By JIM M. VALOIS
The Sexual Revolution by the Most Rev. Peter J. Elliott, auxiliary bishop emeritus of Melbourne, Australia. Visit Ignatius.com for ordering information.
Jonathan Roumie starred in the popular new movie, The Jesus Revolution. Currently it has grossed over 49 million. The movie is based on a true story and takes place in California when the sexual revolution exploded onto the scene. It was the 1960s. In the story, one of the largest faith awakeningsin American history is brought to the silver screen. Hippies throughout the nation were converting to Christ. They were finding freedom from drugs and immoral lifestyles through a relationship with Christ. This movement crossed major denominational lines and provided an antidote to the sexual revolution at that time.
In our time, a new book has been written entitled The Sexual Revolution. It provides an antidote that supports that relationship with Christ for the current iteration of the sexual revolution we face. This concise read examines the ongoing revolution and the response we can make. Written by Bishop Peter Elliott, this interesting paperback is a must read for pastors, parents, young adults, and older teens. The precise reasons to read this book are for the remedies provided and for the indispensable hope it offers.
Although many have witnessed the sexual revolution erupt in the Age of Aquarius, Bishop Elliott shows that the misguided project was centuries in the making. Long ago societal reactions following the Reformation coalesced with radical strands of the Enlightenment to begin to change sexual morality. Skeptics such as Voltaire, David Hume, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau viewed human beings as “living machines” and autonomous from God. The author asserted: “Their disciples saw sexual freedom as helping to liberate men and women from the bondage of religious traditions and superstitions, which they blamed on Christian civilization” (p. 18).
Marxism and the theory of evolution captivated the world and ushered in false concepts such as utopia, open marriage, and permissiveness. The bishop reminds us: “In a Marxist perspective, men and women are no longer responsible to a Creator God but are the products of blind evolutionary forces” (p. 22). These pernicious ideas and others played major roles in creating the sexual revolution and continue to wreak havoc in the world. Bishop Elliott makes a compelling point here on the nature of Marxism that some attempt to deny today. Dr. Paul Kengor, a professor at Grove City College, further elucidates the nature of Marxism by revealing that Karl Marx had a hatred for religion and Christianity in particular. This hatred for Christianity is clearly seen in the ideology and in the governments that adopted it (see The Devil and Karl Marx by Paul Kengor).
Furthermore, the book underscores that the sexual revolution became part of a larger revolution in the world today. For example, the bishop clarifies that the ultimate goal of gender ideology is “the elimination of the sexual identity of the human person” (p. 89). He explains how this redefinition changes everything: “Sexual liberation becomes an effective instrument to destabilize, upturn, and change society, to deconstruct social institutions and break down established moral values, leading us into some new political or social order” (p. 89).
Additionally, following the money trail and understanding revised forms of Marxism and libertarianism, Bishop Elliott carefully reveals how the sexual revolution became a pawn in the larger global project.
Yet Bishop Elliott provides genuine hope in this work as well as effective ways for building a new culture of love. Sustained effort will be necessary to produce positive change: “This will…involve a struggle to reject and reverse legislation that has virtually enforced the sexual revolution in so many countries. At the same time, we are called to work with compassion for the healing of the men, women, and children whose lives have been ruined by the sexual revolution” (p. 129).
In our nation, we can see this struggle playing out in many states as good legislators seek to restore the proper protection for the unborn now that Roe has correctly been overturned. Bishop Elliott is calling for fighting the legislative battles and our active support for the good initiatives. This of course presupposes actively voting for candidates that stand for family values. Our involvement in rebuilding the culture is crucial in the aggressive environment we find ourselves in these days.
And the author reminds us of signs of hope in some nations. There are new movements in favor of “religion, decency, and family values” (p. 130). He gives some practical and time-tested strategies for advancing the culture of love and pro-active engagement with society rather than running away from it in order to strengthen the rebuilding process.
Although the writing of Bishop Elliott is concise, it does not fail to deliver to the reader a comprehensive analysis of the sexual revolution, the grave damage it continues to do on men, women, and now children as well as the positive steps we can take in our response.
This book increased my understanding of the long process involved in creating the revolution and the “holes” that are beginning to appear in the great dam of the current institutionalized sexual revolution. For example, many are beginning to see that men, women, and children are being victimized by the new iteration: transgenderism. As we consider the long-term harmful effects of pubertal blockers and life-altering surgeries for young people, the lawsuits will continue to rise, in my view. For another example, many are seeing transgender athletes unfairly competing in young women’s sporting events and, unsurprisingly, the losers in the competition are generally the women.
These are the unfortunate results of the sexual revolution. However, these realities also show the fracturing in the dam that will continue to open eyes because of the blatant injustice of such things. Yet as Bishop Elliott reminds us, we cannot merely observe but rather accept the call to rebuild a just and charitable society and help bring much needed healing to those wounded by the revolution ideology.
This incredibly useful resource penned by Bishop Elliott will help end this deadly project. The bishop’s background in promoting the truths of the faith regarding marriage and the family on the global stage gives his words the gravitas and experience we need today. His service for many years with the Pontifical Council for the Family and in working with Pope St. John Paul II in the global trenches make this book particularly beneficial for the Church in our day.
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