purity culture

While I am all for forging your way ahead past spiritual abuse, purity culture and fear-based teachings, I believe so strongly that purity is a gift from God, not a punishment that toxic church culture invented.

It’s easy for humans to throw out the baby with the bath water. Purity culture has undoubtedly caused spiritual and sexual damage to those who grew up under its fearful, controlling grip. But purity itself isn’t bad. It’s beautiful.

If you’re either single and unsure if purity is worth it or married and need a reminder about God’s perfect design, keep reading.

Here are 3 ways on how not to throw out purity with purity culture:

A Washington youth pastor posted an apology to his Facebook page for having told his female students to wear only one-piece swimsuits. The post is now gaining viral attention.

In a new podcast episode with Alisa Childers and John Cooper, the two podcasters and former musicians defended Matthew West's controversial song "Modest Is Hottest", saying it was a humorous way to communicate a biblical message.

Singer Matthew West has removed the video for his parody song "Modest Is Hottest" after critics took issue with it, claiming that it promotes evangelical purity culture, which holds women responsible for men's actions.

There are many things to be said about the tragic killing of eight people in Atlanta, and many things that could have prevented this from happening. While, I do not mean to imply that purity culture alone led to this, if we draw the logic of the Church’s current purity culture all the way out, this is its conclusion. And it needs to change.