The Crucified, Forsaken Flesh: Hermeneutics of the Body in Evangelical Purity Culture

Abstract

This dissertation presents a critical examination of the pervasive purity culture within evangelical Christianity, highlighting its intrinsic ties to misogyny, patriarchy, and institutionalized abstinence-only education. By delving into the historical contexts of gender and sexuality in ancient Israelite and Greco-Roman societies, and deconstructing biblical narratives concerning women, this study reveals how purity culture manipulates Christian texts and the figure of Jesus to justify and perpetuate bodily violence, especially against women. Through a comprehensive exposition of purity culture’s principles and an exegetical approach to women’s stories in the Bible, the research illustrates the damaging hermeneutics through which the human body is interpreted and governed. This dissertation then employs queer theory to reinterpret the person of Jesus, challenging purity culture’s rigid conceptions of divinity and gender. This reinterpretation seeks to dismantle the harmful ideologies upheld by purity culture and proposes an alternative, healing relationship with the divine that offers solace to those traumatized by its teachings. By questioning and redefining traditional narratives, this study contributes to the discourse on religion, gender, and sexuality, aiming to foster a more inclusive and compassionate understanding of the body.