Ramifications Of Song Of Songs

One can go years without hearing Song of Songs spoken of openly and directly.  Along with minor Old Testament prophetic books, Song of Songs is often ignored due to the controversy that can arise from it.  It is also rare to hear an honest discussion about the book because honest conversations about sexuality are rare in the church.  Silence provides more opportunity for confusion, and avoidance of certain topics can allow errors to appear without opposition.  One such error is the idea that Song of Songs is not ultimately about human sexuality, but God's love for humanity.

Song of Songs is not an allegory about God's love for the church.  The church did not even exist at the time of its writing!  In addition to this, absolutely nothing in the text even suggests at a non-literal meaning.  These two facts expose the lunacy of treating it as an allegorical description of God's nonsexual love for humans.  Throughout the poem, it is clear that the book is about a husband and wife describing and celebrating their mutual sexual expression.

A second error is the idea that erotic literature is somehow sinful on the Christian worldview.  It is absolutely inane to condemn the making or reading of explicitly erotic literature when the Bible has an entire book comprised of erotic literature!  This is like calling all killing sinful, despite the fact that the Bible clearly allows for killing within strict moral boundaries.  The very inclusion of Song of Songs in the Bible falsifies the notion that God is against media that are explicitly erotic.

Even further, God does not oppose other forms of erotic media.  To draw a line at visual media, while defending or condoning written erotica, is to cling to an unbiblical fiction.  At what point does visual sexual imagery become sinful?  Is it wrong to show a couple kissing?  Engaging in foreplay?  Having sex?  If sexuality is not itself evil, how can it be immoral to celebrate nonsinful sexual behaviors with whatever medium one prefers?  The Biblical stance towards erotic media/erotica is simple: what God does not condemn cannot be wrong (Deuteronomy 4:2).

There is no moral line that makes erotic literature Biblically permissible but erotic videos or images depraved.  Evangelical Christians are experts at misrepresenting Biblical ethics, inventing arbitrary extra-Biblical rules that are contrary to the actual commands of the Bible and then violating their own non-obligatory standards left and right (after all, evangelicals still seem quite willing to use what they call pornography).  Song of Songs is a blatant indicator that erotic media, inside or outside of marriage, is a legitimate, helpful way to experience and express one's sexuality.