Misogyny from the pulpit

At one of my book events this week, someone asked me about misogyny in evangelical culture and theology, and to what extent it might explain the willingness of many evangelicals to overlook former President Trump’s vulgar statements and, according to a New York jury, history of sexual assault.

I answered that misogyny is far from unique to evangelicalism. But there is a long history in many churches of excluding women from leadership roles (this has caused a recent rift in the Southern Baptist Convention, as one example) and, as I describe in my new book, The Exvangelicals, of placing a heavy burden on women and young girls to dress modestly to help men avoid sexual temptation.

AI prompt: church school slutty fashion show

In one scene in my book, I describe the “slutty fashion shows” that female authority figures performed for my classmates and me as students at Christian schools, in a cautionary effort to teach us “what not to wear” and how to protect our chastity.

And sometimes, sadly, there are particularly troubling examples. In a clip that’s been circulating this week, Southern Baptist megachurch pastor Josh Howerton preaches that on her wedding night, a Christian bride should do what her husband tells her to do sexually, because “he’s been planning this night his whole life”:

Screenshot from X

That statement was quickly called out by several Christian women and men online, including writer and podcaster Sheila Gregoire.

But the remark - framed as a funny joke - highlights a troubling absence of discussion around consent, an erasure of women’s sexual desire and pleasure, and a problematic obsession with the “perfect wedding night” which many raised in evangelical purity culture have found to be harmful.

By the way, The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church is a New York Times bestseller in two categories!

Thanks for supporting it, and if you haven’t ordered one for yourself or a friend, that’s a great way to support my work. It’s available here in hardcover, e-book, or audiobook (and yes, I narrate!).