In this second Emerald City*, I interview author Amy Frykholm, writer on religion, culture and spirituality. In Amy’s recent book, See Me Naked: Stories of Sexual Exile in American Christianity, I found myself identifying with these deftly written stories of men and women on the fringes. Amy has developed the possibility that our bodies, far from being a distraction from God, are megaphones rousing us back to the Holy One.

Call us crazy, but Amy and I are both trying to redeem the word erotic from the strip clubs. Amy even thinks that eroticism belongs in worship services, even in the Godhead. In this interview, we’ll do a little “sexual formation” as Amy calls it. Prepare to see your sexuality differently:

For those who want to skip straight to one section, I’ve put a minute-by-minute run down of the topics below the video.

Be sure to scroll to the bottom to find out how to be entered into a drawing for a free copy of Amy Frykholm’s book.

Minute by Minute

4 – Eroticism in worship

6 – God has erotic experiences

12 – Pleasure and discernment in Young Life Culture

14 – Imagination in Moral Development

16 – “What turns me on matters to God.”

17 – “Our sexuality is a delicate web.”

19:30 – Jesus’ resurrected body had scars

20 – Policing other’s sexuality’

24 – “As a Christian, I didn’t want to be less of a human.”

27 – I have trouble being a body.

29 – “Is it possible to be a naked Christian?”

32 – Obliterating flesh

33 – Telling your story

36 – On writing

How to win a copy of See Me Naked

Three easy steps:

  1. Share this post on your facebook wall through the Soulation Facebook page here.
  2. Leave a comment on the Soulation wall below the post announcing Emerald City with Amy Frykholm. Write something like, “I shared Emerald City”, so we’ll be sure to enter you into our drawing.
  3. OR…. Tweet this Emerald City at least 2 times (today and tomorrow?) with @soulation mentioned so we can enter you.

*Emerald City is a special series at RubySlippers where you get to watch interviews with experts. The name hails from the way Dorothy and friends had to wear green glasses in the Emerald City to keep them from discovering the different (non-green) colors.   Emerald City will be a place you need to prepare to take off the glasses you’re wearing and discover more beauty and more truth.