Hooking Up and Original Sin

The assistant editors of First Things have back-to-back book reviews in Touchstone . Last month I wrote on three books describing the hook-up culture on college campuses. The article’s now available online , and here’s a sample:

One student she interviewed talks about a girl who calls him just to have sex while they’re both single: “I could never have a conversation with her if I wanted to . . . . The next day I’ll see her on the street and it’s, ‘Hey, what’s goin’ on?’ And that’s it.” Another student told Stepp, “Sex is just something you should experience, like drugs.”

Though even the average secular adult would argue that sex should be about more than just the physical experience, colleges and their students focus only on sexual performance. Universities with no creedal convictions feel ill-equipped to help students address metaphysical questions like the meaning of sex. They can answer only the physical questions, and those end up being the only ones discussed.

At my freshman orientation at Swarthmore College five years ago, we were told about the Sexual Health Counselors, peers who advertised the ability to help with sex toys, contraception, or intriguing permutations of positions and partners. But the college offered no help to those who might ask deeper questions, or even to those who wondered what to do the next morning with the person beside them.

In the December issue , Amanda Shaw reviews Alan Jabcobs’ Original Sin . The text isn’t online yet, but we’ll put up another notice here when it is. In the mean time, keep an eye out for the review should you find a copy of Touchstone .