In this episode, we share what we remember of church teaching on sex and what that meant for us in our earliest relationships.
Content warning: This series covers issues of sexual relationships, abuse, gender and identity, including some references to sexual violence in this episode at around 34 minutes in, so listener discretion is advised. Please look after yourselves.
We dig up memories of vivid youth group purity exercises designed to embed fear and shame. We unpick the unbalanced messaging that portrays male sexuality as something uncontrollable and female sexuality as something to be guarded, at the expense of desire, autonomy and consent.
We also share how our perspectives have changed. Simon reflects on growing up in a sexually open but chaotic environment before becoming a Christian and gradually moving beyond rigid moral rules. Charlotte recounts her struggle with sexual violence and the absence of support or empowerment in church settings. Rachel describes navigating a Christian upbringing, her bisexuality, and the decision to embrace intimacy with her partner.
Coming up
The next episode is released on 29 September, where we go even further into the world of church teaching on sex and explore the outworkings of that messaging further. Our first Q&A episode is on 13 October, so if you’d like to ask a question on anything you’ve heard from the podcast, then make sure you get your question to us by Friday 3 October to feature.
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