Decades ago in my high school youth group, a young married couple spoke at the yearly sex talk. Before their engagement, and despite both previously losing their virginity, they chose to seek a ‘second virginity’ together, committing to chastity and their faith until they married.
What a beautiful lesson for me as a new, rather conservative Christian: that chastity was a practice for both men and women, that losing one’s virginity wasn’t devastating, and that even unmarried couples should have frank, vulnerable conversations about sex.
And yet: during the same period, my youth pastor was sexually assaulting one of my friends. Our congregation’s senior pastor knowingly turned a blind eye to the predator—possibly because of his own extramarital affairs.
From the very start of my faith, then, I’ve seen the stunning contrasts of the church’s relationship with sex: from life-affirming teaching on chastity to stomach-churning abuse.
Now, I’m the mother of two daughters, one approaching puberty. As I write this, I’m thinking about how to teach her about sex. How do I prepare her for its joys while also protecting her from its dangers?
What would Jesus want me to say to my girl?
So it was with eagerness that I read Bromleigh McCleneghan’s Good Christian Sex: Why Chastity Isn’t the Only Option—And Other Things the Bible Says About Sex…
I’m so pleased to have my very first book review (ever!) up at The Englewood Review of Books, which has fast become a vital resource for me. Chris Smith, the editor, puts together a really interesting collection of books to consider. Won’t you join me over there to talk about sex?
Being a Beginner is Okay