Demand for an Afrikaans sex magazine that targets married, Christian
women and shatters prissy Calvinistic stereotypes has increased so much
that an English version will hit the shelves next month, writes Justine Gerardy in the Saturday Argus.
The launch edition of Intimacy – which features lap-dancing, submission and a tricky question about parental sex on the cover – follows a 300 percent growth in demand for Intiem magazine, which was launched in 2006.
"We strive to empower Christian women not to feel guilty for enjoying this God-given pleasure which is sex, but rather to embrace it," said managing editor Liezel van der Merwe.
Writing on sex from a Christian perspective had been a difficult challenge, with sex and religion both highly sensitive topics and few guidelines in the Bible, said Van der Merwe.
"You won't find any information on, say, masturbation, oral sex or how to spice up your sex life in the Bible. So the only thing one can do is to take the general guidelines that were given to us and apply it to the best of our knowledge and with guidance from the Holy Spirit."
Readers reacted positively from the start despite the team having braced itself for criticism from religious sources. Some of the most loyal readers were ministers, sexologists and conservative readers and more than a third were men.
Click here to read the full report, posted on iol.co.za.ÂÂÂ
