Sex, Mom, and God

by Frank Schaeffer

  I’m not “into” Chinese art the way Genie is and as my mother was, and so I’m ignorant about it. Unless Genie is with me to explain what I’m looking at, I rarely go to the Chinese galleries. But that day several ancient jade carvings “broke through.” They seemed so impossible. I thought, there’s no way anyone could carve so intricately without modern tools.

  I started really looking. Maybe it had something to do with having talked to my Chinese seatmate the day before on the bus. Anyway, I forgot that I only wanted to spend a few quiet moments before heading back to take another look at a particular painting in that thronged Matisse show. I stood hunched over the glass case almost forgetting to breathe and peering through my reading glasses at microscopic gnarled pine trees and rocky paths cut out of green and gray semi-opaque rock, miniature worlds that drew me in as surely as those Bible stories that Mom read out loud used to enthrall me.

  Looking at those jade landscapes, I felt as if I had been hiking with Mom and Dad through some alpine valley and the fog had unexpectedly lifted to reveal a heart-stopping view. I was also reminded of the evenings the previous winter when I had bundled Lucy up in my down parka and put on her hat and mittens and we’d go out into the garden to look at the stars.

  I held Lucy clasped against my chest, and we stared up. Lucy gazed at the sliver of the universe we could see, and I stared down at my angel made of, and lit by, stardust. When she first looked upward at the vast glittering sprinkle of stars, Lucy’s breathing quickened, and then her breathing slowed along with mine as we both sank into a stunned reverie.

  It was very much like the reverie I was gripped by when tumbling into those distant jade miniature worlds. Gazing at those jade universes, I connected powerfully with my mother’s enigmatic self as she was revealed in the sacrament of her flower arrangements. They were made of long-gone twig, moss, and leaf, but the liturgy they celebrated has survived in me. In the silence it struck me that Mom and I are very much alike: We each have spent most of our lives rescuing ourselves—from ourselves.

  For my mother, Edith

  INDEX

  Abortion

  clinics, bombing of

  and compromise

  extremes

  and fetal viability

  and health of woman

  late-term

  legalization of

  legalization of, state-by-state

  medical

  and morning-after pill,

  and pro-choice advocates, misuse of

  public opinion on

  and Republican Party, misuse of

  restrictions on

  statistics on

  stereotypes

  and Supreme Court

  See also Antiabortion movement; Life issues; Roe v. Wade

  Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation (Reagan)

  Accountability, age of

  Adultery

  Afghanistan

  Ahmanson, Howard

  Al Qaida

  Alice (nanny)

  America Can Be Saved (Falwell)

  American exceptionalism

  American Law Institute (ALI)

  Andrusko, Dave

  Anscombe, Elizabeth

  Antiabortion demonstrations

  Antiabortion movement

  and culture wars

  and doctors, murders of

  and documentary films

  and doubt

  launching of

  and multi-billion-dollar industry

  and Obama

  politics of

  and Republican Party

  and secularism

  and U.S. government

  See also Abortion

  “Anti-American,”

  Apophatic theology

  Assisted suicide. See also Life issues

  Atheism

  Augustine (saint)

  Azaria, Hank

  Bahati, David

  al-Bana, Hassan

  Barrett, James

  Barzun, Jacques

  Beck, Glenn

  Belz, Joel

  Berg, Robert

  Bible

  as blasphemy against God

  as curse or blessing

  as flawed

  and government

  old vs. new testaments

  as pro-Israel book

  sex in

  vs. God

  women in

  See also Biblical inerrancy; Biblical law; Biblical literalists; Biblical prophecy; Holy books; Scripture

  Bible Presbyterian Church

  Biblical inerrancy

  and children

  See also Biblical literalists

  Biblical law

  imposition of

  Biblical literalists. See also Biblical inerrancy

  Biblical prophecy

  Big-family movement

  The Birdcage (film)

  Blackmun, Harry

  Blasphemy

  against God, Bible as

  Boccaccio, Giovanni

  Bolton

  Bork, Robert

  Boston Globe

  Britton, John

  Buchfuehrer, Jim

  Buckley, William F.

  Bugliosi, Vincent

  Bush, George H. W.

  Bush, George W.

