In this pioneering study in religion and culture, Mielke acknowledges the power that pornographic images continue to assert in a culture whose conscious intention is to deny their attraction. Despite efforts by Christians and feminists alike to radically alter the sexual agenda in the direction of a more tender and respectful eroticism, much of contemporary America continues its sexual odyssey with unrepentant enthusiasm and with an increasing interest in overt sexual imagery. Mielke's unique analysis brings together a wide range of sources contemporary as well as historical Christianity, sex...