Teaching God’s design: exploring the rhetorical and relational goals of evangelical leaders during premarital education about sex

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study sought to advance the growing body of research on communication and instruction outside of the college classroom by exploring the rhetorical and relational goals of religious leaders facilitating premarital education about sex (i.e., sexuality, sexual health, and intimacy). Specifically, 47 evangelical Christians who had taught premarital education content (e.g., counseling, courses, and retreats) completed open-ended surveys regarding their goals when communicating about sex and the challenges or barriers to accomplishing their goals. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 16 of the 47 participants about their experiences with the topic. A thematic analysis revealed that participants sought to counter myths and misconceptions, teach the emotional–spiritual and redirect the physical, and create a safe space. Moreover, the challenges they experienced included (couples’) discomfort, limited time and expertise, and perceived conflicting teacher–student goals. In all, their efforts to teach “God’s design” and the challenges they perceived were filtered through their Christian ideology, indicating the need to continue exploring the role of social identity in teaching–learning contexts.