Good Sex, Second Edition: Egalitarian Sexual Ethics with a Biblical Base - Hardcover

by Martin J. Buss (Author), Nickie M. Stipe (Author)

During the biblical period, society in a large part of the world, including that of the Bible, gave priority to males over females. The Bible thus gives instruction about how to live in such a society. But the Hebrew part of the Bible, which Christians call the Old Testament, said that this condition was part of a punishment for disobeying God in the first time period. Later, when the Christian New Testament was produced, Jesus announced that a new, much better world is in the process of beginning. In this new world, there is one inclusive principle of a good life, namely love. His follower, Paul, then stated specifically that in the new reality the sexes are equal. In sexual relations, spouses would need to accommodate each other on an equal basis as an expression of love. That is the one basic rule. He left further details open, although there are useful guides that describe attitudes. The present work will discuss specific guides, but no firm ones for sexual partners beyond mutual accommodation.

Author Biography

Martin J. Buss is professor emeritus of Hebrew Bible from Emory University. He is the author of The Dynamics of Human Life in the Bible: Receptivity and Power (2022).



Nickie Stipe has a PhD in Hebrew Bible from Emory University. She is an academic editor and Neopagan practitioner.