Purity Culture in America: Pledges, Rings and Their Critics
In short
Purity culture is a movement within American evangelicalism that urged young people to pledge sexual abstinence until marriage, often with rings or signed cards. True Love Waits, a Lifeway campaign, began with students in the Nashville area. A 2009 study found pledgers no less likely than matched peers to have premarital sex, but less likely to use contraception.
What the full article will cover
- What is purity culture?
- Where did True Love Waits and purity rings come from?
- What did research find about virginity pledges?
- Why has purity culture drawn criticism?
- Is purity culture still influential?
Frequently asked questions
- What is a purity ring?
- Do virginity pledges work?
- Is purity culture only evangelical?
- What does deconstructing purity culture mean?
Sources
- lifeway.com — https://www.lifeway.com/en/product-family/true-love-waits
- pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19117832/
- pewresearch.org — https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2020/08/31/half-of-u-s-christians-say-casual-sex-between-consenting-adults-is-sometimes-or-always-acceptable/
General information, not legal or religious advice.