Traditional Christian sexual ethics are sometimes perceived as completely unnecessary today, or even harmful. Yet there is a lot of modern research to back old-fashioned values such as chastity and restraint, showing that these principles lead to more flourishing for individuals, for families, and for society.
It might surprise some that such research exists, due to the academic climate that is often perceived to be hostile to Christian and conservative points of view, and the extraordinary left-liberal bias in academia. This must influence what topics are investigated, as well as the conclusions.
Yet even in this relatively hostile context, there is a lot of research supporting the traditional position of reserving sex for marriage, staying in marriage, and staying together.
Some care is needed in trumpeting the data. A challenge when considering any social science research is that conflicting results always exist, depending on what kind of analysis is done, as can be summarised by the old saying: “there are lies, damn lies and statistics.” Different kinds of statistical tests can produce different results, even from the same set of data.
Also, people are not test tubes, so we cannot isolate one factor and manipulate it, keeping all others the same, as we would do in a laboratory when conducting a scientific experiment that proves conclusively what causes what. Humans and their behaviours can be measured and analysed carefully for cause and effect – but conclusions are always debatable and subjective to some extent, as psychology and sociology are not exact sciences.
Nevertheless, there is a lot of interesting research out there about subjects that Christians care about.
Sex before marriage
Premarital sex is now considered to be the norm, and studies show that most of the population practise it. Yet, studies have also consistently shown that it has negative effects. For example, it is associated with depressive symptoms in young people, as well as other psychiatric difficulties and substance use, so much that some academics say “delaying sexual behaviour into young adulthood may have some benefits for mental health.”
But the associated problems are long-lasting. Research has shown consistently that people who have sex before marriage are more likely to divorce – even if there was only one partner, the eventual spouse, and even when factors such as religious commitment and family background are taken into account.
This effect increases the more premarital sex someone has, that can be classed in three groups: “The lowest risk for those with no premarital, non-spousal partners, a modest increase for those with some, and a sharp increase for those with many,” states research by sociologist Jesse Smith published in 2023. “These results are more consistent with the notion that the effect of premarital sex on divorce becomes stronger, not weaker, as sexual partners accumulate.”
This study explored many of the hypothesised reasons for this considerable effect, such as commitment to religion, having traditional views, and difficult early family years, but these were not the main cause.
This increased risk for divorce is particularly important when considering the negative effects that follow on from divorce, and the positive benefits of staying married:
Marriage
Married people live longer: A 2023 study by Anne Balter in Denmark compared the life expectancy of people who are married, compared to those who are never married, those who are living with someone, divorced people or widows. In almost all cases, those who are married live longer than the other groups. The lowest life expectancy was for people who were divorced or never married.
Married people say they are less depressed: A large study of over 100,000 people around the world found that married people showed less depressive symptoms than people who are not married. This effect was particularly strong on singles living in Western countries. There is also some evidence of higher self-esteem.
Marriage is more stable: According to research by the Marriage Foundation, parents who are living together unmarried are more likely to split up if they are not married. On average, there was a survival rate of 93% for married parents and 75% for cohabiting parents over five years.
Children of married people are happier: this is a sensitive subject, because people who are divorced often feel deep guilt about its effects on the children. But research does validate these concerns. “Parental divorce has persistent, and mostly negative effects on children,” concludes recent research by Wolfgang Frimmel. When followed over time, the experience affects the future educational and workplace achievement of children of divorced parents, and even their life expectancy.
“Everybody wants reliable love,” says a research paper from the Marriage Foundation. “Adults want it. Children want it. So it’s in everybody’s interests to find out what gives us our best chance of achieving this.”
Pornography
“Decades of studies from respected academic institutions have demonstrated significant impacts of porn consumption for individuals, relationships, and society,” states the website of Fight the New Drug, which educates about its harmful effects.
A study by Mark H Butler in 2017 found that the more porn is used, the more likely a person is to feel lonely, with some signs that they cause the other – i.e. if a person is lonely they use more porn, and if they use more porn it leads to more loneliness.
There is a lot of evidence that men who use porn have lower quality physical relationships with their partners. It is not just because people who are unhappy use more porn – when tested at different points over time, a man’s use of porn at one point in time is a strong predictor of the quality of the marriage several years later. Studies of the brain show that internet porn use can become like a drug addiction, making it difficult to stop.
Whole books have been written about these important topics, the above being just a small selection of the relevant research and evidence that supports traditional Christian ethics.
Heather Tomlinson is a freelance Christian writer. Find more of her work at https://heathertomlinson.substack.com or via X (twitter) @heathertomli
