When debate turns to the value of marriage, attention normally goes to the religious sanctity of the union, the socio-economic benefits to the married adults and their children and even health pluses. Married couples tend to live longer, healthier lives and are typically less depressed or anxious than their single, divorced, or widowed counterparts.

But one Ybor City, Fla, pastor has taken up the mantle of another marriage blessing. In an attempt to curb high divorce rates, Relevant Church head pastor Paul Wirth has challenged his married congregants to have sex every day for one month.

"A great sex life is a challenge and takes focus, determination, and planning," reads the church web site. "Some say it’s an unrealistic goal, but we disagree. We believe you can have a great sex life, in fact we believe God wants you to have a great sex life."

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the rate of divorce in the U.S. is 3.6 divorces per 1,000 people; the rate peaked at 5.3 per 1,000 in 1981. Notably, divorce rates are highest in states where many conservative Baptists live, including Arkansas and Mississippi, while the percentage dips in the more liberal and Catholic Northeast and upper Midwest.

What accounts for the overall decline in divorce rates? Many experts attribute it to a combination of the rise in cohabitation, the older age of marriage, and the overall decline in the marriage rate. Others describe a divorce-divide based on education and income levels.

Some, like Pastor Wirth, believe lower divorce rates somehow relates to higher sexual activity. "Married couples will review the obvious needs of him and uncover the forgotten needs of her," says the church web site.

One recent online study by clinical sexologist Bob Berkowitz, PhD and his wife Susan Yager-Berkowitz, authors of 'He's Just Not Up for It Anymore,' however, found that the U.S. divorce rate is well below the nation's average of married couples in sexless marriages (couples having sex fewer than 10 times per year). And it said the most frequent reason couples stop regular lovemaking was 'unadventurous sex,' or a loss of enthusiasm or novelty.

"Of course, all the guys say it's genius," Pastor Wirth told the St. Petersburg Times. "The married women think we're out of our minds."

And the singles? Pastor Wirth's 30-day challenge does not extend to unmarried congregants. Instead, they were asked to abstain from sex for the month.




http://coaches.aol.com/love-and-sex/feature/_a/thou-shalt-have-sex-every-day/20080220122409990001



What is with all of the churches enforcing the need for married couples to have sex? This is the second article I've read in a week where the Pastors of the church are teaching about sex in the churches. The first article was about a Pastor at a mega church in Memphis. This pastor was black. Now, here we are with an article about a Pastor in Florida, and he's white. I must say that the angle in which this Pastor is preaching is from a much different perspective than what the black Pastor was preaching about.  This Pastor is trying to lower the divorce rate. The Pastor of the mega church is trying to convince folks that certain ways of having sex is not "Christian-like".   He wouldn't have been having this sermon if a lot of his married members had kept their bedroom habits in the bedroom. They were wondering if the type of sex they were having was "Christian-like" so he felt the need to speak on it.  I was totally baffled after reading that article and when I got to work the next day, I asked all of the strong church-goers if they had heard about it. Heck, I even asked the Lieutenant Colonel what his thoughts were about it. I must say that we had some great conversation that morning. But not everyone was on the same page of how he approached the subject to his congregation. I'ma find the article and post it for ya'll. The man had a bed in the pulpit ya'll. Too much for me!