Pure : Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free

From a woman who has been there and back, the first inside look at the devastating effects evangelical Christianity's purity culture has had on a generation of young women—in a potent combination of journalism, cultural commentary, and memoir. In the 1990s, a "purity industry" emerged out of the white evangelical Christian culture. Purity rings, purity pledges, and purity balls came with a dangerous message: girls are potential sexual "stumbling blocks" for boys and men, and any expression of a girl's sexuality could reflect the corruption of her character. This message traumatized many girls—resulting in anxiety, fear, and experiences that mimicked the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder—and trapped them in a cycle of shame, at times reinforced by public humiliation and the threat of damnation. This is the sex education Linda Kay Klein grew up with. Fearing being marked a Jezebel, Klein broke up with her high school boyfriend because... In Pure, Linda Kay Klein uses a potent combination of journalism, cultural commentary, and memoir to take us "inside religious purity culture as only one who grew up in it can" (Gloria Steinem) and reveals the devastating effects evangelical Christianity's views on female sexuality has had on a generation of young women. In the 1990s, a "purity industry" emerged out of the white evangelical Christian culture. Purity rings, purity pledges, and purity balls came with a dangerous message: girls are potential sexual "stumbling blocks" for boys and men, and any expression of a girl's sexuality could reflect the corruption of her character. This message traumatized many girls—resulting in anxiety, fear, and experiences that mimicked the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder—and trapped them in a cycle of shame. This is the sex education Linda Kay Klein grew up with. Fearing being marked a Jezebel, Klein broke up with her high school boyfriend because she thought God told her to and took pregnancy tests despite being a virgin, terrified that any sexual activity would be punished with an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. When the youth pastor of her church was convicted of sexual enticement of a twelve-year-old girl, Klein began to question purity-based sexual ethics. She contacted young women she knew, asking if they were coping with the same shame-induced issues she was. These intimate conversations developed into a twelve-year quest that took her across the country and into the lives of women raised in similar religious communities—a journey that facilitated her own healing and led her to churches that are seeking a new way to reconcile sexuality and spirituality. Pure is " a revelation... Part memoir and part journalism, Pure is a horrendous, granular, relentless, emotionally true account" (The Cut) of society's larger subjugation of women and the role the purity industry played in maintaining it. Offering a prevailing message of resounding hope and encouragement, " Pure emboldens us to escape toxic misogyny and experience a fresh breath of freedom" (Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love Warrior and founder of Together Rising). From a woman who has been there and back, the first inside look at the devastating effects evangelical Christianity's purity culture has had on a generation of young women--in a potent combination of journalism, cultural commentary, and memoir. In the 1990s, a "purity industry" emerged out of the white evangelical Christian culture. Purity rings, purity pledges, and purity balls came with a dangerous message: girls are potential sexual "stumbling blocks" for boys and men, and any expression of a girl's sexuality could reflect the corruption of her character. This message traumatized many girls--resulting in anxiety, fear, and experiences that mimicked the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder--and trapped them in a cycle of shame. This is the sex education Linda Kay Klein grew up with. Fearing being marked a Jezebel, Klein broke up with her high school boyfriend because she thought God told her to, and took pregnancy tests though she was a virgin, terrified that any sexual activity would be punished with an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. When the youth pastor of her church was convicted of sexual enticement of a twelve-year-old girl, Klein began to question the purity-based sexual ethic. She contacted young women she knew, asking if they were coping with the same shame-induced issues she was. These intimate conversations developed into a twelve-year quest that took her across the country and into the lives of women raised in similar religious communities--a journey that facilitated her own healing and led her to churches that are seeking a new way to reconcile sexuality and spirituality. Sexual shame is by no means confined to evangelical culture; Pure is a powerful wake-up call about our society's subjugation of women From A Woman Who Has Been There And Back, The First Inside Look At The Devastating Effects Evangelical Christianity's Purity Culture Has Had On A Generation Of Young Women--in A Potent Combination Of Journalism, Cultural Commentary, And Memoir. In The 1990s, A Purity Industry Emerged Out Of The White Evangelical Christian Culture. Purity Rings, Purity Pledges, And Purity Balls Came With A Dangerous Message: Girls Are Potential Sexual Stumbling Blocks For Boys And Men, And Any Expression Of A Girl's Sexuality Could Reflect The Corruption Of Her Character. This Message Traumatized Many Girls--resulting In Anxiety, Fear, And Experiences That Mimicked The Symptoms Of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder--and Trapped Them In A Cycle Of Shame. Movement I: The Stumbling Blocks -- Sin, Psychosis, Or System -- The Lie -- Pure Destruction -- Sexual Violence, Classified -- Movement Ii: Stumbling Through Church -- Man-made Girls -- The Virgin -- The Tigress -- Family Values -- The Stained-glass Ceiling -- Movement Iii: Stumbling Out Of Church -- Trapped -- Frozen -- The G(od) Spot -- Dementor -- Movement Iv: How We Get Over -- Going Home -- The No Shame Movement -- Sanctuary. Linda Kay Klein. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 311-321) And Index. "The first inside look at the devastating effects of evangelical Christianity's purity movement on a generation of young women. In the 1990s, the purity movement emerged within the white evangelical Christian culture. Purity rings, purity pledges, and purity balls came with a dangerous message: girls are potential sexual 'stumbling blocks' for boys and men, and any expression of a girl's sexuality could reflect the corruption of her character. This is the 'sex education' Linda Kay Klein grew up with. In Pure, she pulls back the curtain on the secret lives of evangelical girls like herself who were traumatized by this message, trapped in a cycle of shame. In intimate conversations with scores of women and others, Klein found that sexual dysfunction, bizarre coping mechanisms, and PTSD-like symptoms are widespread. Determined to heal herself and provide hope for others, she embarked on a twelve-year quest that uncovered an epidemic of sexual shaming and led her to churches that are seeking a new way to reconcile sexuality and spirituality. Sexual shaming is by no means confined to evangelical culture. Pure is a groundbreaking wake-up call to reevaluate sexual ethics in our churches and our society."--The back cover The author explores the effects evangelical Christianity's purity culture has had on a generation of young women - in a combination of journalism, cultural commentary, and memoir. In the 1990s, a "purity industry" emerged out of the white evangelical Christian culture. Purity rings, purity pledges, and purity balls came with a dangerous message: girls are potential sexual "stumbling blocks" for boys and men, and any expression of a girl's sexuality could reflect the corruption of her character. This message resulted in anxiety, fear, and experiences that mimicked the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - trapping these girls in a cycle of shame