Intimate Conversations: Christian Sexuality Beyond Purity Culture

The Bible can help us have better conversations about sex

For many of us, formation around sexuality was often marked by a lack of information and honest dialogue. The teaching we did receive was confusing at times, especially since secular and religious ideas about sexuality often seem at odds.

These concerns can be especially acute for parents seeking to share healthy, faithful ideas about sexuality with their children. We know that abstinence-only sex education doesn't stop risky behavior among teens and that purity culture leaves harmful legacies. Messages from outside the church walls seem to offer the simplest and safest way out of the conundrum--yet we also want our faith to sit right with our counsel on many issues, including sex. If we don't endorse purity culture yet we still believe faith holds a role in sexuality, what might the Bible and Christian theology actually have to say to us today?

Though the Bible is often quite vague on the whos, whens, wheres, and whats of sexuality, it does offer a beautiful image of the why: to know and share the love of God. In Intimate Conversations, scholar Susannah Larry considers how the Great Commandment to love God, neighbor, and self shapes our understanding of this part of our lives. As she explores what ideas to pass on to her children, she discovers a whole-bodied vision for Christian sexuality that is empowering, faithful, and life-giving. Rather than a rulebook or an encyclopedia, the Bible tells us a story of God's desire for justice, reconciliation, and joy for all people. Grounded in Scripture and celebrating the goodness of human sexuality, Intimate Conversations will help adults reclaim the Bible as a resource for telling a joyful and holistic story about sexuality.