Here’s to Religion and Sex!

Welcome to the Sex Pastor! I’m excited to share this space with you and spend time learning about religion and sex/sexuality together. Now, you are probably wondering what that exactly means since a lot could be assumed. This post is going to be an overview of who I am, why I think this work is important, and what that work is.

So first, I am Madi White and I am a current Master of Divinity student at Wake Forest University School of Divinity. So, no matter how I look at things, I will graduate and “pastor” will be associated with my name in one way or another. My goal is not to be a pastor but a professor of religion and sex. My undergraduate degrees are in History and Religious Studies and my current concentration for my Master’s is in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. I plan on pursuing doctoral work to continue researching the connection between religious spaces, groups, and institutions and how they influence sex and sexuality. So I think its clear that religion and sex are my life’s passions and I love studying them.

So what is the Sex Pastor? As the slogan says, this is a place for us to have real and honest conversations about the connection between religion and sex/sexuality in order to de-stigmatize and de-shame. It is my belief that the current state of affairs as it relates to sex and sexuality, was originally caused by religious efforts. It should now be the church’s job to rectify it. The best way to do that is simply to open our minds to things we have yet to encounter. There should be no shame or stigma attached to sex and sexuality. Sex is probably the most basic human function. So why are we scared to talk about it? I wanted to create a space for us to let go for a minute and talk openly about all the things we’ve been told are “wrong”. 

Some of the questions we will play around with are: How has religion played a role in traumatizing the LGBTQ+ community? What about religious trauma on sexual assault survivors? Churches often teach abstinence-only, why is that not a good thing? Is abortion actually in the Bible? Hint: it’s not. And what about the violence done to bodies over the years in the name of religion against certain genders or sexualities? Example: witch trials.

This is 100% not an exhaustive list and I am always open to exploring anything that you may suggest! I always want to acknowledge the importance of representation, so I will not be the only writer for this website and will listen to what you would like to hear about. We will have guest features from all walks of life to give us a new perspective to think about. This is not the place to be an expert on something but a learner of everything. I want us to ask questions, be challenged, learn and grow from the topics we explore together. Feel free to email me ([email protected]) or interact on our social media sites (@thesexpastor)! I would love to get to know you and learn about what brought you here!

Here’s to religion and sex!