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Saving Sex: Sexuality and Salvation in American Evangelicalism
When it comes to evangelicals and sex, it seems, whatever the question, the answer is "no." In Saving Sex, Amy DeRogatis argues that this could not be further from the truth. Demolishing the myth of evangelicals as anti-sex, she shows that American evangelicals claim that fabulous sex--in the right context--is viewed as a divinely-sanctioned, spiritual act.
For decades, evangelical sex education has been a thriving industry. Evangelical couples have sought advice from Christian psychologists and marriage counselors, purchased millions of copies of faith-based "sexual guidebooks," and consulted magazines, pamphlets, websites, blogs, and podcasts on a vast array of sexual topics, including human anatomy, STDs--sometimes known as "Sexually Transmitted Demons"--varieties of sexual pleasure, role-play, and sex toys, all from a decidedly biblical angle. DeRogatis discusses a wide range of evidence, from purity literature for young evangelicals to sex manuals for married couples to "deliverance manuals," which instruct believers in how to expel demons that enter the body through sexual sin. Evangelicals have at times attempted to co-opt the language of female empowerment, emphasizing mutual consent and female sexual pleasure while insisting that the key to marital sexual happiness depends on maintaining traditional gender roles based on the
literal interpretation of scripture.
Saving Sex is a long-overdue exploration of evangelicals' surprising and often-misunderstood beliefs about sex--who can do what, when, and why--and of the many ways in which they try to bring those beliefs to bear on American culture.
For decades, evangelical sex education has been a thriving industry. Evangelical couples have sought advice from Christian psychologists and marriage counselors, purchased millions of copies of faith-based "sexual guidebooks," and consulted magazines, pamphlets, websites, blogs, and podcasts on a vast array of sexual topics, including human anatomy, STDs--sometimes known as "Sexually Transmitted Demons"--varieties of sexual pleasure, role-play, and sex toys, all from a decidedly biblical angle. DeRogatis discusses a wide range of evidence, from purity literature for young evangelicals to sex manuals for married couples to "deliverance manuals," which instruct believers in how to expel demons that enter the body through sexual sin. Evangelicals have at times attempted to co-opt the language of female empowerment, emphasizing mutual consent and female sexual pleasure while insisting that the key to marital sexual happiness depends on maintaining traditional gender roles based on the
literal interpretation of scripture.
Saving Sex is a long-overdue exploration of evangelicals' surprising and often-misunderstood beliefs about sex--who can do what, when, and why--and of the many ways in which they try to bring those beliefs to bear on American culture.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 6, 2023
my only complaint is that it felt incomplete, just barely scratching the surface of the intricacies of evangelical sex literature.
what i did read was insightful and i enjoyed DeRogatis’s quips throughout.
what i did read was insightful and i enjoyed DeRogatis’s quips throughout.
May 9, 2017
We all know that evangelicals demand sexual purity before marriage but what about after? This book examines Christian marriage manuals to identify what is sexually pre- and proscribed between lawfully wedded heterosexual couples in the Christian church. It was interesting to see the commonalities and differences between more liberal and conservative outlooks on Christianity.
October 10, 2017
3.5 stars. Interesting examination of evangelical literature about sex. Not enough analysis or conclusions for me (really just felt like a presentation). The most compelling chapter was the last, examining some differences between white and black evangelicals and their discussion of women's sexuality.
November 2, 2018
Read for class
March 22, 2022
Extremely interesting
July 21, 2025
4.5 - based on the title this should’ve been one billion stars but alas I am learning I cannot trust the anthropologists to talk about salvation the way I want them to:// this was fire nonetheless
November 12, 2014
A research project / clinical exploration into the ethics and pragmatics of American Evangelical Christian sexual culture and instruction. The author would like to attempt to tie their understanding of sexuality to their understanding of salvation but in the reviewer's estimation cannot be said to have been successful to any significant degree.
The author approaches the wide variety of literature and philosophies on sexuality within American Evangelicalism from the perspective of the rationalist expert outsider. The book throughout has a clinical feel: one can perceive that the author is attempting to maintain objectivity, perhaps even attempting to be sympathetic at moments, but in general her personal loyalties seem elsewhere.
The author features analyses of purity balls/daughters as princesses/transfer from father to husband, emphasis on purity in teen literature, the Titus 2 household philosophy, Quiverfull philosophy, the Pearls, the LaHayes, and finally Bynum and Jakes. She points out the varieties of opinions on birth control, the ultimate purpose of sex, how to treat those who have been less than pure, the sacred and/or demonic sides of sexuality, and the roles of men and women in sexuality. In general the author keeps in mind that many of these groups and views are on the fringe of mainstream or are outside of it but does lavish disproportionate attention on them.
