{"id":1141,"date":"2009-10-23T17:24:30","date_gmt":"2009-10-23T17:24:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/?p=1141"},"modified":"2010-12-22T12:48:08","modified_gmt":"2010-12-22T17:48:08","slug":"7372","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2009\/10\/23\/7372\/","title":{"rendered":"New Book on Changing Values Stirs Conversation, Controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASHUA, NH (October 23, 2009) \u2013 Dale Kuehne was caught off-guard when Chuck Colson published a review on his popular commentary site of the Evangelical Covenant Church pastor\u2019s new book, Sex and the iWorld: Rethinking Relationship Beyond an Age of Individualism<\/em>. <\/p>\n

\"\"Colson gave the book a glowing review. Kuehne, who is professor of politics at St. Anselm College, said, \u201cI received so many emails today in response to this that the school had to shut down my account and reconfigure it so that I didn\u2019t run out of capacity. Up until this point, things have been rather slow out of the gate in regard to the book, and I was waiting to see what happened when the reviews began to be published.\u201d<\/p>\n

The correspondence has ranged from strong support to hate mail. That hasn\u2019t surprised Kuehne, who knew the subject matter would be controversial.<\/p>\n

The book explores how a shift to what Kuehne calls the iWorld, where the individual becomes the highest arbiter of all things right and wrong, confuses individual human sexuality with interpersonal intimacy. Kuehne also believes sexual relations are appropriate only within the context of heterosexual marital relationships.<\/p>\n

In an interview, Kuehne said he was reluctant, but felt almost compelled to write the book because students and others kept asking him about his views on homosexuality, given his political and theological vantage point. The book has been several years in the making.<\/p>\n

“Society, including much of the church, doesn\u2019t realize how it is influenced by iWorld philosophy,” Kuehne says. He adds, only half-joking, \u201cIt\u2019s a good thing I have tenure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kuehne suggests the iWorld is one of \u201cunfettered freedom and individualism\u201d that supersedes all other values, and it has replaced the world of traditional morality and family connections (tWorld) with disastrous consequences.<\/p>\n

The iWorld presents a false orthodoxy that declares sex is necessary for intimacy and happiness and that self-fulfillment is the \u201conly perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Kuehne is not longing for a mythological \u201cgood old days.\u201d Instead, he emphasizes that society must transform itself to become a place where relationships (the rWorld) are paramount. Only in that kind of world, he maintains, can people find the fulfillment God desires for them to experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately it\u2019s what I\u2019m for – it\u2019s not about what I\u2019m against,\u201d Kuehne says.<\/p>\n

Kuehne\u2019s book walks the reader through the philosophical underpinnings of the historical changes until he arrives at today\u2019s current culture, where change is come at a dizzying pace. \u201cWhy are we getting ready to do something that in the entire history of the West \u2013 the entire history of our faith \u2013 was unconscionable until the last 10 years?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Society, including much of the church, doesn\u2019t realize how it is influenced by iWorld philosophy. He thinks there is plenty in the book to make everyone uncomfortable at various points, even as he has had to examine his own underlying beliefs.<\/p>\n

Ron Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action, endorsed the book, saying \u201cThis is a very important book \u2013 clarifying complex issues, jolting us out of complacency and demanding action.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kuehne hopes the book will contribute to discussion that must be more gracious, intellectual, and compassionate than past discourse often has been. \u201cAny time I go out to speak, afterwards I spend quite a lot of time talking with people. This is really tough stuff. There are people in the audience dealing with some very painful issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Disparaging people with different points of view needs to be avoided, he added. \u201cThere are very fine people who will address and see the issues differently than I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kuehne said additional discussion is needed in the Covenant. \u201cWe need to have the conversation in the Ministerium real fast. Each conference needs to pull together its pastors and have an honest, behind-closed-door session.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kuehne added, \u201cThere are a lot of us in the East Coast and in Iowa where the rules have suddenly changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Report This Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NASHUA, NH (October 23, 2009) \u2013 Dale Kuehne was caught off-guard when Chuck Colson published a review on his popular commentary site of the Evangelical Covenant Church pastor\u2019s new book, Sex and the iWorld: Rethinking Relationship Beyond an Age of Individualism. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nNew Book on Changing Values Stirs Conversation, Controversy - Covenant Newswire Archives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2009\/10\/23\/7372\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Book on Changing Values Stirs Conversation, Controversy - 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