WATCH: Sadie Robertson Huff Discusses Purity—And How the Church Got It Wrong

As part of her “WHOA That’s Good” Podcast, Sadie Robertson Huff sat down with her mom, Korie Robertson, to discuss what most “would shy away from talking about—especially in the church.” Sadie and Korie had an honest conversation about sex and purity.

Sadie reflected on when she first learned about sex at around age nine. She and her mom were watching “So You Think You Can Dance,” and the judges kept mentioning how certain moves were “sexy.”

Sadie recalled, “And, I was like ‘Mom, what does sexy mean?’”

Taking a cautious and clinical approach, Korie explained that “sexy” comes from the root word “sex.” Korie saw a natural open door and began to explain sex to her daughter.

Where Most People Hear About Sex and Purity

Sadie shared a startling statistic: “80% of people found out about sex from their peers, television, or the internet.” She believes this has led to misinformation and a skewed view of sex and purity.

She went on to tell Korie that she’s “glad that you told me that, because I got to hear from my mom what sex is, what God’s design for sex is. A lot of people don’t have that conversation with their parents, don’t have that conversation with their pastor or with a mentor. It comes from a lot of other places.”

The church has also served as a resource on the subject of sex, but sometimes providing inaccurate information.

“There have been so many harmful things put out from the church when it comes to sex,” Sadie continued. “And, if that’s brought shame to your life, I just want to say that is not the message of Jesus. That is not the message of the cross. That is not God’s intention for sex.”

Sadie further attempted to connect with those who have been hurt by the church’s purity message methodologies, saying, “So, if you’ve heard an analogy that was horrible—if you’ve heard things spoken over your life that alluded to anything other than the power of the blood of Jesus can heal you—it’s not the truth.”

The World’s View of Sex Has Changed

The biblical view and God’s design of sex haven’t changed since the beginning of time. Sex is a beautiful thing, intended for good between a married man and woman, Sadie explained. On the other hand, the world’s view and treatment of sex have changed continually.

• 20 years ago, 47% felt like it was okay to have sex outside of marriage. And, now 73% say it’s “totally fine—why, what’s the harm in having sex outside of the marriage?”
• And, for teenagers, the same statistic has gone from 32% of people saying it’s not okay for teens to have sex—now 43% of people think teenage sex is acceptable.
• Polygamy (being married to multiple people) has seen a rise from 7% to 20% acceptance over the past 20 years.
• Even more alarming, 95% of people say they have had sex before they were married.

Addressing viewers, Sadie said, “I’m not assuming that you guys never had sex before. I’m actually assuming most of you probably have. If it’s up to the statistics that 95% of you have, so I just want to say that you are not exempt from the beauty of what this conversation is about to be, because you’ve walked in sexual sin in your past or are currently walking through sexual sin. Today can be a day that everything changes that you begin to repent and walk toward the way that God has for you.”