As a believer who would probably be lumped in with Evangelicalism but who has many critiques of its philosophies and subculture there are many times I want to disagree with the author because of the unstated yet present antagonism toward the entire enterprise. Yes, the Evangelical sexual ethos is absolutely a reaction to a lot of cultural trends; those cultural trends are not examined in this work with any level of critical analysis. I grant that such was not the author's purpose or intent; beyond that it would not really "work" coming from one who is an outsider as it is. Nevertheless, it is hard to disagree with the author because a lot of the views are extreme, woefully incomplete, and/or woefully imbalanced. Emphasis on purity has its merits but many dark, distressing detractions. Male sexuality is portrayed as a cultural caricature and there's little room for any male who would have performance or desire issues. Female sexuality on the whole is also expressed in the cultural caricature of the 1950s with very little room given to the idea that the woman could enjoy the sex life on her own terms. Many of the anti-feminist reactions do stray a bit too far into the patriarchy; emphasis on the procreative purpose of sexuality to the minimization of the expression of intimacy distorts a Christian view of sexuality, and its expectation ostracizes those who take the call of celibacy a la 1 Corinthians 7 very seriously. The author is given no reason to understand Christian celibacy as confidence in the resurrection and finding family in God and among His people; it remains a strange thing because it's a strange thing in the Christian evangelical subculture. The final chapter is telling: even the religiously conservative reader is left sympathizing with the more realistic albeit more worldly wisdom of Bynum and Jakes, giving space for repentance, empowering single women, as a more productive way forward.
The book has value for Evangelicals to get a chance to see how they are being viewed from as "objective" and a "sympathetic" hearing as they're going to get from The Rationalist Experts From On High. I am afraid that a more secular reader is going to come away with many false impressions because the tendency is going to exist to make much more of the fringes than is appropriate and to equate the literature as written with the views of all who would read them. Yes, there are many who read the materials described in this book and imbibe them thoroughly; I know of plenty of others who read a wide assortment and take a bit here or there. But yes, in general, the Evangelical Christian sexual ethos is a mess of contradictory philosophies with most people somewhere in the middle.
**--book received as part of early review program
The author approaches the wide variety of literature and philosophies on sexuality within American Evangelicalism from the perspective of the rationalist expert outsider. The book throughout has a clinical feel: one can perceive that the author is attempting to maintain objectivity, perhaps even attempting to be sympathetic at moments, but in general her personal loyalties seem elsewhere.
The author features analyses of purity balls/daughters as princesses/transfer from father to husband, emphasis on purity in teen literature, the Titus 2 household philosophy, Quiverfull philosophy, the Pearls, the LaHayes, and finally Bynum and Jakes. She points out the varieties of opinions on birth control, the ultimate purpose of sex, how to treat those who have been less than pure, the sacred and/or demonic sides of sexuality, and the roles of men and women in sexuality. In general the author keeps in mind that many of these groups and views are on the fringe of mainstream or are outside of it but does lavish disproportionate attention on them.
As a believer who would probably be lumped in with Evangelicalism but who has many critiques of its philosophies and subculture there are many times I want to disagree with the author because of the unstated yet present antagonism toward the entire enterprise. Yes, the Evangelical sexual ethos is absolutely a reaction to a lot of cultural trends; those cultural trends are not examined in this work with any level of critical analysis. I grant that such was not the author's purpose or intent; beyond that it would not really "work" coming from one who is an outsider as it is. Nevertheless, it is hard to disagree with the author because a lot of the views are extreme, woefully incomplete, and/or woefully imbalanced. Emphasis on purity has its merits but many dark, distressing detractions. Male sexuality is portrayed as a cultural caricature and there's little room for any male who would have performance or desire issues. Female sexuality on the whole is also expressed in the cultural caricature of the 1950s with very little room given to the idea that the woman could enjoy the sex life on her own terms. Many of the anti-feminist reactions do stray a bit too far into the patriarchy; emphasis on the procreative purpose of sexuality to the minimization of the expression of intimacy distorts a Christian view of sexuality, and its expectation ostracizes those who take the call of celibacy a la 1 Corinthians 7 very seriously. The author is given no reason to understand Christian celibacy as confidence in the resurrection and finding family in God and among His people; it remains a strange thing because it's a strange thing in the Christian evangelical subculture. The final chapter is telling: even the religiously conservative reader is left sympathizing with the more realistic albeit more worldly wisdom of Bynum and Jakes, giving space for repentance, empowering single women, as a more productive way forward.
