I am trying to make sense of the tragic Atlanta shooting.
First, this seems like a hate crime. But I will confess that I am not a legal expert on what is a hate crime and what is not. Whatever the courts decide, it is hard to argue with the fact that this shooter was motivated by hate.
Second, my fellow evangelicals in the Asian-American community have provided some language to help me think about the shooting and other hate-crimes against Asian Americans from the perspective of my Christian faith.
Third, I have read some really unnuanced takes on “purity culture” and evangelical views on pornography and I have questions:
Is there a difference between evangelical purity culture and parents/churches who teach their kids that sex was designed by God to happen in the context of marriage?
In the past few days I have had some good conversations with my daughters (ages 19 and 23) about this. The church they grew-up in exposed them to what I would call “purity culture light.” The church taught traditional views of sexuality, but there were no balls, rings, pledges, or conferences. I can’t say much more here, but my conversations with them were very helpful. I would encourage folks to have similar conversations with their grown daughters.
What about pornography addiction?
Here is what I wrote at The Washington Post back in 2018 when the Donald Trump-Stormy Daniels affair was in the headlines:
While our country has made great strides in correcting many of our past sins, we are arguably exposed to more vulgar language, sex and violence than at any other time in American history.
Let’s take pornography. I think many Americans, whether they are religious or not, would agree that porn has a negative effect on our culture.
I am sure there will be many — libertarians or some feminists — who disagree with me about the destructive nature of pornography, but most followers of Jesus believe that pornography leads to sin. Christians who watch porn seek to gratify desires that can only be truly satisfied by God and one’s marriage partner.
I know the court evangelicals agree with me. Many of Trump’s most ardent supporters are pastors. I am sure they have counseled people who are addicted to pornography. They can tell stories about families that have been torn apart by porn. They have seen men squander their savings or run up massive credit card debt on Internet porn sites. Some of the most unsung heroes of the evangelical world are those who work with ministries that help men whose lives have been destroyed by pornography.
I can’t diagnose whether the Atlanta shooter was addicted to porn. But easy access to porn is a systemic problem in American culture. I know several Christians who, admirably, are trying to kick the porn habit as a kind of spiritual discipline. I know others who are trying to stop watching porn as a way of saving their marriages. This doesn’t mean that these porn-watching evangelicals will start shooting people, but it should force evangelicals, especially pastors, to think long and hard about how they are dealing with those in their congregation who struggle with pornography.
Those are my initial thoughts. I have read dozens of articles on this subject in the past few days and I have found the following pieces helpful:
Katelyn Beaty, “After Atlanta-area shooting, Christians must rethink purity culture that puts the blame on women“
Sociologist Samuel Perry’s interview with Belinda Luscombe at Time.
David French, “Why the Atlanta Massacre Triggered a Conversation About Purity Culture“
In terms of news reporting, Ruth Graham has written the most nuanced and informative piece.