  Calvin, John

  Calvinism

  Campaign funding

  Capital punishment

  Career, vs. family

  Castration, self-

  Celibacy

  Chalcedon Foundation

  Challenging the Christian Right (Clarkson)

  Chamberlin, George

  Child pornography. See also Pornography

  Child sexual abuse

  and Orthodox Jews

  Children

  and biblical inerrancy

  raising of, by professional Christians

  sexual awakening in

  spacing of

  Chilton, David

  The Chosen People

  Puritans as

  Christian Activist

  A Christian Manifesto (Francis Schaeffer)

  Christianity, vs. democracy

  Christianity Is Jewish (Edith Schaeffer)

  Christians United for Israel

  Church Fathers, misogyny of

  Circumcision

  Civil disobedience

  Clarkson, Frederick

  The Coercive Utopians (Isaac and Isaac)

  Coitus interruptus

  Colson, Charles

  Commentary magazine

  Complementarianism

  “Complete Submission Makeover,”

  Conservatives

  Continuity

  Contraception. See also Family planning

  Conversion

  Corporate America

  Coughlin, Charles

  Couric, Katie

  Cox, Archibald

  Cranach, Lucas

  Crazy for God (Frank Schaeffer)

  Creationism

  Creativity

  Criswell, W. A.

  Cross-dressing ritual

  Crossway Books

  Crowley, Mary

  Culture wars

  loss of

  and pro-choice vs. antiabortion movement

  and Roe “refined” by Bolton

  and sexual dysfunction

  David (king)

  Dawkins, Richard

  Decameron (Boccaccio)

  Decter, Midge

  Democracy

  Demonization

  DeMoss, Nancy

  DeMoss, Nancy Leigh

  DeMoss family

  Dennis, Lane

  Depravity, doctrine of total

  Dershowitz, Alan

  DeVos, Rich

  Diaphragm story

  Dignitas

  Dines, Gail

  Dionysius (archbishop of Alexandria)

  Discipline

  Divinity of Doubt (Bugliosi)

  Dobson, James

  Doctors (abortion), murder of

  Doe v. Bolton

  Dou
bt, denial of

  Dysfunction. See also Family dysfunction; Sexual dysfunction

  Ecumenical jihad

  Ecumenical Jihad: Ecumenism and the Culture War (Kreeft)

  Education, vs. indoctrination

  Eisenhower, Dwight

  The Elect

  Embryo-destructive research

  End Times biblical prophecies

  Ensign, John

  Esther (Old Testament queen)

  Eternal Separation

  Eternal torture

  Euthanasia. See also Life issues

  Evangelical ghetto

  Evangelizing. See also Witnessing

  “Exposing the Truth Behind Homosexuality and the Homosexual Agenda” seminar

  Extremism sexual

  Faith Theological Seminary

  The Fall

  Falwell, Jerry

  Family

  and big-family movement

  the Family (aka the Fellowship)

  and National Prayer Breakfast

  and Uganda scandal

  Family planning. See also Spacing, of children; Contraception

  Family Research Council

  the Fellowship. See the Family

  Feminism

  anti-

  Feminists

  Fertility, as punishment

  Fetal viability

  First Things

  Ford, Gerald

  Foreknowledge

  Forever Music (Edith Schaeffer)

  Fox News

  France

  Free Will

  Gabriel (angel)

  Gandhi (film)

  The Gandhi Nobody Knows (Grenier)

  Gay marriage

  Gay rights and Uganda scandal

  George, Robert

  Giffords, Gabrielle

  Gingrich, Newt

  Ginsburg, Ruth Bader

  God

  existence of

  jealousy of

  mind-changing of

  and rape

  scripture by inspiration of

  and sex

  violent vs. loving

  vs. Bible

  vs. religion

  and women

  Gosnell, Kermit

  Gospel Walnut

  Government, biblically mandated role of

  Graham, Billy

  burial place of

  as lifelong hypochondriac

  and politics

  public vs. private life of

  Graham, Franklin

  Graham, Gigi

  Graham, Ruth

  Graven images

  Greek Orthodox Service of Forgiveness

  Greenberg, Brad

  Grenier, Richard

  Griffin, Bryan F.

  Growing Up Straight: What Families Should Know About Homosexuality (Rekers)

  Guttmacher Institute

  Hagee, John

  Haitians, defaming of

  Harris, Sam

  Health care reform

  “The Heart of Salvation” booklet

  “The Heart of Salvation” song

  Heaven

  age of babies in

  life’s mysteries made clear in

  Hedges, Chris

  on Christian Fascism

  Hefner, Hugh

  Hell

  Helms, Jesse

  Heresy

  Hill, Paul

  Hippies

  Hitchens, Christopher

  Hitler, Adolf

  Holocaust revisionism

  Holy books

  open interpretation of

  See also Bible

  Homeschool movement

  rise of

  Homeschools

  Homosexuality

  in Afghanistan

  and the Family

  and 9/11 terrorist attack

  and Roman Catholic Church

  in Uganda

  How Should We Then Live? (documentary film)

  How Should We Then Live? (Francis Schaeffer)

  Howard, Thom

  Hudson, Deal

  The Human Faces of God: What Scripture Reveals When It Gets God Wrong (and Why Inerrancy Tries to Hide It) (Stark)

