Validating Beliefs: Liberal And Conservative Protestant Views of Sexual Morality in America

Abstract

While many debates about sexual morality seem to be dominated by conservative, right wing Protestants, there are differing worldviews within Protestantism as there are in the larger American culture. In Protestantism, disparate beliefs about sexual morality have caused division between groups. Concurrently, these differing perspectives have bled into the larger discourse about sexual morality in the United States. Each group has spokespeople who attempt to validate what individuals should believe about issues like the family, sexuality, and how Protestants, and Americans in general, should think and act regarding these issues. Prior research provided a limited analysis about the views and conversations of these spokespeople and their arguments to validate their positions on sexual morality issues. To better understand how Protestants attempt to validate their beliefs, I focus on what liberals and conservatives say about sexual morality issues. In particular, what do those in influential positions (i.e., authors and pastors) tell others? To answer this question, I conduct a content analysis of 30 Protestant sex advice manuals and 20 in-depth pastoral interviews. The results indicate not only the differences and similarities of beliefs, but also that many spokespeople use various forms of validation besides, or in addition to, biblical texts. The influential are influenced greatly by their own personal biases and views of gender, maybe even more than their particular religious beliefs. Future research should explore whether there is a definitive correlation between spokespersons' messages and listeners' adherence.