Orgasm and Epiphany

The early Christian Church struggled with a number of things, chief among them being the relationship of the body and Spirit, which morphed into debate about the Divinity of Christ, the nature of sin and the possibility of God buying back man's soul with "corrupted" blood.

The orthodox theology that came out of three Centuries of debate concluded that the body was not inherently sinful; it was the body surrendered to the Prince of the Power of the Air that was corrupted. This fallen nature was "the flesh," not the corporeal being itself.

Whew! The body's not evil; what it feels isn't sinful. God gave most creatures (He must have been really pissed with those left out) the capacity for immense joy and physical satisfaction, usually in orgasm, a physical release most associated with sex. He also gave man the opportunity to experience intense spiritual pleasure, epiphanies that shook houses and transformed mobs into groups of intoxicated comrades, babbling words they didn't understand.

Orgasm and epiphany are intertwined in the healthiest lives. Sex is best experienced when orgasm is wrapped with something more than that experience alone, when the moment of physical release encounters something greater than the release itself. Sexuality is most complete when there is some additional union, something transcendent. We usually call that union of the physical and spiritual love, and human beings pursue it tirelessly.

Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks find it at the coming together of their hands in the classic tear jerker Sleepless in Seattle.

At The Lord's House, my spiritual epiphany uncorked a physical response which was far beyond any sexual orgasm I had ever had. I was engulfed by a cloud and a white poker moved from my mouth to the deepest recesses of my being. I couldn't stop the ongoing surge of energy that moved through me. I was out of control, in the same way one loses control at the point of orgasm. It was even better than holding Meg Ryan's hand. It brought certainty to my decision to attempt the Christian life, and prepared me for the many tough days I've faced since them.

I really don't know how Christians can live the impossible life Jesus wants them to live without having been touched in a deep and earth shaking way by God Himself. An epiphany and an orgasm.

The spiritual and the physical meeting in a way that changes lives.