Sex positive?

A few weeks ago, I linked to a post at Rod Dreher's blog describing a recent "Sex Positive" week at Georgetown.

I was struck by the verbal positioning of the entire affair--sex positivity?  Implying that more traditional ideas are sex negative?

If the Christian community has its theology right, shouldn't we be the ones who are the most "sex positive"?  If our words don't match this, where have we erred?  How can we celebrate this blessing?  

And, more pointedly, why do we usually not?  Much of this stems from regarding the entire topic as taboo, which means we are not effectively delineating sermonologically or culturally between good and bad.  Treating the whole topic in the hushed whispers of opprobrium does us no favors, either in terms of educating believers or reaching out to those who are not.  We need to recognize our own failings, and develop means of approaching this topic with much more openness, with the ability to argue what we are for, and nor merely what we are against.  Otherwise we confirm the caricatures others make of us.

On the other hand, this isn't to excuse those who make such caricatures.  It is difficult to have real discussions when the terms of the debate are arrayed against you, and your first step is almost to apologize for being so "sex negative."  

These silly ad hominem arguments don't help anybody, and they're certainly easy to fall into.   And the Christian community falls for it, too, which only breeds insularity and self-righteousness.

By the way, one thing I need to counter here is the whole "sexual repression" concept that's been floating around for the past 50 years at least.  If you're not clear what this is, then listen to one of its proponents, Hugh Hefner:

What causes all the sickness, the perversion, the rape, is a repressive society--a society that can't be open in a loving and positive way.

OK, I am hereby proposing ground rules for ad hominem lines of thought like this one.  One of three options.  If you're going to say your opponent has some sort of psychological malady, then, please, lets have some diagnostic criteria.  I want to see the page on the DSM you're reading from.  Otherwise, please, let's not go calling everybody who disagrees with you a nutjob.  It's not helpful.