You might be thinking the same thing that I was when I first read the title and description to our recent training series—Demystifying Sexual Taboos: Education, Science, and Sex-Positive Christianity—is sex-positive Christianity even a thing?

Before I dive in, a little background on me. I grew up in a non-denominational Christian church and attended an all-girls Catholic high school. Fortunately for me, I didn’t experience the same amount of repression and misinformation that many of my peers did—my parents both had scientific backgrounds, and were very good about naming body parts and explaining bodily functions.

However, attending church and hearing about the “dangers” of pre-marital sex, making sure you presented yourself modestly, and keeping yourself “pure” were definitely things that were swirling around in my teen subconscious.

However, attending church and hearing about the “dangers” of pre-marital sex, making sure you presented yourself modestly, and keeping yourself “pure” were definitely things that were swirling around in my teen subconscious. As a result, I entered adulthood pretty unprepared for conversations or experiences around consent, sex-positivity, and sexuality. While I have left my religious roots behind for a multitude of reasons, I have seen a shift over the last few years in some faith circles that seems to be moving away from “purity culture” and towards this idea that Christians can be inclusive and sex-positive.

In April, True You Maryland hosted two sessions that addressed how religious values often shape our perspectives on sex and sexuality. The sessions aimed to help identify the discomfort and the resistance—some of it from religion—to sex education. They focused on the many positive things connecting religion and sexuality, and how to gain the skills to advocate for young people’s freedom to live fulfilling, healthy lives.

Check out the recordings of Demystifying Sexual Taboos: Education, Science, and Sex-Positive Christianity and the extensive list of resources.

Here are some tips for making sure your learning space is inclusive:

Resources for Parents & Caregivers:

• Be an Askable Parent
• Consent Parenting
• Queer-Friendly Approaches to Religion
• For Goodness Sex: Changing the Way We Talk to Teens About Sexuality, Values, and Health
• Sex + Faith: Talking with Your Child from Birth to Adolescence
• Conversation Cards: Sexuality & Faith

Resources for Educators & Community Leaders:

• OWL – Our Whole Lives
• The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC)
• 15 Books For Recovering From Christian Purity Culture
• From Purity Culture to Sex Positive Christianity with Brenda Marie Davies

Resources for Students:

• Scarleteen: Impurity Culture: On Sexuality & Sin
• I Wanna Know
• Myths & Facts
• Queer Grace
• Keshet: “LGBTQ Jews and our families”
• The Difference Between Chastity and Abstinence