Available From UC Press

Even though they are immersed in sex-saturated society, millions of teens are pledging to remain virgins until their wedding night. How are evangelical Christians persuading young people to wait until marriage? Christine J. Gardner looks closely at the language of the chastity movement and discovers a savvy campaign that uses sex to “sell” abstinence. Drawing from interviews with evangelical leaders and teenagers, she examines the strategy to shift from a negative “just say no” approach to a positive one: “just say yes” to great sex within marriage. Making Chastity Sexy sheds new light on an abstinence campaign that has successfully recast a traditionally feminist idea—“my body, my choice”—into a powerful message, but one that Gardner suggests may ultimately reduce evangelicalism’s transformative power. Focusing on the United States, her study also includes a comparative dimension by examining the export of this evangelical agenda to sub-Saharan Africa.

Christine J. Gardner is Associate Professor of Communication at Wheaton College.

“Students of rhetoric should appreciate Making Chastity Sexy for the sophistication of its argument about 'counter-public' advocacy. Others will welcome it for keen insights about the recent history of American evangelicals and, even more, Christine Gardner's striking comparisons between chastity rhetoric in the United States and in East Africa.”—Mark Noll, author of The New Shape of World Christianity: How American Experience Reflects Global Faith

“Christine Gardner has written a terrific book that moves beyond tired survey research-based studies to give us a rich and engaging in-depth analysis of the language through which evangelical abstinence movements attempt to persuade teenagers to refrain from having sex. We learn not only about programs in the United States but also in Africa where abstinence has been advocated to prevent HIV/AIDS. Making Chastity Sexy shows clearly the power of rhetoric – and its unanticipated consequences.” —Robert Wuthnow, Princeton University

"Written in an engaging, often journalistic style, Making Chastity Sexy offers compelling insight into the rhetorical strategies of contemporary evangelical sexual abstinence campaigns and illuminates a remarkable variety of responses to these campaigns by teens and young adults." —Angela G. Ray, Associate Professor of Communication Studies, Northwestern University