Sex is designed by God to be a gift, but tragically, it’s horribly misused to objectify women一not only in the world at-large一but also in the church. In this episode, Sheila Wray Gregoire, author of The Great Sex Rescue, She Deserves Better, and The Good Girl’s Guide to Great Sex, explains some heartbreaking trends in evangelicalism:

• Why sex has become about male entitlement and female obligation, rather than an mutual expression of intimacy and pleasure

• How gender stereotypes about sexual drive and wiring have damaged women

• What many of the prominent evangelical books and curriculums about sex get terribly wrong (and the cost of those mistakes)

Based on years of extensive research, Sheila also explains to Steve Carter how the church can recover from the blunders of purity culture:

• How the church can talk about sex in a healthy way

• Tips for pastors offering premarital counseling

• Advice for honeymooning couples who feel crippled by pressure to perform on their first night together

• Five essentials to help align a couple’s libido in a way that’s considerate, not manipulative

God’s heart for us, sex included, is to find healing and wholeness. So listen well. Learn. Pray that God’s Spirit will transform the broken perceptions and practices we subconsciously (or intentionally) embody. It’s only when we recognize (and repent of) what’s marred and broken that we can savor what’s beautiful.

EPISODE LINKS

Sheila’s books: The Great Sex Rescue, She Deserves Better, The Good Girl’s Guide to Great Sex

Her ministry: Bare Marriage

Website: https://sheilawraygregoire.com

@sheilagregoire

@steveryancarter

@craft_character