We as a society are muddled as to what it means to be liberated: to be “free.” We ordinarily think of freedom as scope to do what we feel like. We think in terms of freedom from, not of freedom unto. In Christian terms, freedom is about enabling commitment. The biblical view of human nature, evidenced in Christ, regards the human being as essentially relational, defined by self-giving and commitment. On this account, unhindered pursuit of momentary inclinations is not freedom. It is enslavement to whim, which, empirically speaking, rarely produces lasting happiness. Sensational thrills can come of it, true, but they are not much of a foundation on which to construct a life.

Does the church’s teaching on sex and chastity liberate?