on philosophical grounds that “there just is no such thing as a casual, non-significant, sexual act” because sex is inextricably tied to “the transmission of human life.”³

In contrast to the end of monogamy predicted during the 1960s, the Anscombe Society boldly proclaims, “We define marriage as the exclusive and monogamous union between a man and a woman grounded in a commitment to mutual love and aid, with the intent to remain so committed until death.”⁴ Rather than the commitment-free sex of the era, the Anscombe Society affirms that the true purposes of sex can only be found in the boundaries of marriage, stating, “If experienced outside of this proper setting, we believe that sex loses its value, proving harmful to both the parties involved and to their relationship.”⁵

The work of the society thus far has been to provide support for students committed to chastity, as well as to sponsor lectures open to the public on relevant topics. Not affiliated with any specific denomination or religion, the Anscombe Society seeks to inform students about the sociological, medical, and theological data that demonstrate chastity is a better choice than the promiscuity promoted on college campuses.⁶ Although the society’s commitment to traditional sexual morality has led some students to ridicule group members for their advocacy of so-called outdated and repressive ideologies, the movement is gaining numbers and there appears to be greater openness to their ideas. In fact, Cassandra Debenedetto, founder of the Anscombe Society, received the Spirit of Princeton Award in 2007 for her contribution to the university.⁷ Indeed, as the group is attaining greater publicity, similar chapters are springing up on other well-known college campuses around the nation, and a Love and Fidelity Network is in formation to unite the various groups.⁸

The Achilles’ heel of the sexual revolution was its incorrect evaluation of human nature. The revolutionaries failed to see that it was traditional institutions such as marriage that had largely served to restrain human sin and to provide fulfilling relationships. As a result of the sexual revolution, sexual relationships lacking the concrete commitment of marriage crumbled, leaving in their wake disillusioned adults and emotionally fractured children. Churches should celebrate the Anscombe Society’s stand for the virtue of chastity in the midst of a culture committed to sexual permissiveness. Such courage will become increasingly necessary for committed followers of Christ as Western culture forgets its Judeo-Christian heritage.

Footnotes:

from Kairos Journal

First Baptist Church, Perryville, MD