Reconstructing Sexual Ethics

Reconstructing Sexual Ethics

Deconstructing purity culture and reconstructing sexual ethics is essential to the survival of the Christian religion. When statistics tell us that approximately 90% of Americans have premarital sex, and 87% of Australians believe premarital sex is morally “acceptable” why do many Christian organizations still promote purity culture? It clearly does not work. If we are going to talk about healthy sexual expression, loving relationships, and how to navigate consent, we need to do so realistically. Reconstructing Sexual Ethics opens up deeply honest and authentic conversations around topics like masturbation, pornography, consent, rape, contraception, abortion, homophobia and queer-affirmation, exploring how the author has evolved in these and many other areas, and challenging the church to do the same. Part memoir and part manifesto, this book reframes Christian sexual ethics in profoundly important ways, elevating the love and grace of God above Evangelical purity culture. It has the power to radically transform conversations around various aspects of our sexuality within the Christian religion and broader society. Endorsements: Reconstructing Sexual Ethics is a courageous, compassionate, and deeply needed work. With honesty, theological depth, and a commitment to love and justice, Eady Jay dismantles harmful purity culture teachings and charts a healthier, grace-filled path forward. This book gives voice to those who have long wrestled with shame and silence, and it offers a vision of sexuality that is life-giving, liberating, and faithful. ~ Rev. Brandan Robertson, author of Queer & Christian: Reclaiming the Bible, our Faith, and our Place at the Table Eady Jay goes there. She transparently and bravely deconstructs and breaks down the oppressive forces of puritanical culture that she was raised with, and that are still embedded in mainstream culture today. You may or may not agree with everything she has written, but we are all better for it. Why? Because exploring the relationship between faith and sexuality serves to liberate us from centuries of our joy being suppressed and our sexuality being oppressed. She writes with abundant grace, keen insights, and a clear heart for Christ, aiming to reform our relationship with our bodies, one another, and God. I have no doubt that her words will illuminate others on a similar journey. ~ Chantal McKinney, author of Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls This is a book I have always wanted to write and Eady Jay has done it better! Gripping, accessible, and humble in its wrestling with the Scripture, tradition, and ordinary life, her story welcomes readers across the spectrum of faith and sexuality to find inspiration, challenge, and even affirming echoes of their own experiences. Vulnerability and courage write themselves across every page in the unanswered questions, honest explorations, and uncertain steps that define a journey we all face in learning how to more fully embody the truth we see about God in our diverse expressions of sexuality. ~ Dr. Kevin Jenson, theologian and author of Sacred not Sinful: A New Christian Ethic Reconstructing Sexual Ethics is a refreshingly frank yet deeply pastoral reimagining of Christian sexual ethics. It affirms the essential dynamics of queerness, gender equity, and consent, offering clarity and compassion for those seeking a more just and loving vision of sexuality. Alongside other voices that deepen intersectionality and expand its scope, it is an important and thought-provoking resource that I highly recommend. ~ Jamie Arpin-Ricci, founder of The Rainbow Well Eady Jay has given us something remarkable in Reconstructing Sexual Ethics. With honesty and courage, she speaks directly to those who have deconstructed some or all of their faith, weaving together deeply personal stories with a thoughtful and robust theological vision. The result is an invitation into a sexual ethic free from the harmful rhetoric of purity culture and grounded instead in freedom, dignity, and grace. ~ Jessica Vanderwyngaard, Producer of I Survived I Kissed Dating Goodbye and the Where Do We Go From Here? Podcast.

RECONSTRUCTING SEXUAL ETHICS

Body, Sex, and Pleasure

Perhaps no other single moral issue today is as hotly contested, or as divisive, as sexuality. Offering a bold and hopeful vision of how Christians - and all people of goodwill - can view this explosive topic, ethicist Christine Gudorf proposes nothing less than a sweeping challenge to traditional Christian teaching on sexual roles, activities, and relationships. Deftly drawing on Scripture, natural law, historical and contemporary Catholic and Protestant theology, the social sciences, and, significantly, the lived experiences of today's women and men, Gudorf presents a carefully crafted and systematic reconstruction of Christian sexual ethics. Her aim, above all, is to engender appreciation, not rejection and shame, of our bodies and our sexuality. Contending that body, sex, and pleasure are divine gifts revealing God's grace, Gudorf emphasizes the need to understand sexual desire as a positive good, a source of love and commitment. She further explores the relationship between sexuality and reproduction, arguing that procreationism - the assumption that the sole aim and ultimate end of sexuality must always be offspring - is unjust and oppressive. Written with insight, clarity, and compassion, Body, Sex, and Pleasure is a provocative and compelling call to all women and men to reject the damaging influence of body/soul dualism - and, ultimately, to do justice to the Incarnation, the central revelations of Scripture, and human dignity.