In which Washington wit Jillian Bandes of Culture11 sits me down for a chat at a Georgetown coffee shop and a splendid time is had by all. Make sure you stay tuned for the outtakes at the end.
The half-hour interview also covered more sober ground, but was ultimately edited to show Jillian's and my lighter side. Even so, it would be honest to say that, after a day of studying among seminarians, the opportunity for girl talk had me in estrogen-fueled high spirits.
There is one spot early on in the interview that could use some context—it's the part when I refer to some popular books on Christian courtship. I was speaking about how some authors, in trying to warn against certain behaviors, go to great lengths to describe them. I tried consciously to avoid that when referring to my past life in The Thrill of the Chaste, aiming to be stark but not graphic.
As a result of having avoided detailing a Technicolor list of "don'ts," the top question I get when I speak on campuses is one I never broached in the book—"How far is too far?" (Answer: Go for affection, not arousal. And, of course, look to The Thrill's subtitle.)
Many thanks to Jillian and director John Scanlon (a noted documentary filmmaker) for profiling me for Culture11, a thought-provoking new site edited by Evangelical Outpost blogger Joe Carter.
The inclusion of the outtakes remind of the similar device used in this oldie but goodie, "Chastity Rome-Chick Blues," shot in a photographer's studio at the New York Daily News.
Buy my book, The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On, from Amazon.com.
