Comments on: The sex-crazed Luther

By: Marvin

Marvin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:49:50 +0000

Didn’t this have something to do with the “best man’s” obligation to witness the sex act which consummated the marriage? Only then was the marriage valid. I know they did this in Holland in the 16th century, and for some reason I’m remembering that it was that way in Germany as well.

By: Jason Oliver

Jason Oliver — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:22:17 +0000

Too funny. I am currently writing a short paper on Luther’s view of Eve and I’m laughing at his views of marriage. Perfect timing, Halden!

By: roger flyer

roger flyer — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:15:20 +0000

Where’d you get the secret erotic edition?

By: roger flyer

roger flyer — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:13:23 +0000

I knew he was a closet Lutheran.

By: Halden

Halden — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:35:21 +0000

Wow.

By: kim fabricius

kim fabricius — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:31:32 +0000

And then there is Lutheran group sex:

“The tendency to make him [Luther] ‘respectable’ … explains why one of Luther’s most revealing and engaging letters letters has all but been suppressed. In December 1525 he wrote to his friend Spalatin to say that he would unfortunately not be able to attend his friend’s wedding. But Spalatin should not let himself be misled by the hidebound priests of the old faith in Altenburg because marriage was a gift of God. This was followed by an erotic passage, the second part of which was stricken from editions of Luther’s letters very early on: ‘When you sleep with your Catherine and embrace her, you should think: “This child of mine, this wonderful creature of God has been given to me by my Christ. May He be praised and glorified.” On the evening of the day on which, according to my calculations, you will receive this, I shall make love to my Catherine while you make love to yours, and thus we will be united in love.’”

– Heiko Oberman, Luther: Man between God and the Devil, p. 276.

By: WenatcheeTheHatchet

WenatcheeTheHatchet — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:07:06 +0000

Last I heard him speak on the subject from the pulpit a few years ago Driscoll thought Luther’s view of sex was not very positive for the reasons you outlined at the start of your post. Driscoll has already read at least a bit of Luther and about the Puritans on sex. He once said that a Puritan church subjected a fellow to church discipline for not having sex often enough with his wife. No particular citation of the case but he’s mentioned it from time to time. Still, it reminds me of a joke a Catholic once told me about Presbyterians and Lutherans on sex. So the joke goes the founders of both churches got together to discuss the prescribed frequency of conjugal relations. Luther, so the joke goes, said he had sex at least three times a week. The Presbyterians replied, “We’ll solve that. We’re making it a requirement.”

By: Halden

Halden — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:40:11 +0000

Yeah, my thought was “And this is better than clerical concubinage how?”

By: Aric Clark

Aric Clark — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:39:19 +0000

You beat me to it. I was gonna make the same observation. If your wife is frigid get a mistress? Disgusting.

By: Halden

Halden — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:22:15 +0000

Yeah, we better hope he doesn’t get his hands on this material.

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:20:31 +0000

Sounds like Driscoll to me. He regularly mocks the single guys in his congregation, and regularly extols the joys of all the freaky things married Christians can do.

By: The Charismanglican

The Charismanglican — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:44:24 +0000

I’m becoming a Lutheran.