Our bodies and our ability to experience love and joy through them are loving gifts from a loving God.

Sometimes we teach important principles like modesty and chastity in ways that promote an entirely different idea–in ways that imply that our bodies and sexuality are burdens to be overcome and obstacles to our spirituality.

It can also be tempting to overcorrect for this body-shaming stance and see modesty as simply an effort to suppress sexuality and dignity (of women, in particular).

Both of these extremes are simple-minded and unhelpful. A truer understanding of modesty takes into account the value of moderation, self-respect, and how these are related to our choices.

In this NEW podcast episode, I join Aubrey and Tim Chaves from the Faith Matters podcast to talk about modesty and how we can relate to and cherish our bodies so as to experience deeply embodied joy through them.

Listen to the full episode to learn more about: 

• Problematic understandings of modesty

• Why modesty is such a culturally charged topic

• Sexual self-mastery

• Healthy ways to talk to youth about modesty and sexuality

• Stages of moral development

• The gift of sexual conservatism