Things were different amongst Christians. The Early Church challenged the contemporary pagan culture by insisting on the same standard of sexual ethics for both men and woman. The first Christians believed, based on the teaching of Genesis 1 and 2, that marriage was to be between one man and one woman, that marriage was the only legitimate setting for sexual activity and that a single standard of sexual fidelity was required of both men and women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is why men are told to \u2018abstain from unchastity\u2019 (1 Thessalonians 4:4), why Paul forbids man having sex with prostitutes (1 Corinthians 6:12-20) why a bishop has to be a \u2018one woman man\u2019 (1 Timothy 5:9) just as good wives were expected to be \u2018a one man woman\u2019 (1 Timothy 5:9).To quote Larry Hurtado:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018The decisive step taken early Christian sexual teaching was to bring males under the same sort of behavioural requirements that in the larger cultural setting were expected of \u2018honourable\u2019 women. In the matter of marital fidelity in chastity, it seems that for early Christians what was good for the goose was also thought good for the gander!\u2019[8]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, the early Christians universally rejected abortion and infant exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the words of the second century Epistle to Diognetus<\/em>, \u2018They [Christians] marry like everyone else and have children, but they do not expose their offspring. They share their food but not their wives.\u2019[9]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, far early Christianity was in line with Jewish tradition. However, it departed from the Jewish tradition by also holding that intentional singleness (known then as \u2018virginity\u2019), and the celibacy that went with it, was not only acceptable but, in fact, a more excellent form of Christian discipleship than being married….<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read it all<\/a>.<\/p> Martin Davie–Assessing two different visions for the future of the Anglican Communion https:\/\/t.co\/F3so2u4TtA<\/a> 'The difference between the two views of the future of global Anglicanism put forward by the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals and The Abuja Affirmation is that the former holds\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/LXTgMmiuOZ<\/a><\/p>— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) March 16, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>