Sexual addiction is more common than many of us realize. And in the wake of purity culture, many Christians don’t know how to think well about sex and sexual sin. In this episode, Phy breaks down why sexuality deserves honor and the hope we have when we’ve fallen short.
Two years ago I discussed on Instagram how Christian romance, but specifically the popular book Redeeming Love, have acted as a “gateway drug” to pornography and erotica in the lives of many young women. Testimonies flooded in from women who were recommend this book by older mentors, aunts, friends, and pastor’s wives. Now that the movie is coming out January 21st, I have moved the content of that Instagram talk to a podcast episode and blog post.
![Modesty & the Real Weaker “Brother” [The Women’s Issues Series]](https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/jeremy-bishop-h9NU6laTNzM-unsplash-1080x675.jpg)
Don’t cause a brother to stumble.
We’ve heard this phrase applied to modesty, but do we really know the context of Romans 14? Who is the weaker brother – the man, or the woman? The answer varies based on who we’re talking about, but that’s not something you learned if you grew up in purity culture. In PC, the weaker brother is always the man.
![Synthesizing Christianity and Feminism [The Women’s Issues Series]](https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/lindsey-lamont-hUWINRMPvsc-unsplash-1080x675.jpg)
Jesus was a feminist… or was He? Within the church we see a sharp divide between Christians who call themselves feminist and those who go so far as to take the label “anti-feminist” – and everything in between. Feminism has morphed and changed with each of its four waves, with the mission developing as time goes on. The feminism of 2020 is not the same as the feminism of Susan Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
![Relational Barrenness, Singleness, & Discipleship [The Women’s Issues Series]](https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/jess-bailey-K9BOrwoFVYc-unsplash-1080x675.jpg)
Why is singleness treated like a second class status? Or a holding pattern until life really begins?
Is contentment an equation to get a relationship?Â
Is singleness really a gift?
How can marrieds bless the singles in their lives?
For many Christian girls, the boundaries in dating are fluid and ever-changing. How far you go depends on who you are with, and the standards of purity are, well, fifty shades of gray.
![How God Sees My Body [The Women’s Issues Series]](https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/septian-simon-OWSC2LRuO8U-unsplash-1080x675.jpg)
In this episode of the women’s issues series on Verity, we talk about the biblical view of the body, why it plays into the theology of resurrection, and how it affects our view of female sexuality.
“Why would God give me these desires if He’s not going to fulfill them?”
It’s a question many young men and women are asking. It’s a question I see at least once a week in my email, sometimes once a day. It’s a pressing concern for Christians, who, in their walk with God are commanded to “be holy as He is holy” – all the while battling a longing for companionship, or marriage, or – well, sex!
What do I do with these desires?
Years ago it was Pastor Bob Coy of Fort Lauderdale’s Calvary Chapel; more recently Willow Creek, John Crist. Each time what I feel is not surprise, not shock, but a deep disappointment – not because I expected the failure – but because I’ve seen this same event every few months for years. More than anything, I’m saddened.
And I’m also scared.
I recently shared an older post of mine – one I wrote shortly after I got married. It’s the story of why I waited until my wedding day to lose my virginity, and I why I did so with no regrets. Shortly after I received a comment: “I like this article, but the title indicates you lose your purity when you get married.”
This statement, though well-intentioned, reveals the problem we face in the church today. Today’s Christian culture treats virginity as equal to purity, when they are not the same thing at all.