A Wild Constraint: The Case for Chastity

(Paperback)

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Sex is no longer edgy; chastity is the real subversive option. A Wild Constraint: The Case for Chastity denounces the ideological destruction of personal virtue, and remakes the link, unfashionable since the 1960s, between sex and society. Largely considered an exclusively religious option, chastity is now being reclaimed as a radical new 'lifestyle choice'. What after all is liberating about behaviour that results in massive hidden pain and exploitation But Jenny Taylor goes further and argues that in the context of promiscuity, sex trafficking and social chaos, chastity can herald a different sexual freedom, a recovery of community and hope for women in cultures that offer no choice. She draws on personal experience and a wide secular and spiritual literature, as well as interviews with men and women of all ages to help restore the dignity and point of chastity. She also challenges the church to recover its conviction: 'We need more of a counter-culture that values the struggle; that helps us survive the ideologically-driven sex-conformity; the singles supplements that penalise us for being economically inconvenient, the pop logic that makes virtue a vice.'

Reviews

"More people remain single longer, if not for life, than ever before. In the face of this, coupled with popular cultural messages promoting an active sex life, Taylor's advocacy for chastity is timely and provocative. Drawing on personal interviews, social statistics and references to sources ranging from Freud to Bridget Jones, Taylor (Faith and Power: Christianity and Islam in Secular' Britain) chastises what she deems to be a dangerous degree of sexual freedom. The book is at its best when describing the possibilities and benefits of chastity for the individual and society." -Publishers Weekly, December 15, 2008
"Celibacychosen sexlessnesscomes in for lots of ribbing in today's hypersexualized culture, as though it were an illness or a misfortune. Taylor takes a thoughtful new look at celibacy, reminding us that church traditions that once celebrated singlehood and virginity have turned against them. She makes an eloquent case for the faith and power inherent in chastity, which may yet again prove a bulwark within a culture where both closed and "open" marriages seem doomed to failure and where the yearning for connectedness not constrained by sexuality is widespread. Eye-opening and helpful; recommended for most collections."-Starred Review, Library Journal, January 2009
"In a society obsessed with sexuality Jenny Taylor's elegant essay comes as a welcome and refreshing change." - Catholic Herald
"Jenny Taylor's elegant essay comes as a welcome and refreashing change ... offers an interesting survey of contemporary attitudes." Catholic Herald, January 2009
Review in Church Times, April 2009
"...it is a well written, scholarly treatment of the subject and it will certainly make you think." The Irish Catholic, September 2009
All God's Children - Vol 2.2 2010
"The social dimension and implications of individual sexuality...[are] carefully developed and powerfully stated." -- Richard Norman, New Directions
Mention in Church of England Newspaper, February 2009
Mention in Baptist Times, March 2009
"This is an excellent, brave book and one which will delight and challenge in equal measure, and it is highly recommended." -Interserve Magazine
"Very readable, with a good amount of anecdotal material, and an amusing style whish is at times enjoyably risqu ... certain to make an otherwise uneventful train journey pass more speedily." - New Directions
Mention in author's own article in The Times, February 2009

Author Bio

Jenny Taylor is a well-known journalist and academic, and a published author. She is Director of Lapido Media, a charity that promotes religious literacy in public affairs. Her writing has appeared in numerous textbooks and academic journals. Her previous book Faith and Power: Christianity and Islam in 'Secular' Britain is published by SPCK and Wipf and Stock.