  Human Rights Campaign

  Humanism

  Hunt brothers

  Hutaree Militia

  Hutchinson, Anne

  Hyde, Henry

  Hynes, Charles

  Ice Woman sculpture

  Idols

  Illegitimate pregnancy

  “The Increase of His Government and Peace” (Rushdoony)

  Indoctrination

  and homeschool movement

  vs. education

  Infallibility, of Scripture. See also Biblical inerrancy

  Inferiority complex

  The Institutes of Biblical Law (Rushdoony)

  Intelligent Design

  Internet

  Internet pornography. See also Pornography

  Ireland

  Irish Catholicism

  Irresistible grace, doctrine of

  Is Capitalism Christian? (ed. Frank Schaeffer)

  Isaac, Erich

  Isaac, Rael Jean

  Islam

  and menstruation

  and women

  See also Muslims

  Islamic Brotherhoods

  Islamic law, and Reconstructionism, similarities between

  Israel

  Izzard, Eddie

  Jerome (saint)

  Jesus Christ

  acceptance of

  and adultery

  denial of

  and Jews

  and Second Coming

  and sexual dysfunction

  Jesus Victims

  Jews

  and homosexuality

  and Jesus

  and Jesus, acceptance of

  and menstruation

  See also Orthodox Jews

  Jihad, ecumenical

  John Paul II,

  Kalende, Val

  Kato, David

  Kemp, Jack

  Kennedy, Ted

  Thy Kingdom Come (Rushdoony)

  Klimt, Gustav

  “Knowledge of the big picture,”

  Koop, C. Everett

  and Republican Party

  Kopp, James

  Kreeft, Peter

  L’Abri Fellowship ministry

  and family life

  founding of

  funding of

  growth of

  as “hippie” community

  Lane, Nathan

  Law, Bernard (archbishop of Boston; and cardinal)

  Leaders. See individual leaders; Political leaders; Religious leaders

  Leary, Timothy

  Left Behind novels

  Lewis, C. S.

  Liberalism, theological

  Liberty University Law School

  Life issues. See also Abortion; Stem cell research

  Limbaugh, Rush

  and Obama

  Limited atonement, doctrine of

  Lively, Scott

  Love, John

  Luke

  Lust in your heart

  Luther, Martin

  Machen, J. Gresham

  Male authority, submission to

  “Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience” (George)

  The Mark of the Christian (Francis Schaeffer)

  Marriage

  advice on

  gay

  same-sex

  and sex

  Massachusetts Citizens for Life

  Masturbation

  Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN)

  McCain, John

  McFadden, Jim

  McVeigh, Timothy

  Men

  and male authority

  and pastor as figurehead

  uncleanness of

  Menstrual blood

  Menstrual synchrony

  Menstruation

  in Afghanistan

  sexual intercourse during

  See also Women: uncleanness of

  Metropolitan Museum of Art


  Mifepristone

  Misogyny

  and pornography

  Misoprostol

  Modernity

  Monogamy

  Morality, legislation of

  Mormons

  Morning-after pill,

  Moses

  and men, uncleanness of

  and rape

  and women

  Muggeridge, Malcolm

  Mugisha, Frank

  Murdoch, Rupert

  Muslims

  and homosexuality

  and Obama

  See also Islam

  Mussolini, Benito

  National Prayer Breakfast

  National Press Club

  National Public Radio

  Native Americans

  Natural Law

  Nelson, Thomas

  Neoconservatives

  Neuhaus, Richard John

  New Atheists

  New Covenant

  New York Times

  9/11 terrorist attack

  1984 (Orwell)

  Nixon, Richard

  Noack, Sarah

  Noah’s Ark story

  Nocturnal emission

  Nonbelievers

  and biblical law, imposition of

  happiness of

  North, Gary

  North, Ollie

  Obama, Barack

  and abortion

  anger toward

  and antiabortion movement

  and health care reform

  and Muslims

  and Wright

  Obama administration

  Olasky, Marvin

  Onanism

  Operation Rescue

  Orthodox Church

  Orthodox Jews

  and child sexual abuse

  and spousal abuse

  and women, purity regulations for

  See also Jews

  Orwell, George

  Other, rejection of the

  Palin, Sarah

  Panic Among the Philistines (Griffin)

  Pastor (male), as figurehead

  Patriarchy Movement

  Paul (apostle)

  Perseverance of the saints, doctrine of

  Pickering, Chip

  The Pink Swastika (Lively)

  The Plan

  Plymouth Rock Foundation

  Podhoretz, Norman

  Political leaders

  Politics

  and Reconstructionists

  and salvation

  sexual

  Pontifical Council for the Family

  Pornland: How Porn Has Hijacked Our Sexuality (Dines)

  Pornography

  child

  on the Internet

  misogynist

  Portofino (Frank Schaeffer)

  Portofino (Italy) vacation

  Potter, Beatrix

  Prayer-Warrior women