A Personal Encounter with Purity Culture: Evangelical Christian Schooling in Aotearoa New Zealand – Olivia Stanley
Abstract
In this article, I employ an autoethnographic lens to look at the evangelical Christian purity movement, which I experienced within my high school and church in Aotearoa/New Zealand. To frame my discussion, I focus on two best-selling books by evangelical Christian writer Dannah Gresh: Secret Keeper: The Delicate Power of Modesty (2002) and also And the Bride Wore White: Seven Secrets to Sexual Purity (2012). Both of these books were reverentially passed around my school and church circles as though they were sacred scripture. My analysis of Gresh’s writing and evangelical purity culture does not arrive without an agenda, but comes with a plea to end abstinence-only sex education and purity teachings.
Key Words
Abstinence, Christianity, evangelicalism, gender, modesty, purity, sex education, virginity.
Loading...
Reload document 
Open in new tab