The book has value for Evangelicals to get a chance to see how they are being viewed from as "objective" and a "sympathetic" hearing as they're going to get from The Rationalist Experts From On High. I am afraid that a more secular reader is going to come away with many false impressions because the tendency is going to exist to make much more of the fringes than is appropriate and to equate the literature as written with the views of all who would read them. Yes, there are many who read the materials described in this book and imbibe them thoroughly; I know of plenty of others who read a wide assortment and take a bit here or there. But yes, in general, the Evangelical Christian sexual ethos is a mess of contradictory philosophies with most people somewhere in the middle.
**--book received as part of early review program
November 30, 2014
In this book, Amy DeRogatis analyzes the field of Evangelical Christian sex literature, placing her focus openly on the most representative and interesting among them (clearly flagging which is which) and writing in a register appropriate for a non-academic or undergraduate audience. As such, it serves as a fascinating entree into the study of religion and sex in American religion; however, it also stands alone as the only treatment of the subject at hand: Evangelical discourse on heterosexual sexuality and sex practices.
Each chapter treats a broad theme. Chapter One deals with sexuality and singleness in the forms of purity balls, discussions of virginity, modest dress, and preparing oneself for marriage. Chapter Two discusses sex within marriage, including a history of sex manuals (religious and otherwise) in the US, Evangelical uses and rejections of scientific findings about sexuality, prescriptive statements on marital sex practices and techniques, and the interrelations between gender roles and sexuality. Chapter Three deals with improper sex and its consequences, including unique meldings of science and demonology as well as recommended modes of overcoming the spiritual scars of sexual transgression. In Chapter Four, DeRogatis turns to the Evangelical opponents of contraception, from writers who authorize only the "rhythm method" to the Quiverfull movement, who see children as arrows for God's army--the more, the better. Chapter Five acknowledges the overwhelming whiteness of the previous four chapters, arguing that historically-rooted differences in the racial experience of sex lead black Evangelical leaders to less rigid models of sexual purity and marital roles, though their sexual ideologies are still conservative.
Overall, the book portrays American Evangelicalism as an incredibly diverse movement that seeks at all turns to balance or react against forces it perceives in broader American culture. DeRogatis attempts to depict her subjects authentically, recognizing her blind spots (for example, she cannot know what readers of these sex manuals might be thinking) and taking care to spin out and elucidate the underlying logic of some authors' arguments, especially when it might be counterintuitive to her own audience.
Each chapter treats a broad theme. Chapter One deals with sexuality and singleness in the forms of purity balls, discussions of virginity, modest dress, and preparing oneself for marriage. Chapter Two discusses sex within marriage, including a history of sex manuals (religious and otherwise) in the US, Evangelical uses and rejections of scientific findings about sexuality, prescriptive statements on marital sex practices and techniques, and the interrelations between gender roles and sexuality. Chapter Three deals with improper sex and its consequences, including unique meldings of science and demonology as well as recommended modes of overcoming the spiritual scars of sexual transgression. In Chapter Four, DeRogatis turns to the Evangelical opponents of contraception, from writers who authorize only the "rhythm method" to the Quiverfull movement, who see children as arrows for God's army--the more, the better. Chapter Five acknowledges the overwhelming whiteness of the previous four chapters, arguing that historically-rooted differences in the racial experience of sex lead black Evangelical leaders to less rigid models of sexual purity and marital roles, though their sexual ideologies are still conservative.
Overall, the book portrays American Evangelicalism as an incredibly diverse movement that seeks at all turns to balance or react against forces it perceives in broader American culture. DeRogatis attempts to depict her subjects authentically, recognizing her blind spots (for example, she cannot know what readers of these sex manuals might be thinking) and taking care to spin out and elucidate the underlying logic of some authors' arguments, especially when it might be counterintuitive to her own audience.
May 1, 2016
It is easy to think that Fundamentalists all think sex is evil. DeRogatis gives the lie to that easy assessment in this interesting, yet challenging book. Some Evangelicals have quite progressive views on human sexuality, and others write sex manuals, just like in secular culture. The important takeaway for me here was that it is essential not to think all people of any one sect or category are all alike. They are as human as the rest of us. I wrote some further thoughts on it here: Sects and Violence in the Ancient World.
November 3, 2015
This book is sexist, heteronormative, and upholds the ridiculous idea of virginity. While there is something to be said about spicing up a married couples sex life: how dare this book take out every other couples' sex lives? Sex is not just for the married man and woman. Sex should not be "brought on" and "led" by the man. Virginity is not something "precious" to be held onto. These thoughts are derogatory against women and against homo (and other) sexual relationships.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews