Dean Inserra - Pure: Why the Bibles Plan for Sexuality Isnt Outdated, Irrelevant, Or Oppressive

How should Christian parents, pastors, and leaders approach issues of sexuality with the next generation? In a desire to correct unhelpful models of purity, many are hesitant or even hostile to teaching the Bibles countercultural ethic of sexuality. Dean Inserra offers a courageous but pastoral correction to this worrisome trend, offering Christians a road map to helping young people see the richness of Gods plan for a flourishing marriage and sexuality. In a world where our kids are bombarded by mixed messages, parents must be intentional. This is a resource that every pastor, youth pastor, college pastor, and parent should have in bulk.

DANIEL DARLING, director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Seminary and bestselling author of several books, including The Dignity Revolution, A Way With Words, and The Characters of Christmas

Ive seen the purity pendulum swing wildly over the years. Theres no question that the way many of us as Christians have reacted to the sexual libertarianism of our culture has left many people shamed and scarred. But as Dean Inserra shows in this compelling book, Gods design for our sexuality is both clear and good. I am thankful for this call to holiness and purity that is full of both grace and truth.

BOB LEPINE, long-time cohost of FamilyLife Today; author, Love Like You Mean It; pastor, Redeemer Community Church of Little Rock

Is it possible to live out a healthy, biblical, distinctively Christian sexual ethic in todays world? What about all of the excesses of purity culture? Is the very idea of sexual purity antiquated? Or even harmful? In Pure, Dean Inserra deals directly with the problems of the purity movement while clearly articulating Gods design for sex. As always, Deans work is accessible, humorous, and grounded in Scripture. This book is an excellent resource for teenagers, parents, and all who work with them.

JIMMY & KRISTIN SCROGGINS, authors of Full-Circle Parenting

Looking back on any hugely popular trend or phenomenon in our cultureor in the churchthe benefit of time lets us see possible gaps and weaknesses. Regardless of your opinion about sexual purity campaigns of the past, Dean Inserra has compiled a helpful book that points to the full picture of why God created sex and the context for which it was intended. In short, we must not let possible shortcomings from past emphases lead us to anything less than a scriptural view of love, marriage, and sex that God has given us in His Word.

KEVIN EZELL, president, North American Mission Board, SBC

Contemporary evangelicalism is obsessed with social justice and loving ones neighbor. But when it comes to the topic that is literally destroying peoples lives inside and outside the church, sexuality, so few are willing to speak up. Dean Inserras Pure is. So few are as willing to be as clear, bold, and unapologetic about the Bibles witness on sexuality as Dean, and thats chiefly because Dean believes biblical sexuality is for our good, not for our harm or for repressing our desires. If the church is to love its neighbor and seek societys welfare, there are few more practical ways to do so than to the tell the truth about Gods design for sexuality.

ANDREW T. WALKER, Associate Professor of Christian Ethics, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; fellow, The Ethics and Public Policy Center

Dean Inserra has done it again! He has given Christians another resource to help us navigate the critical issues we face today. This time he tackles the purity culture and gives us a better way to think about all things related to dating, marriage, and sex. This is what Pure is all about. With his quick wit and keen theological insight, Inserra calls believers to a higher and more holy standard regarding the way we think about our purity and operate in our personal relationships. Written from the heart of a pastor, Dean strikes the perfect balance of calling out sin and communicating hard truths in a spirit of grace and love. This book is going to challenge, encourage, and help a lot of people. I highly recommend it.

JARRETT STEPHENS, Senior Pastor at Champion Forest Baptist Church and author of The Always God: He Hasnt Changed and You Are Not Forgotten

For those of us who grew up in the midst of the purity culture movement and are now watching the backlash against it online and in real life, Dean Inserras Pure is a helpful resource. What does the Bible really say about sex? Why should Christians commit to purity? What does a biblical sexual ethic actually look like in todays culture? This book answers those questions and more. Whether you are married or single, questioning the lessons of purity culture or ministering to those who are, this book provides a gracious and unapologetic look at what the Bible has to say about Gods design for us.

ELIZABETH HYNDMAN, Editorial Project Leader, Lifeway Women

In a world crazed and confused by sex, and in a church culture increasingly embarrassed by and open to redefining the clear sexual ethics of the Bible, I cannot think of a more important book than Dean Inserras Pure. Dean does not dodge a single critical issue, and he handles them allincluding kissing dating goodbye, true love waits, gay is okay, and porn is the normwith biblical truth, pastoral compassion, and timely relevance. And as usual, the Inserra wit makes the book easy to read! Everyone should get this book and wrestle with its important message!

JONATHAN AKIN, Vice President for Church Relations and Campus Ministries, Carson-Newman University

We live in a deeply confused age, one that worships hyperindividualism and its anything goes approach to sexuality and valorizes religious deconstruction and its suspicion of authority. Dean Inserras straightforward clarity cuts through that confusion by refocusing us on the purpose of a Christian sexual ethic: to be faithful followers of Jesus. In characteristic fashion, he shies away from nothing, confronting false and unfulfilling narratives both in, and out of, the American church. When we break Gods design, we should expect brokenness, not bliss. Pastor Inserra calls us to realign ourselvesbody, soul, and spiritwith the One who designed our sexuality and heals our brokenness. This call goes beyond correcting purity culture or its subsequent pendulum swings to describe a discipleship that is holistically and single-mindedly pure.

KATIE J. MCCOY, Director, Womens Ministry, Center for Church Health

Unlike so many think pieces regarding purity culture, Inserra grounds his critique in biblical rather than worldly wisdom, then offers practical, Bible-based advice for a better way to approach dating, marriage, and sex. More than just a look at the purity craze of the nineties, this charitable work offers the ancillary impact of causing us to look more closely at todays fad answers to sin.

MEGAN BASHAM,The Daily Wire

2022 by

DEAN INSERRA

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Some content in this book was adapted from previously published content on the authors website, erlc.com, and adflegal.org.