In the past, Christianity often linked sexuality with sin. Specific Bible text which related to sex were extrapolated to develop church doctrine that restricted sexual expression. While rigidly fundamentalist Christian groups continue to take a dim view of sex, many mainstream groups have begun to reconsider sex-ual expression and its role in the Christian life. Much of the focus on sexuality in modern Christianity relates to the existence of a moral crisis in society.
SOCIETY HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY SECULAR
Society once looked to religious leaders to set community standards of morality. Christians today decry the replacement of traditional moral values with a new morality based on relativism. With relativism, meaning nothing is absolutely right or wrong; choices are made depending on the situation. Unfortunately, relativism has deprived society, especially young people, of the moral foundation necessary to make mature decisions about sex-uality: "For all squabbling, leaders of both left and the right today readily acknowledge the moral crisis" (Reeves 8). This crisis has prompted a growing movement to restore virtue and chastity among Christian youth. Both Protestant and Catholic churches have launched national campaigns to urge young people to remain chaste until marriage.
The Catholic church probably has the strictest teachings on sexuality of any Christian sect. Vatican II had a major impact on moral theology, a universal call to Christians to live holy lives. Humanae vitae, the encyclical letter of Pope Paul VI was another important event in Catholic moral theology. This letter reiterated the Catholic view opposing birth control and set the debate regarding moral norms: "the erosion of the power of the Roman Catholic Church as an institution [has occurred] because of its attitudes on all sexual matters" (Roy 1). Catholic moral theology has dealt with a wide range of social issues including public policy, third world issue...