Has purity culture devalued women?
In the ’90s and the early 2000s, there was a big push for purity in the church. What this means is that unmarried Christians would not engage in sexual behavior until they were married. This came from a well-intentioned concept from the Bible that we should honor our bodies and the gift of sex and not misuse sex for baseless pleasure.
However, a culture built up around the concept of purity, leading to a lot of harmful views on women and their value as human beings.
How purity culture devalues women
Think about the stories in the Bible where lust is involved. Do you picture Bathsheba bathing on her roof? Do you condemn her for “tempting” David when it’s likely she had no choice to refuse the lusty king?
Do you think of Ruth seducing Boaz with her beauty? Do you think of women today and how they are expected to dress a certain way so they don’t lead men into temptation?
The idea of purity is supposed to be for the good of men and women, but we go about it so wrong:
First of all, we cannot be “pure.” We can trust Jesus to make us clean, but we do not need to stress ourselves to death with the idea that we can be pure.
Second, purity is almost a distraction from real faith. We think if we can be good and not have sex or masturbate, then we are good followers of Jesus. But what about what Jesus taught? Yes, He wants us to honor our bodies and others, but He wants us to focus on loving God and loving others, not trying to earn righteousness.
Third, our focus on purity degrades women as sexual objects of desire, not complex human beings who are just as valuable in the eyes of God. What’s funny when you think about it is the amount of pressure we put on women with purity culture, when Jesus Himself taught men to hold themselves accountable instead. And rather strongly put:
“Let’s not pretend this is easier than it really is. If you want to live a morally pure life, here’s what you have to do: You have to blind your right eye the moment you catch it in a lustful leer. You have to choose to live one-eyed or else be dumped on a moral trash pile. And you have to chop off your right hand the moment you notice it raised threateningly. Better a bloody stump than your entire being discarded for good in the dump.”
- Matthew 5:29-30 (MSG)
In other words, if a man looks upon a woman and lusts after her, society isn’t supposed to come down hard on her and tell her to dress differently. The man is supposed to be responsible for his own eye or his own hand!
Centerpoint Church is ready to walk with you on your faith journey
At Centerpoint, our community believes in purpose and passion, and we would love to walk with you on your journey in finding yours. We are currently going through a new sermon series titled “What Would Jesus Undo?” It’s all about what we imagine Jesus would want to undo in today’s church to rebuild it to better fit His image and His teachings.
Do you feel like the church has lost its way and could use some restructuring? You’re not alone. We encourage you to listen to our series online and welcome you to come to one of our Sunday morning services in Valrico, Florida.