Hi Paul. In Benjamin Sludges counter argument, in Defense of Marriage, he also cited the Apostle Paul.
In Ephesians 5:28:33, Paul says more than “husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.”
Translations of the last sentence vary, with some saying women must respect their husbands, another one saying let the wife see that she fear her husband and yet another one saying, the wife [must see to it] that she respects and delights in her husband [that she notices him and prefers him, and treats him with loving concern, treasuring him, honoring him, and holding him dear.]
Interpretations of these different translations seem to vary according to the teachings of Christians’ individual congregations.
The Song of Songs, or the Song of Solomon is the celebration of sexual love and sexual longing between men and women – and shows no interest in Law or Covenant or G-d, nor does it teach or explore wisdom. However, Christians fit the Song of Songs into their religion, by treating it as an allegory of Christ and his bride, the Church.
In case anyone has not heard this part of the bible, it's found between Ecclesiastes and Isaiah...
Solomon’s Song of Songs
She
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
for your love is more delightful than wine.
Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;
your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the young women love you!
Take me away with you—let us hurry!
Let the king bring me into his chambers.
Friends
We rejoice and delight in you[b];
we will praise your love more than wine.
She
How right they are to adore you!
Dark am I, yet lovely,
daughters of Jerusalem,
dark like the tents of Kedar,
like the tent curtains of Solomon.[c]
Do not stare at me because I am dark,
because I am darkened by the sun.
My mother’s sons were angry with me
and made me take care of the vineyards;
my own vineyard I had to neglect.
Tell me, you whom I love,
where you graze your flock
and where you rest your sheep at midday.
Why should I be like a veiled woman
beside the flocks of your friends?
Friends
If you do not know, most beautiful of women,
follow the tracks of the sheep
and graze your young goats
by the tents of the shepherds.
He
I liken you, my darling, to a mare
among Pharaoh’s chariot horses.
Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings,
your neck with strings of jewels.
We will make you earrings of gold,
studded with silver.
She
While the king was at his table,
my perfume spread its fragrance.
My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh
resting between my breasts.
My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
from the vineyards of En Gedi.
He
How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes are doves.
She
How handsome you are, my beloved!
Oh, how charming!
And our bed is verdant.
He
The beams of our house are cedars;
our rafters are firs.
