Virgin Nation

Moslener, a professor of religion at Central Michigan University, traces the development of Christian rhetoric around sexual purity through the 19th and 20th centuries, with a focus on the links drawn by evangelists between abstinence and the future of the American nation, predicated on fears of cultural decline. Moslener provides fascinating insights into the initial appearance of moral-purity rhetoric that was used to both support and oppose the burgeoning Victorian feminist movement, and, later, to prompt Cold War–era fears of nuclear annihilation. She also critiques media usage among more recent evangelical associations, noting the advantages and dangers of their reliance on parody. The book’s major flaw is its brevity; occasionally, it fails to sufficiently elaborate how the intellectual constructs it explores are related, shifting rather abruptly from the Victorian era to post-WWII youth culture with little discussion of the years in between, and neglecting to fully explore the political power and context of the movements it analyzes. Nonetheless, the book is an engaging read that provides valuable historical and intellectual context for an important American religious trend. (July)