(121) Like A Virgin: The Story Evangelicals Told About Virginity

Where Do We Go From Here?

This episode is for all the people who were told your virginity was the most important thing about you. In this episode, we get into the meaning of virginity to evangelicals, the history, what we were told the Bible says, what the Bible actually says, and of course, we talk about where we can go from here.

Full show notes here

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Sara Moslener is a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy, Anthropology, and Religion at Central Michigan University where she teaches courses on the history of religious and racial discrimination in the United States. She has been studying evangelical purity culture for over 15 years and has numerous publications including the book Virgin Nation: Sexual Purity and American Adolescence (Oxford University Press: 2015) which demonstrates how sexual purity campaigns and rhetoric have been used by white Protestants since the 19th century to obtain greater political power and cultural influence. Follow Sara on Twitter.

Karen R. Keen is a biblical scholar and spiritual care provider at The Redwood Center for Spiritual Care and Education. She works to make scholarship accessible to lay leaders and the public, particularly as it relates to the intersection of Scripture, faith, and culture. Karen has taught biblical and theological studies in both academic and church settings. Trained as a spiritual director in the Ignatian tradition, she also provides spiritual care through groups and retreats. Karen is the author of The Jesus Way: Practicing the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, Scripture, Ethics, and the Possibility of Same-Sex Relationships, and The Word of a Humble God: The Origins, Inspiration, and Interpretation of Scripture. She is currently working on a book to be released in 2024 on sex and the Christian life. Karen earned her M.S. in education (counseling) from Western Oregon University, M.A. in exegetical theology from Western Seminary, and Th.M. in biblical studies from Duke Divinity School. Follow Karen on Twitter.