Christians under Covers: Evangelicals and Sexual Pleasure on the Internet

239 Pages·2016·1.729 MB·English

by  Kelsy Burke

Christians under Covers
EVANGELICALS AND SEXUAL PLEASURE
ON THE INTERNET
Kelsy Burke
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Christians under Covers
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Christians under Covers
EVANGELICALS AND SEXUAL PLEASURE
ON THE INTERNET
Kelsy Burke
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university
presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing
scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its
activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic
contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit
www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Oakland, California
© 2016 by Th e Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Burke, Kelsy, 1985– author.
Christians under covers : evangelicals and sexual pleasure on the Internet /
Kelsy Burke.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-520-28632-0 (cloth : alk. paper)
isbn 978-0-520-28633-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)
isbn 978-0-520-96158-6 (ebook)
1. Christians—Sexual behavior—United States. 2. Sex—Religious
aspects—Christianity. 3. Internet—Religious aspects—Christianity.
4. Sex in mass media. I. Title.
hq63.b87 2016
233′.5—dc23
2015031933
Manufactured in the United States of America
24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In keeping with a commitment to support environmentally responsible and
sustainable printing practices, UC Press has printed this book on Natures
Natural, a fi ber that contains 30% post-consumer waste and meets the
minimum requirements of ansi/niso z39.48–1992 (r 1997) (Permanence of
Paper).
To Jody, my first writing coach
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CONTENTS
List of Figures and Tables ix
Acknowledgments xi
A Note to Readers on Quoting Online Content xiii
Introduction 1
1 • Godly Sex: A New Evangelical Sexual Logic 29
2 • Overcoming the Obscene: Using Religion to Talk about Sex 54
3 • Virtual and Virtuous: Forming Online Religious Communities 81
4 • Sexual Awakening: Defi ning Women’s Pleasures 108
5 • What Makes a Man: Making “Bad” Sex “Good” 132
Conclusion: Paths of Desire 155
Appendix A: List of Christian Sexuality Websites 169
Appendix B: Doing Internet Ethnography 171
Notes 181
Bibliography 205
Index 217
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LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
FIGURES
1. Number of years married by denomination, CSIS married
sample 24
2. Frequency of attendance at religious services, CSIS and GSS
sample 25
3. Internet use by denomination, CSIS and GSS sample 25
4. Attitudes about sex between same-sex adults by denomination, CSIS
and GSS sample 26
5. Attitudes about sex between unmarried adults by denomination,
CSIS and GSS sample 26
6. Attitudes about sex between unmarried adults, sex between same-sex
adults, and a married couple viewing pornography together, CSIS
sample 40
7. Attitudes about oral sex, the use of vibrators, anal sex, and a married
man or woman masturbating, CSIS sample 47
8. Number of sexual partners by gender, CSIS married sample 51
9. Frequency of oral sex in marriage by gender, CSIS married sample 51
10. “Th e clitoris with labia,” from A Celebration of Sex, by Douglas
Rosenau 62
11. “Positioning for premature ejaculation training session using squeeze
control,” from Intended for Pleasure, by Ed and Gaye Wheat 62
12. “Having a ball,” from LovingGroom.com 62
13. Frequency of masturbation by gender, CSIS married sample 124
ix