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The analogy of fire and sex is drawn by Dr. Joe McIlhaney, an Ob-Gyn, as he begins Sex: What You Don't Know Can Kill You. McIlhaney, with writing help from his wife, pulls no punches in his detailed descriptions of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. He avoids scare tactics, but makes clear the emotional and spiritual side effects as well as the physical dangers of misusing God's gift of sex.
McIlhaney treats several kinds of "safe sex," and concludes all have possible dangers. The chapter on Mutual Monogamy, when couples choose to live together for a while without marriage, indicates that even if such couples marry, they have a 50 percent higher divorce rate than those who did not cohabit before marriage.
But the author does more than simply give warnings. He offers 11 specific suggestions for keeping relationships with people of the opposite sex free of sexual involvement until marriage. These guidelines are not easy to follow, but they beat having a sexually transmitted disease hands down.
What should sex be to a human being? "The deepest form of communication between two people who love each other" according to McIlhaney.
That'll keep you warm a long time.
Jay Graham is a reviewer and youth counselor in Greensboro, NC.
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