Intimate Conversations: Christian Sexuality Beyond Purity Culture - Paperback

by Susannah Larry (Author), Sheila Wray Gregoire (Foreword by)

The Bible can help us have better conversations about sex

For many of us, sex education often lacks clear information and honest dialogue. Discussing sexuality can be confusing, especially when secular and religious ideas seem at odds.

These concerns can be especially acute for parents seeking to have conversations with their kids about healthy, faithful sex. We know that abstinence-only education doesn't prevent risky behavior and that purity culture leaves harmful legacies--yet we want our faith to sit right with our counsel, including on sex. If we don't endorse shame-based messaging but still believe that faith has a role in sexuality, what might Scripture and Christian theology actually have to say to us today?

Though the Bible is often 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 these pages, scholar and parent Susannah Larry considers how the Great Commandment to love God, neighbor, and self shapes our sexuality and the ideas we pass on to our kids. Grounded in Scripture and celebrating the goodness of human sexuality, Intimate Conversations will help readers reclaim the Bible as a resource for telling a joyful and holistic story about sex.

Author Biography

Susannah Larry, PhD, is a chaplain, advocate, and writer who seeks to embody the way of Jesus in the beautiful and broken world that he loves. The author of Forgiveness after Trauma and Leaving Silence, Larry has a passion for bringing biblical theology together with contemporary experience. While she loves preaching, writing, and helping others make meaning in their own stories, the center of her world is her family. Her family resides in Mishawaka, Indiana.