Edinburgh church to give tips on '˜how to have great sex'

But Hope Church in
Musselburgh doesn’t go in for the traditional approach and is holding a talk next month entitled “How to have great sex”.

The service on Sunday, 3 July aims to make Christianity more “exciting and relevant” as an antidote to the “hymn
sandwich” format.

It will be presented by senior minister Glenn Rogers and his wife Terri-Ann to help people make an “informed choice” and to “break down barriers” surrounding a subject that remains taboo in many spheres of life even outside the church.

And Glenn insisted that an ordained preacher
giving advice on improving life between the sheets was not as “left-field” as it sounds.

He said: “Jesus was all about having a successful life. And sex is a big part of people’s lives and if we don’t talk about it, we are not helping them. The church should be talking about this because it is a big deal.”

Anyone is welcome to attend the service from 11am but those seeking a practical guide to love-making would be better to look elsewhere.

The talk will be fact-based, examining the statistics, biology and psychology behind sex within a committed relationship.

Glenn said: “I’m not going to be showing the Kama Sutra on slides. It will be based on the facts and the figures rather than a biblical
presentation. But people might feel a bit uncomfortable if I didn’t mention the Bible in there somewhere.

“Most people are using sex to sell something but we don’t get a lot of balanced facts about it that are actually going to help people. Or sex is used to titillate people with something salacious for ‘entertainment’ but we want to help people get a balanced view.”

News of the talk has sparked mixed reactions from his 100-strong congregation.

But sexual health charity FPA has welcomed greater openness about an
activity that can still be the focus of so much anxiety and misunderstanding.

Chief executive Natika H Halil said: “It’s still really important that they have accurate, evidence-based information so they can make decisions that are best for them.

“It is encouraging to hear a church’s plans to talk about sex in a frank way.

“After all, it is completely natural and nothing to be ashamed of.

“Most of the time, sex isn’t for reproduction but for
reasons of pleasure, intimacy and desire – and we know that a happy, healthy sex life can play a key role in our overall health and wellbeing.

“Alongside talking about sex in a positive way, it’s great to have another community setting in which people can hopefully hear evidence-based information about
contraception and preventing the transmission of sexually transmitted infections through enjoying safer sex.”

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