Purity culture has left quite a bad taste in the mouths of believers and unbelievers alike. If you type the phrase into Google, you’ll find numerous negative articles regarding this movement, some even published by Christian websites. While the proponents of purity culture started with good intentions of helping their youth to pursue purity and godliness, they made a lot of mistakes along the way and taught several very unbiblical ideas to thousands of teenagers all across the nation.

As more and more people are standing up and exposing the lies they were taught and the hypocrisy they witnessed within purity culture, it seems the pendulum is beginning to swing too far the other way. Instead of encouraging dating for the purpose of marriage and abstaining from sex, many people (including some professing Christians) are encouraging our youth to sleep with whomever they’re interested in to see if they’re “sexually compatible.” While this idea may agree with the ways of the world, it certainly does not agree with the Word of God. As Dean Inserra argues in his new book, Pure, Christians must stick to God’s design for sex.

Inserra writes,

“A disdain for purity culture without a commitment to biblical sexual ethics will not shine the light of God’s glory to a sexually broken world.”^[1]

Yes, purity culture has had its share of flaws and failures. It preached that those who remained sexually pure would be rewarded with a perfect and pure spouse. It insinuated that those who struggled with sexual sin were unwanted and untouchable. And it so often missed the true consequences of premarital sex—

“The ramifications of sexual sin are not first and foremost about losing your family or getting pregnant or ruining your reputation; they are about God and sinning against Him.”^[2]

In Pure, Dean Inserra reveals the Bible’s plan for human sexuality and asserts that this plan is not outdated, irrelevant, or oppressive. It is both relevant and helpful, and it brings us closer to our Creator. Our pursuit of purity is not legalistic, or lame, or merely in vain. It is obedience and submission to our Lord.

“A theology of sex is first and foremost about the glory of God…The Christian’s motivation for sexual purity should be growing in knowledge and love for God.”^[3]

Inserra covers nearly every topic surrounding the topic of sexuality that you could think of—premarital sex, cohabitation, pornography, homosexuality—and argues why Christians should take no part in these activities. He discusses how marriage and modesty have become sorely neglected in our culture and the church’s responsibility to address these issues. The truth is that our bodies are not our own. They were bought with a price and belong to God, so we must glorify God by remaining pure, in both mind and body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Not only that, but sex was created to be more than just a pleasurable experience. It was designed to point to something much grander—

“God’s design for marriage has a grand purpose other than procreation, and it is to point us to the grandest marriage, the one between Christ and the church.”^[4]

The intimate relationship between a husband and wife illustrates the relationship between Christ and His Church. A husband’s sacrificial love symbolizes the sacrificial love Jesus showed His Church through His death and resurrection. A wife’s submissive love symbolizes the submissive love the Church shows to Jesus when they obey His commands. When we have sex whenever we want with whomever we want, we are misrepresenting the gospel. This is why we must follow the Bible’s plan for sexuality. We ought to live out what is true and right according to Scripture, not our feelings or cultural whims.

As he wraps up the book, Dean Inserra expounds on a few key topics that purity culture seems to have missed completely. He discusses the reality of single Christian adults and how being unmarried is not a bad or unfortunate thing. He offers practical advice and wisdom for those struggling with sexual temptations. And he explains how true forgiveness and freedom is available for those who have sinned sexually.

Overall, I really enjoyed Pure, and I was glad to be one of the first people to read this book. This message is so needed in our world today, and Inserra did a great job of handling several controversial topics in a biblical, humble, and winsome way. If you’ve ever wondered what the Bible says about purity and sexuality, you should definitely pick up a copy of this book.

*I received an advanced copy of this book from Dean Inserra and Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review and promotion of the book.

*As an Amazon Associate, I can earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through the affiliate links on this page at no extra cost to you.

^[1] Dean Inserra, Pure: Why the Bible’s Plan for Sexuality isn’t Outdated, Irrelevant, or Oppressive (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2022), 42.

^[2] Ibid., 163.

^[3] Ibid., 160, 163.

^[4] Ibid., 161.