Part Six: Christianity and Sexuality

She exclaimed, “Kiss me—full on the mouth!
For your love is better than wine.”
He replied, “You are tall and supple, like the palm tree,
and your full breasts are like sweet clusters of dates.I’m going to climb that palm tree! I’m going to caress its fruit!”
She murmured back, “Breathe on my garden, fill the air with spice fragrance.
Oh, let my lover enter his garden! Yes, let him eat the fine, ripe fruits.”
So, he took me home with him for a festive meal, but his eyes feasted on me!
—Song of Solomon

Imagine an R rated book in the Bible! Scholars agree that the Song of Songs (or Solomon) is, first of all, an erotic love poem. It is passionate poetry about human relationships and sexuality. After all, there isn’t even a single mention of God in the entire book.

Mystics and saints down through the ages also tell us that it is an image of the passionate love God has for us. A beautiful and relatable metaphor for the passion and intimacy the depth of divine-human connection that we should strive after.

So which is it? Both of course! The energy of Eros—one of the strongest forces in the human body—is a powerful and sacred force of attraction that draws us forward, beyond ourselves into a union with another human and with God.