Talking Back to Purity Culture - by Rachel Joy Welcher (Paperback)

About the Book

The generation born into evangelical purity culture has grown up, but many still struggle with its complicated legacy. Examining purity culture's teachings through the lens of Scripture, Rachel Joy Welcher charts a path forward in the ongoing debates about sexuality--one that rejects legalism and license alike, steering us back instead to the good news of Jesus.

Book Synopsis

It's time to talk back.

The generation born into evangelical purity culture has grown up, and many have started families of their own. But as time goes on, it's becoming more evident that many still struggle with purity culture's complicated legacy--its idolization of virginity, its mixed messages about modesty and lust, and its promise of a healthy marriage and great sex for those who follow the rules.

In Talking Back to Purity Culture, Rachel Joy Welcher reviews the movement carefully, examining its teachings through the lens of Scripture. Compassionate, faithful, and wise, she charts a path forward for Christians in the ongoing debates about sexuality--one that rejects legalism and license alike, steering us back instead to the good news of Jesus.

It's time to talk back to purity culture--and this book is ready to jump-start the conversation.

Review Quotes

"Talking Back to Purity Culture is saturated with gospel truth and clarity that confronts the overwhelmingly legalistic, shaming, and hopeless rubric of purity culture--especially the ways in which it blames young women for the sins of their brothers and fathers. Parents, and especially you moms, it's time to speak the truth to your children about sexuality and to assure your daughters of their worth as created in God's image. I'm thrilled to recommend this wonderful book."

--Elyse Fitzpatrick, author of Worthy: Celebrating the Value of Women

"As an educator of college students for more than three decades, I understand well the difficulties in helping young people sort through the mixed messages from both the church and the culture regarding sex. It is easy, in correcting the falsehoods of the world, to make errors in the opposite direction. Rachel Joy Welcher navigates these tensions scripturally, wisely, and compassionately--and does so within a wide range of topics of concern to people of all ages and all stages of life. Talking Back to Purity Culture is a book I will recommend over and over, not only to my students but to all who are striving toward a more holistic and biblical understanding of human sexuality in these times."

--Karen Swallow Prior, author of On Reading Well and Fierce Convictions

"Impeccably researched, gently written, and a timely word for those who grew up kissing dating goodbye, wearing purity rings, attending abstinence rallies, and waiting (perhaps waiting still) for their 'one.' Welcher is deft in her exploration of what went right and what went wrong for the lives of millions of Christians--before marriage and after it--and she is careful in her admonition to future leaders and lovers. A needed and healing work."

--Lore Ferguson Wilbert, author of Handle With Care: How Jesus Redeems the Power of Touch in Life and Ministry

"Purity rings. Abstinence pledges. Promises of delayed gratification bringing awesome married sex. These--and many other practices and teachings--have characterized evangelical purity culture. And they've done some damage. In Talking Back to Purity Culture, Rachel Joy Welcher holds to a high view of Scripture and its sexual ethic, challenges prosperity thinking, and calls Christians to a better way--one that celebrates embodied living at any age or stage, views others as creatures worthy of respect, and has as its focus the glory of God. I can't think of one demographic that wouldn't benefit from this book."

--Sandra Glahn, professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and coauthor of Sanctified Sexuality

About the Author

Rachel Joy Welcher (MLit, University of St. Andrews) is a columnist and editor at Fathom magazine. She is the author of two books of poetry: Blue Tarp and Two Funerals, Then Easter. She lives in Glenwood, Iowa, with her husband, Evan.