Sex & Purity Culture: The Youth Group Experience

Youth Group. Those were some formative years. Most of us probably look back at them fondly.

We think of trips to the beach, theme parks, and if you were “charismatic” the circus, other wise known as RAMP.

We think of lock-ins, dodgeball, & “murder”. Some people call it mafia. But they are wrong.

We think about our first crushes and heartbreaks. Mixtapes on burnt cd’s with vague Christian love songs. Were they about Jesus or a jilted lover? No one knows. Plus promise rings and purity pledges.

But…What if those were rose tinted glasses glossed by nostalgia? What about the crushing weight of Purity Culture? The well intended but misguided sermons (or lack thereof) about sex and hormones.

What if the majority of the youth group generation hold soul scars from a culture of misguided guilt, shame, & warped of sex and gender roles. What if accidental misogyny and double standards formed what many thought to be scriptural foundations in our minds?

This week we break down sex and purity culture, how they interact and what our experience was in it. We weigh the pros and the cons and reflect on what worked and what didn’t. As we reflect, we offer some advice going forward to help remedy some of flaws of yesteryear.