Anal Sex
 Do you think it is acceptable for a husband and wife to engage in anal sex? |
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 Anal sex is a practice that typically causes conflict between husbands and wives, is thought of as what the Bible condemns as sodomy (although many believe that sodomy is a reference to homosexual anal sex only), and tends to be initiated and desired by men whose interest got sparked by pornography. Many sexual experts and medical personnel discourage anal sex because of the danger of transmission of infection and tearing of the blood vessels in the rectum.
The penis and the vagina are clean passages, which are free of disease producing microorganisms. The anus/rectum, on the other hand, is a highly contaminated passageway. When the penis enters the rectum, the urinary and reproductive tracks of the man are invaded with the germs from the rectum of the woman. If the man enters the woman's vagina after having entered her rectum, her reproductive passageways are then contaminated. Both can incur chronic infections like prostititus, vaginitis or a pelvic inflammatory condition. But you might ask, what if we use a condom? The fact is condoms have a significant failure rate when used to prevent pregnancy, yet sperm are much larger than the microorganisms that infect. In addition, a woman can only be impregnated several days per month, but men and women can acquire an infection at any moment of the month. So condoms are not a sure protection against being infected especially when entering the tight muscle of the rectum.
The muscular structure of the anus is different than that of the vagina. The vaginal passageway is controlled by muscles, that expand or tighten to fit any size penis; the vagina is an organ of accommodation. The vagina can tighten so tight as to not allow anything to enter and can expand to allow the birth of an infant. The rectum cannot. That is why the blood vessels in the rectum break when the penis enters it causing damage to the anal/rectal area and raising the possibility of transfer of disease producing microorganisms.
Spiritually, we would interpret anal sex as not fulfilling the New Testament expectation of mutuality. According to I Corinthians 7 and other passages, husbands and wives are to equally give themselves to each other and to delight in each other's bodies, but never is that to be one-sided or to violate or do something against the other or to be demanded. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5), which required him to give up his rights like Christ did (Philipians 2) and give himself to his wife and love her exactly as she is. The women we talk to (in person, via e-mail, or through surveys at seminars) are hesitant or feel violated by their husbands' pursuit of anal intercourse. Even in marriages where the men say their wives enjoy it, the women will tell us on the side that they do not.
Our personal/professional/spiritual stance on anal sex based on what we know today is that we would not recommend it. We will continue to study this issue and seek clear Biblical and physiological understanding.
For Further Exploration:
The Gift of Sex
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